Catahoula Leopard Dog

History

Also known as the "Leopard Dog", this strikingly beautiful breed is no doubt unique looking as its history is uncertain. Developing somewhere between the 19th and 21st centuries, there are quite a few theories behind exactly how the Catahoula Leopard Dog was created. From beliefs of unknown Native American dog breeds being bred, to this breed originating from bloodlines of the Nordic Wolfhound, no one knows the exact answer. However, what we do know is how well of a working breed this breed is. Used for herding wild pigs and livestock escapees, this breed is mostly known for its incredible and courageous talent of working specifically in groups of 3 with its own kind, to capture single, violent hogs. It takes a truly intelligent breed to work in a team of 3 while multitasking each others reactions, and completing a job for their owner.

Appearance

Weighing in between 55-80 pounds and measuring 22-25 inches in height for both males and females, this breed is strong and solid. With a long tail, wedged shaped skull that forms into a scissor bite, triangular ears that are firm but frame their face, and a short, wiry coat, this breed even looks like it was built for the farm. Their coat cannot be mistaken for any other breed, a tri color combination of black, tan and white, exact patterns will vary dog to dog, however the color is most certainly eye catching. Their eye color does vary as well, some dogs can even have different color eyes, some dogs carry a light blue eye, or green eye, as other have two black or brown eyes.

Temperament

This breed having intelligence goes without saying after learning their history, but it is very important to note that this breed is not for everybody. Even though this breed is not a rare breed in the US, and can be seen quite often, it is most certainly for an adult household. This breed is naturally very independent, hard working, loyal and protective. This breed comes with a clear warning label of not being sociable, and needs to be watched around any small children, other dogs, or animals. Doing well only with other Catahoula Dogs that he or she is raised with is the only exception. If you do feel this is the right breed for you, please note that this breed requires a SERIOUS owner, who takes dog training extremely serious as well. Persistence, confidence, knowledge, patience, and consistency every day is required, with only positive reinforcement training methods. This recipe will result in a wonderful companion of a dog, who is loving, loyal and obeying. However with a single slip in routine or laziness, will result in turning your new pup into a nightmare. Fully educating yourself about this breed cannot be recommended enough, so the Catahoula Leopard dog never falls into the wrong hands of the wrong owner. This breed requires a lot of physical and mental exercise daily to ensure a healthy well being both physical and mental. This dog also requires a lot of attention and cannot be left outside, or alone on a farm to occupy itself. Without proper companionship between both the owner and the dog, aggressiveness will occur. This breed is suited for country living.

Grooming

An interesting breed, as the Catahoula Leopard Dog shedding depends on its surroundings and mental well being, as a nervous and stressed Catahoula Dog will actually shed a lot, verses a calm Catahoula Dog who sheds very little. This breed requires daily brushing and bathing when needed. Pay close attention to their nails and teeth.

Special Notes

Known for being a hardy and healthy breed, the Catahoula Leopard Dog does battle being prone to deafness in one single, or both ears, as well as having eye issues, specifically tunnel vision. Please fully educate yourself about this breed prior to adding one to your family to ensure this is the correct breed of choice for you and that you are able to make a life long commitment to your new pup! Do not add this breed to your home unless you are able to provide life long financial and physical care to your new family member. All dogs originate from wolves (Canis Lupus). Each breed of dog was originally created by mixing different breeds together in an effort to bring forth certain characteristics. Once a breeder has created acceptable “breed characteristics” within their bloodline and these “breed characteristics” have shown to be reliably reproduced in the offspring for three (3) generations, the bloodline may be upgraded from the category of “foundation stock” to “pure-bred”. The same “pure-bred” breed standards vary from different continents, countries, territories, regions, breed clubs, and canine pure-breed registries depending on the goals of their breeders. Dog DNA testing companies can have accurate results for a specific bloodline of a small colony of dogs. However, there are tens of thousands of different bloodlines in the world which have not yet been tested for marker baseline results by Dog DNA testing companies as of 2017. For this reason Dog DNA testing companies do not guarantee the 100% accuracy of their breed lineage results and will also show different marker results for the same pure-bred breed in different continents, countries, territories, regions, breed clubs, and canine pure-breed registries depending on the goals of their breeders.