Catahoula Leopard Dog puppies

About the Catahoula Leopard Dog

The Catahoula Leopard Dog comes out of Louisiana, where settlers crossed local dogs with hounds and herding stock to make an animal that could work half wild cattle and hogs in swamp and heavy timber. This is a large, athletic dog of 22.7 to 43.1 kg with a short coat, often patterned in merle, and pale glass eyes that catch people off guard. Temperament follows the job: serious, watchful, physically brave, and tightly attached to their own people.

Catahoulas rank among the highest drive breeds on any list. They need land, a job and daily hard exercise, and they do badly in a flat or left in a garden. Grooming is nothing more than a weekly brush and regular nail trims. They suit an experienced, active, rural owner and they are a poor first dog. Treat a Catahoula as a family pet with a walk attached and the digging, chewing and boundary testing will soon start.

What to expect at eight weeks

At eight weeks a Catahoula Leopard Dog puppy is sleeping around 18 to 20 hours a day, is not house trained, and cannot hold on for more than an hour or two at a stretch. A large breed puppy at eight weeks looks deceptively normal sized and will roughly double every few weeks for a while. Keep exercise short and low impact, the growth plates are wide open. This is a very high energy breed. The mistake owners make is trying to tire them out physically. Training, scentwork and puzzles will do more than distance ever will. Grooming needs are moderate, so build the brushing habit now while the coat is still short and easy. The socialisation window is open and closing: everything they meet calmly now, from vacuum cleaners to men in hats, is easier for the rest of their life.

Health worth knowing about

Conditions this breed is reported to be predisposed to. Predisposed does not mean inevitable, it means ask about it.

• Hip dysplasia, screened by hip evaluation of breeding stock
• Congenital deafness, detectable by BAER testing, more common in dogs from merle to merle breedings
• Inherited eye disease, including the small or malformed eyes seen in double merles, screened by an ophthalmologist evaluation
• Skin problems and sunburn on thin or heavily white coated dogs, which need shade and vet review of any persistent irritation

Your Catahoula Leopard Dog puppy's first six months

• Vaccination schedule, dated for your country.
• Worming and parasite schedule.
• Feeding calculator. Set expected adult size to Large for a Catahoula Leopard Dog.
• Adult size predictor, to check growth against the 22.7 to 43.1 kg adult range.
• Puppy names and the first week checklist.

Kit sizes: crate 48 inch (48 x 30 x 32 in, 122 x 76 x 81 cm) for an adult of up to 43.1 kg; chew toys made for large breeds. Worked out the same way as the crate size calculator. PetMD bases a crate on the dog's own measurements, not weight or breed alone, so measure once the puppy is home.

Buying guides for this

• Best crate for a puppy: wire, plastic or soft, and how to size one with a divider

Other large breeds

More on the Catahoula Leopard Dog

Previous: Carolina Dog · Next: Catalan Sheepdog

Sources

• akc.org for adult weight and height, life expectancy, energy, grooming, shedding and the temperament ratings, coat type, country of origin and health notes
• Health notes from Catahoula Leopard Dog breed information at https://www.akc.org/dog-breeds/catahoula-leopard-dog/. Discuss any of these with your own vet.

Photo: Bugaflee, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons, cropped. All photographers are listed on the photo credits page.