| General Information |
| Group(s):
Herding |
Height: 20-26 inches at the shoulder |
| Weight: 50 - 70 pounds |
Longevity: early teens |
| Colors: all variations including spots, patches and ticking |
Coat type: smooth |
| Recognized Registries: ARBA, (FSS foundation stock service with AKC) |
| Overall Appearance: Without excess, the Catahoula Leopard Dog shows all the tight musculature and working ability of Scenthounds in a taut package, the athleticism of Retrievers and the intensity of Herding dogs. |
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| Personaility - Behavior - Training |
| Energy Level: quite high |
| General Nature: |
extremely loyal, suspicious of strangers, intelligent, intense |
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with Children: very good when raised properly and with children that respect the dog |
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with other pets: varies |
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with dogs: varies |
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| Socialization requirements: rather high because of their innate desire to get out and do things |
| Ideal home characteristics: one that revels in the intelligence, and creativity of their dog, this is NOT a couch potato! |
| Temperament Notes: hard to overemphasize this dog's complicated personality and need for a job - tend to become neurotic and difficult to live with if without something to occupy their time - ie work |
| Training requirement: relatively high - which advanced obedience, etc. may not be necessary, a reasonable amount of time needs to be dedicated to interacting and playing with the dog as well as introducing them to new things and guiding that focus and drive |
| Trainer notes: The Catahoula Leopard Dog is far too independently minded to be the ideal training companion for the intensely competitive trainer. On the other hand, for someone who wants a powerful, confident and exceptionally capable companion - the Catahoula can go from swimming to climbing trees all in one walk (seriously, check out images on the Internet). Depending on one's perspective, the Catahoula is the best (or worst) combination of many incredible dogs. Their athleticism is equal to any as is their intensity and work ethic. They also have a healthy dose of self-confidence - which means as a handler you will need to convince them that you know why they should do what you are asking of them. Ultimately, this is a dog that loves a challenge and a good time, so training starts with heavy socializing (a overly suspicious Catahoula is a dangerous thing) and then moves on to some basic communication (obedience) from there, the savvy trainer will probably let the dog help direct the training path into areas that are fun for them both. |
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| Background Information |
| Year range of first recognition: 1800s |
| Country of Origin: USA - Louisiana |
| Original Function: Multi-use - Hunting (wild hods), Herding (cattle) |
| History: Developed from indigenous Indian dogs and War Dogs of the Spanish, the Catahoula was used to rid the wooded areas of wild pigs that destroyed crops of early settlers as well as herding livestock and protecting the homeplace.. |
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| Adoption Information |
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| Deviations from Standard: oversize, excess flews, too low to the ground |
| Health Notes: no information found at this time |
| Health Testing: OFA (hips and elbows), CERF (eyes), deafness |
| Questions to ask Breeder: http://www.digitaldog.com/breeder_questions.html - The Breeder Questions as listed here provided with explanations and answers you will want to be looking for!
How long have you had Catahoulas?
Why do you have Catahoulas (show, performance, hunting, etc.)?
What do you consider to be the most important single characteristic of a Catahoula Leopard Dog?
What health issues have you seen in the breed?
What criteria do you set for your breeding stock?
Do you plan to keep a puppy from this litter?
How often do you have puppies?
Do you have a written contract and puppy guarantee?
At what age do you sent your pups to their homes?
How would you describe the ideal Catahoula Leopard Dog?
How would you describe the ideal Catahoula home?
Are your puppies whelped in your home?
What advice would you offer someone in raising and training a Catahoula Leopard Dog? |
| Web Sites: Catahoula Rescue - Obviously the best source for a Catahoula Leopard Dog is rescue. Already this breed has too many irresponsible breeders and dogs in need of homes. Additionally with a dearth of information regarding health and ethics online - the rescue serves as the best source of information for health and temperament issues within the breed. |
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| Other Resources |
| Breed standard: |
ARBA (American Rare Breed Association) Catahoula Leopard Dog Breed Standard |
| Breeder Ethics: |
DigitalDog could not find an online site for the National Association of the Louisiana Catahoula Leopard Dog. As a result we are not sure of the existence of breeder ethics for this organization. We encourage anyone to provide us with this information and to question breeders closely based on ethics of other organizations. |
| Other: |
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