Is Anyone Familiar with Catahoula Leopard Dogs?

[Friend_of_Otis]

Our farm dog is getting old. We realized she won’t be here forever and so I am slowly considering different breeds in an attempt to find some kind of dog that is similar in body type and personality. She is a Pitt/Rott that was dumped in the neighborhood 11 years ago. We bought a farm, took her with, and have had the best farm/guard/animal loving dog ever. She is a house dog and almost like having another person around.

The closest breed I can find is the Catahoula.
So, can anyone tell me about what these guys are like in real life? Any serious health issues?

Other suggestions? Must have short hair, medium to large size and be good with animals, including chickens.

Don’t want a pure Pitt because of the high prey drive, and don’t want a pure Rottie, because they don’t live long enough.

[wireweiners]

I was raised with catahoula and currently have two. Both of mine are elderly now. A good one will be the best dog you ever owned, a bad one will be your worst nightmare.

They are very smart, very high energy dogs. They are tough as boot leather. They do have a high prey drive but can be taught to leave “their” chickens, cats, smaller dogs, etc. alone. They can be both dog and people aggressive. They are very territorial and have an uncanny knack for determining the exact boundaries of their property. They can be very protective of their people and property. They are serious dogs and must have a serious owner.

Don’t make the mistake of thinking they are herding dogs like border collies. They aren’t, they are bay dogs. Their job was to locate wild cattle and hogs in the swamps and thickets if south Louisiana and southeast Texas and hold them at bay until the drovers got there. Then there job was to keep them bunched while the drovers moved them. When they weren’t doing that work they were used as general hunting dogs and to keep varmints out of the yard.

As far as health goes, the Merle dogs with excessive white can have vision and hearing problems although not all do. I have an excessive white male and he can hear and see just fine. But I would avoid an excessive white dog. As all large breeds, they can have hip displasia so parents should have an OFA rating.

I would recommend getting one from cow working lines rather than hog dog lines as the hog dogs tend to be harder and more aggressive.

I could tell you dozens of catahoula stories but here’s a couple that illustrate their temperament.

As a young man, my dad had a pair, Betsy and Sissy. Betsy worshipped my dad. One day he got stopped for speeding. Betsy was in the cab of the truck with him. She was a striking looking dog, dark blue Merle with pale blue eyes. The cop said to dad,“That’s a funny looking dog. What’s she good for?” About that time he reached in the truck to get dad’s license. Betsy grabbed his arm and held it. Dad, who was kind of a smart ass, told the cop, “That’s what she’s good for.”

When my daughter was young, we had Hank. DD love Hank, he was her brother. One day DD was playing in the yard, I was on the porch reading and Hank was snoozing in the sun. Suddenly Hank jumps up and takes off growling and barking. I look up and see one of my sketchy neighbors walking down the road. Hank met him at the edge of our property and shadowed him until he was passed us. Hank never approached him and never left our property but made it clear that if he crossed the line he was toast. After the guy passed out house Hank watched him until he was satisfied the guy was gone, then came back and resumed his nap.

[Friend_of_Otis]

Wireweiners, thank you! I love those stories. That is exactly what we are looking for. Thank you for also pointing out the hog dog personality. I wasn’t aware there was a difference. We are experienced owners (GSDs, Pitties, our current mix, a Border Collie, a Heeler, and a Canaan dog). The only dog that would be too much for me would be a… Dachsund!

Keep the info coming!

[wireweiners]

Ha, dachshunds are the other breed I grew up with. IMHO, they have similar temperaments. Dachshunds are just smaller.

Catahoula tend to be one person dogs. They will tolerate and even like other family members but its not the same as their chosen person. My dad got Betsy and Sissy when my mom and he were newly weds. She was jealous of my mom and would get between them if they hugged or danced to the radio. Dad was still in college and when he went back to school after the weekend he’d tell mom to put the dogs on the screened porch at night and she wouldn’t have to worry about intruders. Betsy would have laid down her life for my mom because she “belonged” to dad but was otherwise indifferent to her.

When my sistERS and I were teens we had a catahoula named Savage Sam after the dog in the sequel to Ol’ Yeller. Sam was sneaky. He’d lay out in the yard all quiet and harmless and wait for a stranger to get past him, then he would grab them. Never bit hard or broke skin but would grab a pants leg. Never bothered women, loved kids but a strange man best wait in the car for someone to come out of the house.

So my sister had a date with a new guy and she was after dad to pen Sam up until her date picked her up. Dad refused and told her, “If that boy’s any good he’ll find away around that dog.”

[cloudyandcallie]

My father had a cajun friend, now deceased, Justin Wilson, who had catahoulas. Justin said that the dogs can be mean and were used to hunt wild hogs in the swamps.

[wireweiners]

Was that THE Justin Wilson, the comedian and cooking show host?

