Catahoula Leopard Dog

There are so many remarkable breeds of dogs and some you rarely see or hear about. The reason the Catahoula has some press attention in the media is due to its capacity to scale the base height of a tree. I’ve never known anything quite like it from a domestic canine.

This breed’s true origin is difficult to confirm and he is a kind of mish-mash of others. His face ‘usually’ has the most startling pale blue eyes and his coat reminds me of the motley patterns you find on an Australian Shepherd. However the Catahoula’s hair is short and smooth with up to 5 colours present on one coat. The medium size breed appears to stem from Louisiana USA (it is in fact their ‘state’ dog) and the famous Teddy Roosevelt used them to hunt with.

Being a working dog, having a job suits them well and they are very responsive to training. He is an affectionate and loyal friend who is less suited to being passed around from one home to another and would do best to have a lot of room to run. In the past he has been used for guarding, hunting, detection and requires a lot of exercise.

We’ve decided not to include a link to any tree climbing videos out of respect for the wellbeing of the dog. Just because a dog can climb high things doesn’t necessarily mean that it should. One owner is showing how their dog can jump to a branch in order to grasp it and snap it off. This has the potential of damaging joints and bones as well as the mouth and we feel this type of instruction can be more risky than amusing.

Leah & Angela OMeara

Hound Dog Day Care (Specialists in Dog Minding & Dog Boarding, Pet Sitting Brisbane & Doggy Day Care Brisbane)