The Catahoula Leopard Dog is an American

dog breed A dog breed is a particular type of dog that was purposefully bred by humans to perform specific tasks, such as herding, hunting, and guarding. Dogs are the most variable mammal on Earth, with artificial selection producing upward of 360 globall ...

named after

Catahoula Parish, Louisiana Catahoula Parish () is a parish in the U.S. state of Louisiana. As of the 2020 census, the population was 8,906. Its seat is Harrisonburg, on the Ouachita River. The parish was formed in 1808, shortly after the United States acquired this ter ...

. It became the state dog of

Louisiana Louisiana ( ; ; ) is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It borders Texas to the west, Arkansas to the north, and Mississippi to the east. Of the 50 U.S. states, it ranks 31st in area and 25 ...

in 1979. It is recognized by the

United Kennel Club The United Kennel Club (UKC) is a kennel club founded in 1898 in the United States. In contrast with the American Kennel Club, which is non-profit and which only clubs can join, the United Kennel Club is a profit-making corporation, open to indivi ...

under the name ''Louisiana Catahoula Leopard Dog'', while the

American Kennel Club The American Kennel Club (AKC) is a 501(c)(4) nonprofit breed registry, registry of purebred dog pedigree (animal), pedigrees in the United States. In addition to maintaining its pedigree registry, this kennel club also promotes and sanctions eve ...

Foundation Stock Service calls it ''Catahoula Leopard Dog''. Both registries have assigned the breed a

herding Herding is the act of bringing individual animals together into a group (herd), maintaining the group, and moving the group from place to place—or any combination of those. Herding can refer either to the process of animals forming herds in ...

designation, although it has traditionally been used in hunting feral boars.

History

The Catahoula lineage was started in the mid-1700s, when French settlers crossbred local dogs with

Beauceron The Beauceron () is a herding dog breed originating from the plains of Central France. The Beauceron is also known as Berger de Beauce (, sheepdog from Beauce) or Bas Rouge (, red-stockings). Description Appearance This breed stands in height ...

dogs. On July 9, 1979, in recognition of the historic significance of the Catahoula cur to the state of Louisiana, Governor

Edwin Edwards Edwin Washington Edwards (August 7, 1927 – July 12, 2021) was an American politician who served as the U.S. representative for from 1965 to 1972 and as the 50th governor of Louisiana for four terms (1972–1980, 1984–1988, and 1992–1996 ...

signed House Bill #75 officially naming the Louisiana Catahoula Leopard Dog as the state dog. On January 1, 1995, the Louisiana Catahoula Leopard Dog was recognized by the United Kennel Club. In 1996, the AKC added the Catahoula Leopard Dog into their Foundation Stock Service.

Appearance

Though physical characteristics are varied, Catahoulas are usually muscular dogs with a rectangular-shaped body. They tend to have a large head with drop ears and a strong, slightly tapered muzzle. They tend to have a thick muscular neck and a long, curved tail. They come in many colors and have medium/short hair. CatahoulaLitter wb

Catahoulas come in many different colors, including blue

merle Merle may refer to: People and fictional characters *Merle (given name), a list of men, women and fictional characters *Merle (surname), a list of people Others *Merle (dog coat), a pattern in dogs’ coats *Merle (grape), another name for the w ...

, red merle,

brindle Brindle is a coat (animal), coat coloring pattern in animals, particularly dogs, cattle, guinea pigs, cats, and, rarely, horses. It is sometimes described as "tiger-striped", although the brindle pattern is more subtle than that of a tiger's co ...

, and solid colors. Often, solid coat Catahoulas have small splashes of other colors such as white on their face, legs or chest. The leopard-like coat of most Catahoulas is the result of the merle gene. The merle gene does not normally affect the entire coat of the dog, but dilutes the color only in areas that randomly present the characteristic of the gene. Deeper colors are preferred; predominantly white coats are discouraged. Since the Catahoula is a working dog, coat color is not a primary consideration. The Catahoula has a single smooth short or coarse medium coat. The short looks almost painted. The medium can have extensive "feathering" on the hind legs, tail, and chest. The breed may have any eye color or combination of colors, including blue, brown, green, or amber.

