Catahoula Cur

The Catahoula Cur, better known as the Catahoula Leopard Dog, is an American breed named after Catahoula Parish in Louisiana. Kennel clubs class it as a herding dog, though its traditional job was hunting feral hogs.

History

The line is said to go back to the mid-1700s, when French settlers crossed local dogs with Beaucerons. Native Americans used dogs of this kind to hunt large game. European settlers used them for hunting and for herding livestock, and the first white settlers in Louisiana are believed to have hunted wild pigs with them in the swamps.

On July 9, 1979, Governor Edwin Edwards signed the bill that made the Louisiana Catahoula Leopard Dog the state dog. The United Kennel Club recognized the breed under that name on January 1, 1995, and in 1996 the American Kennel Club added it to its Foundation Stock Service as the Catahoula Leopard Dog.

Appearance

Catahoulas vary a good deal, but most are muscular dogs with a rectangular body. The head is large, with drop ears and a strong, slightly tapered muzzle. The neck is thick and the tail long and curved.

The coat is a single layer, either short and smooth or medium and coarse. Colors include blue merle, red merle, brindle and solids, and solid dogs often have small splashes of another color, such as white, on the face, legs or chest. The spotted, leopard-like look that gives the breed its name comes from the merle gene, which dilutes the color in random patches. Deeper colors are preferred and mostly white coats are discouraged, but since this is a working dog, color is not a main concern.

The eyes may be any color or mix of colors, including blue, brown, green and amber.

Temperament

The Catahoula is first of all a working dog, and breeders put herding ability and working instinct ahead of looks. It has a natural herding instinct and an unusual way of handling stock: the dogs form what the American Kennel Club calls a canine fence around the herd, and the handler works the animals inside that ring.

Catahoulas are also used as bay dogs and tree dogs. They hunt small game such as raccoons and squirrels and big game such as deer, mountain lions and bear. Some trail game by scent, and some work in search and rescue.

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