Estrela Mountain Dog puppies

About the Estrela Mountain Dog

The Estrela Mountain Dog comes from the Serra da Estrela range in Portugal, where it lived out with the flocks and dealt with wolves. It is a giant, heavy boned livestock guardian with a broad head and a thick coat that comes in long and short varieties, often described as having the texture of goat hair. Estrelas are calm and slow to rouse at home, affectionate with their own family and children, and naturally suspicious of anything unfamiliar arriving on the property.

Exercise needs are moderate rather than punishing, daily walks and room to patrol, but the breed does badly in a flat and turns destructive when left with nothing to do. The coat needs a weekly going over and daily work when it drops. The real commitment is training a guardian: wide early socialisation and a fence that actually holds, because an Estrela decides for itself what counts as a threat. It also barks at night, which is precisely what it was bred to do.

What to expect at eight weeks

At eight weeks a Estrela Mountain 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. Expect moderate energy, in short bursts separated by long naps. Grooming is straightforward, but start handling the coat, feet and ears in week one anyway so it is never a fight later. The socialisation window is open and closing: everything it meets calmly now, from vacuum cleaners to men in hats, is easier for the rest of its 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 and elbow dysplasia, screened by x-ray evaluation of breeding stock
• Dilated cardiomyopathy and other heart disease, screened by a cardiac exam on breeding stock
• Bloat and gastric torsion, a surgical emergency in large deep chested dogs
• Entropion of the eyelids, found on a veterinary eye examination

From Estrela Mountain Dog breed information at https://www.akc.org/dog-breeds/estrela-mountain-dog/. Discuss any of these with your own vet.

Your Estrela Mountain 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 Estrela Mountain Dog.
• Adult size predictor, to check growth against the 34.9 to 59.9 kg adult range.
• Puppy names and the first week checklist.

Other large breeds

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