The
Catahoula Cur is an American dog breed named after Catahoula Parish, Louisiana,
United States. Also known as the Catahoula Leopard Dog or Louisiana Catahoula,
it became the state dog of Louisiana in 1979. The breed is sometimes referred
to as the "Catahoula Hound" or "Catahoula Leopard Hound"
because of its spots, although it is not a true hound but a cur. It is also
called the "Catahoula Hog Dog", reflecting its traditional use in
hunting wild boar.
Appearance
As a
working dog, Catahoulas have been bred primarily for temperament and ability
rather than for appearance. As a result, the physical characteristics of the
Catahoula are somewhat varied.
Size
Catahoulas
may range greatly in size with males averaging slightly larger than females.
Typical height ranges from 20–26 inches (51–66 cm) and weight from 40–112
pounds (18–51 kg).
Color
Catahoulas
come in many different colors including blue merle, red merle, brindle, 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. Visually, white coats seem
unaffected.
·
Red Leopard: These are various shades of brown
and tan, may also have white. Known as "red merle" in other breeds.
·
Blue Leopard: These are various shades of dark
greys, black and some may also have white (generally on the feet and chest).
Known as "blue merle" in other breeds.
·
Black or Black Leopard: These are leopards least
affected by the merle gene but will display smaller patches of blue or gray.
·
Gray or Silver Leopard: Blue Leopards where the
black color has been diluted to gray. Known as "slate merle" in other
breeds.
·
Tri-color: Catahoulas with three distinct
visible colors, usually white, black, and gray.
·
Quad-color: These are Catahoulas with the
varying body colorations and trim colors that help to designate the number of
colors present on the dogs. Gray Catahoulas may be considered a Quad-color when
White and Tan trim are included. This dog would display Black, Gray, White,
usually around the neck, face, feet, and tail, and Tan, which may also appear
around the face and feet. Most Five-colored dogs are misnamed Quad-colored
dogs.
·
Patchwork: These Catahoulas are predominantly
white dogs with small amounts of solid and/or merle patches appearing
throughout the coat. The colored patches may be black or brown. Dilution may
affect those colored patches and produce gray, blue, red, or liver coloration
within them.
Coat
The
texture of a Catahoula's coat may show some variance, being slick/painted-on,
spotted, or coarse. All registering bodies that recognize the Catahoula specify
a short or slick-coated dog.
Slick
coat: This is the most common coat type, featuring fur that is very short and
lies close to the body. Such coats dry very rapidly, and because of this, the
dog can be cleaned and ready in a matter of minutes. It is often referred to as
a "Wash n' Wear" coat.
Coarse
coat: This coat is a little longer and fuller than others. It does not require
complex maintenance; however, these dogs are not quick to dry when wet. Dogs
with this type of coat will often display "feathers" seen on the rear
legs, tail, and underbelly, giving them a "fluffy" appearance.
Eyes
The
breed may have "cracked glass" or "marbled glass" eyes
(heterochromia) and occurs when both colored and glass portions are present in
the same eye. Cracked glass or marbled glass eyes are blue or blue-white in
color. Catahoulas with two cracked glass or marble glass eyes are often
referred to as having double glass eyes. In some cases, a glass eye will have
darker colored sections in it, and vice versa. Cracked glass eyes may be half
of one color and half of another. They may just have a streak or spot of
another color. Gray eyes are usually cracked glass eyes, made of blue and
green, giving them their grayish appearance. The eyes may be of the same color
or each of a different color. Eye color can also be ice blue, brown, green,
gray, or amber. No particular eye color is typical of Catahoulas. Some have
been known to have half of one eye marbled.
Tail
The
tail of the Catahoula may be long and whip-like, reaching past the hocks of the
back legs, or else bobtail, which is a tail that ranges from one vertebra
shorter than full length to only one vertebra in total length. The question
mark tail is a common tail trait, often with a white tip. The bobtail is a rare
but natural part of the Catahoula heritage.