[cloudyandcallie]

A picture of my father is in one of Justin’s books. He used to come visit my parents in Savannah, visited me in Atlanta, and my parents used to go visit Justin in Louisiana. Oh yeah, and he married his, um I forget the #, wife, the flight attendant, in Savannah.

Someone gave my father one of Justin’s records, many decades ago, and being my father, he called Justin up on the phone from his business and said come on over and talk to Rotary for me. They had a long friendship till Justin died. And we all ate a lot of cajun cooking, LOL. But Justin said you had to be a strict disciplinarian to own a catahoula.

[Laurierace]

I had one coming to my doggy daycare a couple of days per week but had to ask him to find somewhere else because he just didn’t get dog etiquette so all the other dogs hated him. He would not back off when they told him to get out of their face, my sheltie was like a snarling lunatic. I know of two others and neither are what I would want in my life as they have attacked other dogs…

[Magicboy]

A rancher friend tried to rescue one and ended up just putting food out for it. The dog let anyone get near it and lived sort of like a ghost for years. You could get a glimpse at f it now and then .

[wireweiners]

That is so cool C&C. My parents had several of his albums and I loved his cooking show.

Yes, they are tough dogs bred for a tough job. IMHO, if you have to use a doggy daycare or dog park they aren’t the dog for you. I don’t believe they do well in an urban or suburban setting. As I said, they can be both dog and people agressive. They are also escape artists. You need a 6’ fence with hot wire or concrete on the bottom.

Another story. At the same time we had Savage Sam we had a female, Ethel, from the song The Streaker ( don’t look Ethel). Ethel was all show. So she’d be out barking and growling while Sam snuck around and got you. So one day we were sitting down to breakfast when we heard all this commotion in the yard. Looked out and two guys were on top of their truck while Sam and Ethel had them bayed. Most folks back then knew to honk and wait until someone came out and called of the dogs.

[Chase1023]

I’m on my third catahoula and all of mine have been Raised in urban settings. It takes extra work, and they get plenty of farm time and weekend adventures. All three have been friendly to people and only the deaf and eye sight impaired did not like other dogs. However, she was not aggressive just gave a lot of warnings. Both males were raised in doggie day care, and where often favorites. My current boy is the new dog greeter. He takes them around and shows them all the toys and spends his day with any new dog showing them the ropes. (He may be a cross, no papers, shelter dog).

I spoke to a lot of breeders before ending up with a shelter dog, most know their lines well and could tell me if their dogs would fit with my lifestyle. I found them to be very honest and wanting the best for their dogs.

It takes a lot of extra training to raise in an urban setting but can be done. For me the key was socialize early and teach a command that if I say everything is safe it is and they calm down. Mine would be on guard 24/7 and I’m glad I instilled this in them.

OP from what you describe it seems you’d do great with a catahoula. Just be warned once you have one it’s hard to have any other dog!

[cbv]

[QUOTE= We are experienced owners (GSDs, Pitties, our current mix, …a Border Collie, a Heeler, and a Canaan dog). The only dog that would be too much for me would be a… Dachsund! [/QUOTE]

Don’t want to hijack but would like to hear more about the Canaan Dog. Also have Border collies and a Blue Heeler. Loved loved the heeler and getting another, in spite of all the dire warnings I received.

But also intrigued by the Canaan dogs. Most of the breeders whose web sites I visited required too many hoops (breeders can of course require whatever they desire but I can’t/won"t fit their profile). Herding dog breeders, that breed for herding, believe life on the farm is not only acceptible but desirable so I stuck with herding breeds.

But still would like to hear more about Canaans.

[yaya]

I’ve got a Catahoula cross, and love him! From what I was told, he’s only 1/4 Catahoula, but he sure got the looks of one.

He’s super smart, and super sweet, can get full of energy (he gets the zoomies), but does calm right down when in the house.

He does protect the perimeter, barking at passersby, and even follows them around the property when they turn the corner, racing to meet them along the other street. But if anyone comes in the yard, he’s more likely to pee on their shoes with excitement! (He’s not even 2 yet).

He was a little stubborn as a puppy ( would only walk on the leash if I started humming the Imperial March from Star Wars!), but has grown into a great dog. Knows his toys by name, loves car rides, loves his crate, lives golf cart rides, and is a total lovebug.

Will run with the horses (outside of the fence), but doesn’t chase them, does try to go after squirrels, tries to chase the flock of pigeons that roosts in my arena (really, dude? They are flying 40 feet up!), and is hell on the turtles in my pond (has a very distinctive “turtle bark”, and will carry them around if he catches one).

Pesters the Jack Russell a bit, but backs down when he gets grumpy, loves playing with my brother’s English Lab when I baby sit her (they are exactly the same size and energy level).

Don’t know how much of his behavior/temperament is Catahoula, or the supposed Beagle/Basset/Lab that may be the rest of his lineage, but he does make me think there may be another Catahoula in my future.

A guy in my area wrote some books on Catahoulas - check out Don Abney.