Work

The Catahoula was initially used for

hunting Hunting is the Human activity, human practice of seeking, pursuing, capturing, and killing wildlife or feral animals. The most common reasons for humans to hunt are to obtain the animal's body for meat and useful animal products (fur/hide (sk ...

. Native Americans tended to use the dog for hunting large game. European settlers used the dog for hunting and herding livestock. The first white settlers in Louisiana are believed to have used the dog to hunt feral pigs in the swamps of Louisiana. Catahoulas are used as

bay dog A bay is a recessed, coastal body of water that directly connects to a larger main body of water, such as an ocean, a lake, or another bay. A large bay is usually called a ''gulf'', ''sea'', ''sound'', or ''bight''. A ''cove'' is a small, ci ...

s, tree dogs, and for hunting a variety of wild game, including

small game Game or quarry is any wild animal hunted for animal products (primarily meat), for recreation (" sporting"), or for trophies. The species of animals hunted as game varies in different parts of the world and by different local jurisdictions, t ...

, such as

raccoon The raccoon ( or , ''Procyon lotor''), sometimes called the North American, northern or common raccoon (also spelled racoon) to distinguish it from Procyonina, other species of raccoon, is a mammal native to North America. It is the largest ...

s and

squirrel Squirrels are members of the family Sciuridae (), a family that includes small or medium-sized rodents. The squirrel family includes tree squirrels, ground squirrels (including chipmunks and prairie dogs, among others), and flying squirrel ...

s, as well as big game, such as

deer A deer (: deer) or true deer is a hoofed ruminant ungulate of the family Cervidae (informally the deer family). Cervidae is divided into subfamilies Cervinae (which includes, among others, muntjac, elk (wapiti), red deer, and fallow deer) ...

, mountain lions and

bear Bears are carnivoran mammals of the family (biology), family Ursidae (). They are classified as caniforms, or doglike carnivorans. Although only eight species of bears are extant, they are widespread, appearing in a wide variety of habitats ...

. They are also used for scent trailing game and as a

search and rescue dog A search-and-rescue (SAR) dog is a dog trained to respond to crime scenes, accidents, missing persons events, as well as Natural disaster, natural or Disaster, man-made disasters. These dogs detect human scent, which is a distinct odor of skin f ...

. Catahoulas have a natural herding instinct and a unique way of working a herd. The AKC describes it as creating a “canine fence” around the herd which allows the dog's master to work the herd within that circle. Herding ability and a natural working instinct are a top priority to Catahoula breeders, over and above a dog's appearance. Herding instincts and trainability can be measured at noncompetitive herding tests. Catahoulas exhibiting basic herding instincts can be trained to compete in

cow Cattle (''Bos taurus'') are large, domesticated, bovid ungulates widely kept as livestock. They are prominent modern members of the subfamily Bovinae and the most widespread species of the genus '' Bos''. Mature female cattle are called co ...

/hog dog trials.

Health

It has been suggested that deafness and blindness from double merle may be rarer in Catahoulas than in other dog breeds.

Gallery

File:Ch-Catahoula 002.jpg, Blue leopard File:1. Catahoula Leopard Dog, Buck.jpg, Blue leopard with tan points File:2.Calypso with Sasquatch Catahoulas.jpg, Blue leopard with white and "glass" eyes File:CatahoulaCurBlueMerle.jpg, Blue merle File:1. Louisiana Cataholula Leopard Dog - Coahoma Arkansas.jpg, Red leopard File:Louisiana Catahoula Leopard Dog - Red Leopard.jpg, Red leopard with white File:LennoxWinter.jpg, Silver leopard File:White Catahoula Cur.JPG, Double Merle/High White File:Yellow Leopard Male Adult.jpg, Yellow leopard File:Bo - a Catahoula.jpg, Brindle File:Catahoula.jpeg, In the woods File:Cracked glass eyes.jpg, Cracked glass eye with brindle coat

References

External links

National Association of Louisiana Catahoulas, Inc.

Catahoula Owners, Breeders & Research Association
{{Hounds Catahoula Parish, Louisiana Curs Dog breeds originating in the United States Herding dogs Rare dog breeds Symbols of Louisiana