Feet
Though
most dogs have webbing between the toes, Catahoulas' feet have more prominent
webbing which extends almost to the ends of the toes. This foot gives the
Catahoula the ability to work marshy areas and gives them great swimming
ability.
Temperament
Catahoulas
are highly intelligent and energetic. They are assertive but not aggressive by
nature. Catahoulas in general are very even tempered. Males tend to be more
obnoxious than females, but Catahoulas are very serious about their job if they
are working dogs. They make a good family dog but will not tolerate being
isolated, so interaction with the dog is a daily requirement. When a Catahoula
is raised with children, the dog believes that it is his or her responsibility
to look after and protect those children. Many owners will say that the
Catahoula owns them and they can be insistent when it's time to eat or do other
activities. Catahoulas are protective and a natural alarm dog. They will alert
one to anything out of the ordinary.
Work
Hunting
These
dogs are outstanding bay dogs, or tracking and hunting dogs. They have been
known to track animals from miles away, and have been used for hunting feral
pigs, squirrel, deer, raccoon, mountain lion, and black bear. They often track
silently and only begin to make their distinctive baying bark, eye to eye with
the prey, once it is stopped, and hold it in position without touching the animal;
using only posture, eyecontact, and lateral shifts.
Catahoulas
have been introduced in the Northern Territory of Australia where they have
been found to be a superior hunting dog for pigs by breeders. They have been
introduced in New Zealand as well as Australia, but the number of Catahoulas
there is unclear.
Herding
They
are used primarily for herding cattle, and pigs by a method of antagonizing and
intimidation of herd animals as opposed to the method of all-day boundary
patrol and restricting the animals being herded from entering or leaving the
designated area. They are good with reindeer. Herding instincts and
trainability can be measured at noncompetitive herding tests. Catahoulas
exhibiting basic herding instincts can be trained to compete in cow/hog dog
trials.
The
breed is recognized by the United Kennel Club and the American Kennel Club
under the "herding dog" breed group.
Health issues
Deafness
Deafness
is one of the major genetic traits in Catahoulas and associated with
individuals that are excessively white in color and deafness attributed to a
lack of melanocytes. A Catahoula that is predominantly white has an 80% chance
of being bi-laterally deaf or uni-laterally hearing.Hearing in one ear is
referred to as "directional deafness". Breeders are often unwilling
to allow deaf Catahoulas to leave their premises and will generally euthanize
deaf pups. Puppies born from a litter where both parents have the
"Merle" color pattern have a 25% chance of being born blind, deaf or
blind and deaf. These puppies are often referred to as "Double
Merles". A double merle can come from any breed, or breed mix. As long as
both parents are merle, each puppy has a chance of being born with these
traits.
Hip dysplasia
A
concern with many breeds, hip dysplasia is dependent on the gene pool and good
breeders. The Orthopedic Foundation for Animals and PennHIP can help determine
whether a specific individual is prone to hip dysplasia through radiographs.
Catahoulas are no more apt to have this orthopedic problem than other breeds.
Catahoula lines
There
are three lines:
·
The
Wright line: The Wright Line was the largest line of Catahoulas at 90 to
110 pounds (40 to 50 kg) and was developed by Mr. Preston Wright. This line
represented dogs originally produced from Hernando de Soto's dogs.
·
The
Fairbanks line: The Fairbanks line was the next in size at 65 to 75 pounds
(30 to 35 kg) and were developed by Mr. Lovie Fairbanks. They were brindle to
yellow in color.
·
The
McMillin line: The McMillin line was known to be Blue Catahoulas with glass
eyes the smallest in size at 50 to 60 pounds (about 25 kg) and were developed
by Mr. T. A. McMillin of Sandy Lake, Louisiana. These were Blue Catahoula dogs
with glass eyes.
These
three lines were crossed back and forth and created the variations of
Catahoulas seen today.
No comments:
Post a Comment