The Carea Leonés ( English: Leonese Sheepdog) is a breed of

herding dog A herding dog, also known as a stock dog or working dog, is a Dog type, type of dog that either has been trained in herding livestock or belongs to one of the dog breed, breeds that were developed for herding. A dog specifically trained to he ...

from León,

Castile and León Castile and León is an Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community in northwestern Spain. Castile and León is the largest autonomous community in Spain by area, covering 94,222 km2. It is, however, sparsely populated, with a pop ...

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

(

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

), and is used as a sheepdog. For centuries, they tended flocks of

Churra The Churra is an Iberian type, list of sheep breeds, breed or group of breeds of sheep. The word simply means 'coarse-woolled'. The Churra originates in the Duero Valley in the Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Castile ...

(sheep) in the mountains of the historical region of León.http://allaboutaussies.wordpress.com/2008/11/19/the-history-of-australian-shepherds-and-the-spanish-shepherd-dog/ Carea Leonés in the Sierras of Castile and León

History

The Carea Leonés is a dog whose morphology and character have been molded by its environment, both physical and human. Regarding the physical, it can say that this breed is rooted in the regions of the

province of León León (, ; ; ; ) is a province of northwestern Spain in the northern part of the Region of León and in the northwestern part of the autonomous community of Castile and León. About one quarter of its population of 463,746 (2018) lives in the c ...

and Zamora. This was so because it are agricultural areas where crops shared its existence with sheep herds. For such coexistence come to fruition, and due to shortage of shepherd men who were at any particular time, and the number of heads could be high, it was necessary to resort to a helper who will control cattle to temptation, and this was the Carea Leonés.

Ancestor of other breeds

When Spain colonized America, they introduced

sheep Sheep (: sheep) or domestic sheep (''Ovis aries'') are a domesticated, ruminant mammal typically kept as livestock. Although the term ''sheep'' can apply to other species in the genus '' Ovis'', in everyday usage it almost always refers to d ...

for food and fiber. They also brought their Carea Leonés to manage the huge flocks. These dogs contributed to the type of herding dogs found throughout California and the Southwestern United States including the Australian Shepherd.

Appearance

Their coat is smooth and short or moderate length and slightly wavy, and ranges from black to dark liver or merle with white and or tan trim.

Size and weight

They range in size from 18 to 23 inches (45 cm to 58 cm) and in weight from 30 to 70 pounds (14–32 kg).

Temperament

This breed is used as a

working dog A working dog is a dog used to perform practical tasks, as opposed to pet or companion dogs. Definitions vary on what a working dog is, they are sometimes described as any dog trained for and employed in meaningful work; other times as any ...

and as a companion. Because of its intelligence, the Carea Leonés, like most sheepdogs, is easy to train.

Function

The function of Carea Leonés is to carry and control livestock, whether

bovine Bovines (subfamily Bovinae) comprise a diverse group of 10 genera of medium to large-sized ungulates, including Bos, cattle, bison, African buffalo, Bubalus, water buffalos, and the four-horned and spiral-horned antelopes. The members of this gro ...

or equine. It is a stubborn and courageous animal with cattle, not allowing these daunted it. This is an important detail and valued by shepherds, and the dog should be strong with some bite to the respect earned it by the cattle so it can control a large number of sheep and impose to the size of cows or mares, with the possibility of receiving a kick. In mountain areas these are used more for that type of cattle and take to the home the sheep, for the large herds spend most of the year, in the plain, paramos and shores where the carea is needed. It is an intelligent animal, with great learning ability and willingness to work. It is a dog with good personality but is subject to the orders it receives from its owner."Carea Leonés" Tsobu de Laciana
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Activities

The Carea Leonés can compete in dog agility trials, obedience, showmanship, flyball,

tracking Tracking may refer to: Science and technology Computing * Tracking, in computer graphics, in match moving (insertion of graphics into footage) * Tracking, composing music with music tracker software * Eye tracking, measuring the position of ...

, and herding events. Herding instincts and trainability can be measured at noncompetitive herding tests. Careas exhibiting basic herding instincts can be trained to compete in herding trials.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Carea Leones Herding dogs Dog breeds originating in Castile and León Rare dog breeds