[My_Two_Cents]

We have two. They are about as opposite as they can get. Wouldn’t trade either one. Definitely not a breed for un experienced dog handlers.

[Friend_of_Otis]

cbv, our Canaan dog was amazing. Buddy Herman actually looked kind of like a white and brown wolf. He was about 95lbs. and was mellow as could be all of his life. He was not an athletic dog at all. He sang the song of the Canaan - they have a “song” they sing that is very sweet. He was non confrontational, very loving, but not a huggy type guy. He didn’t hover over us and wouldn’t allow us to hover over him.

He was his own person and had his own room, because at times he wanted to get away from the chaos that was the Beagle and Heeler. Our Heeler was alpha and ruled with an iron paw. Herman was fine with that. He was extremely polite, incredibly smart and wise. Very protective, but not stupidly so.

He lived in the city all his life and was happy with his big yard. He did kill two huge racoons on two different occasions because they had the Beagle in their mouths. Yes, it happened twice - Beagles are delicious. He was barely injured- bites on his muzzle that healed quickly-a very powerful dog.

He was strange dog aggressive and absolutely wanted to kill every cat he ever saw. Couldn’t train that out of him.

He died happy and healthy (just old) at 17.

I am also considering another Canaan dog. No health issues with the breed. I don’t think hip dysplasia is an issue, but not sure. Herman was healthy all of his life, developing mild arthritis at 15 or so.

Sorry for the novel, just amazing dogs!

[rockymouse]

We have had three Catahoulas over the years (plus three heelers, a Russell terrier and a black mouthed cur). Catahoulas can be wonderful, but they are not for the timid or for the inexperienced owner. Although we’ve had Catahoulas who were medium in terms of temperament and drive and energy, they can be extreme and these make for difficult dogs. If you seek out a Catahoula, I’d work with an experienced, sensible breeder.

I will say that our current Catahoula is the easiest we’ve had of the breed. Even so, she is sensitive if we catch her doing something “bad”, and while she is friendly to all who come into the house, I have no doubt that if she sensed I was afraid of someone, she’d come to the rescue.

They can be marvelous dogs. They can also be an unwelcome handful. One of our old Catahoulas felt so strongly about defending our truck that we could not leave him in it with a window down - he’d bite anyone who walked too close. And I don’t mean nip - he’d bite. Not something you want. Once we learned to work around that (he was adopted as an adult and we swiftly learned), he was wonderful. But DONT MESS with his people or his truck. EVER.

[S1969]

I’d be surprised if anyone can recommend a breed that is “good with chickens.” Some dogs may tolerate them without training, but the majority of dog breeds should not be “trusted” with chickens without training or fencing. If you read any homesteading forums you will see that people deal with this problem all the time and somehow think that a “farm dog” or “herding” breed will respect chickens and treat them as livestock. Usually not.

[chestnutmarebeware]

@S1969

I’d be surprised if anyone can recommend a breed that is “good with chickens.” Some dogs may tolerate them without training, but the majority of dog breeds should not be “trusted” with chickens without training or fencing. If you read any homesteading forums you will see that people deal with this problem all the time and somehow think that a “farm dog” or “herding” breed will respect chickens and treat them as livestock. Usually not.

That’s been my experience too. When I had chickens I also had two Pembroke corgis (show lines), a black Lab and an ACD. Only the ACD could be trusted around chickens, and that was only because he was smart enough to be warned off of them and remember the lesson. The other three saw them as walking Snausages!

The worst offender? My cuddle bug male corgi. He ran down a chicken, killed it with a single bite, and was banned from the barn when the chickens were out.

[rockymouse]

Huh. Our Catahoula and our Russell terrier are both fine with the chickens. They had a stern talking-to about the chickens when they were each pups, but they leave the chickens utterly alone. (And these are free range birds.)

[Bluey]

Our aussie raised chicks for us, like a mother hen, would lay down and push them under her with her nose, to keep them warm.
Then, aussies are special that way.

The catahoulas I have known and that came thru our obedience classes to the public were all lovely dogs, no aggression or problems to them, but they were full of energy and young.
Unlike the young ACDs, that you could already tell they were serious and seriously purposeful and strong minded dogs.
There was a clear difference in temperament between those two breeds.

Catahoulas as older dogs, I have heard the warnings also, a lot of dog to handle there.
Then, the few catahoulas I have known as older dogs have been nice, but they were dogs that spent all day with their owner, so getting all kinds of education and exercise, not kept in a pen or house and then full of pent up energy to burn.
One was the lady’s running the mail delivery route dog, the most beautiful dog you ever saw and sweet and patient, but yes, a lot of dog if you wanted to cross her.

I don’t know, in today’s world, if people really want to have the kind of strong, powerful dog that can be a liability, dogs being dogs, if the dog misunderstands a situation and things get out of hand and the owner is not on top of it to handle that
Why I never had an ACD, also that I am very allergic to them.
If the mail route lady’s dog had puppies, I probably would have tried with one, that was a dream dog, but she never did.