Alexa, Using wolf skins and trapped wolfs for testing is very close to what shepherds do in Asia and Caucasus. With that difference, that younger dogs born on the pastures usually are raised there, and dogs born in the village are taken to the pasture around 3 months old (the older the pups are, the more problems they meet being introduced to new pack). There is one thing I do not understand. As you said, tournaments are held to pick "best of the best", a champion between best LGD males from different owners, usually in the same village. But real dogs, which can take wolf, are priceless, as you said ealier, they may cost 50 ewes or more. And each tournament is risk of serious injury of these dogs. For the only reason, that "... if he [shepherd] doesn't have a dog that is the strongest, bravest and most dominant, he will be pairing his bitches with the one that is, and the winner on those kind of tournaments is the one". Perhaps people there are better, than in other places :D From all I heard and read I cannot imagine a shepherd risking his strongest, most experienced dog to give a chance to improve quality of some other guy's LGDs. Respectfully, PES P.S. Despite what is often said about the noble style of LGD fights, injuries can be very serious. Just because of the size, weight and muscules. Not even talking about holes in the skin, treated on the place with couple of stitches and ointment. Broken legs, ligaments, and especially broken fungs are known to happen at each tournament, and these injuries are making the dog useless for a long time, if not forever .