| Other names | Catahoula leopard dog Catahoula hog dog Catahoula Cur Catahoula hound Leopard Dogs Leopard Cur |
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| Country of origin | United States | ||||||||||||
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| Dog (Canis lupus familiaris) | |||||||||||||
The Louisiana Catahoula Leopard Dog or Catahoula cur is an American dog breed. It is named after Catahoula Parish in the state of Louisiana in the United States. The Catahoula is believed to have occupied North America the next longest after the dogs descended from Native American-created breeds. The breed is sometimes referred to as the "Catahoula Hound" or "Catahoula Leopard Hound", 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.
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One theory as to the origins of the breed states that the Catahoula is thought to have descended from molossers and greyhounds, brought to Louisiana by Hernando de Soto in the 16th century. Dogs left behind by the explorer's party were interbred by the local natives with their domestic dogs.
The idea that Native Americans bred their dogs with or from red wolves is not supported by recent DNA analysis. Several recent studies [1] have looked at the remains of prehistoric dogs from American archaeological sites and each has indicated that the genetics of prehistoric American dogs are similar to European and Asian domestic dogs rather than wild New World canids. In fact, these studies indicate that Native Americans brought several lines (breeds) of already domesticated dogs with them on their journeys from Asia to North America.[2]
There is a plethora of published sources detailing the domestic dogs found in prehistoric archaeological sites.[3] Clearly, the red wolf was not the only canid located in the Mississippi River Valley before the arrival of Europeans. There were also foxes and grey wolves as well as various domesticated Native American breeds.[4][5][6][7][8]
In the 19th century, French settlers arrived in Louisiana with their Beauceron. They told of strange looking dogs with haunting glass eyes that were used by the Indians to hunt game in the swamp.[9] It is thought the Beauceron and Red Wolf/war dog were interbred to produce the Catahoula. The word 'Catahoula' is a combination of two Choctaw words 'okhata', meaning lake, and 'hullo', meaning beloved... or a French transformation of the Choctaw Indian word for their own nation, 'Couthaougoula' pronounced 'Coot-ha-oo-goo-la'.(Don Abney)
Jim Bowie and his brother Rezin Bowie, who spent much of their youth in Catahoula Parish are reported to have owned a pair of Catahoulas. It was said that they would sleep with a Catahoula at their feet.[10][11] During the early 1900s, Teddy Roosevelt used the Catahoula when hunting. Louisiana Governor Earl K. Long had an interest in the breed and collected them. This interest was recognized by an annual competition known as Uncle Earl's Hog Dog Trials.[11]
In 1979, Governor Edwin Edwards signed a bill making the Catahoula the official state dog of Louisiana in recognition of their importance in the history of the region.[12]
In 2007, the Catahoula was voted to be the school mascot for Centenary College of Louisiana.[13]
The breed's size ranges from 20–26" and weighs between 50–90 lbs, with a few individuals larger. Most males average 30-50 lbs in lean working condition and are about 24" tall. As a working dog, Catahoulas have been bred more for temperament and ability than for appearance. As a result, the physical characteristics of the Catahoula are somewhat varied.
Catahoula leopards have a single, short, dense coat in a variety of colors; red and blue merle, as an example, although the colors are also black, grey, brown, red, white solid, as well as tri-colored. They can also come in a "wooly" coat, which can be longer and shaggy. (Feels & looks like the coat of a American Staffordshire Terrier or an American"Pit Bull" Terrier)
Catahoula Leopard Dogs come in many different colors. They can be Leopard (Merle) Solid colors, such as; Brown, black, tan and white. Solids may have small splashes of other colors such as white on their face, legs or chest. There are also Brindle leopards. These dogs are solid-colored dogs that may carry the merle gene, which dilutes a normally dark coat. This merle gene combines with solid colors to create merle patterns in patches of white and colored hairs intermingled with patches of solid colors.
Catahoulas may be solid black, but can also appear with patches of blue or gray. Likewise, Catahoulas with red and brown coats will appear with lighter patches of red or liver. This occurrence is referred to as a leopard (merle)-colored dog. 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.
The texture of a Catahoula leopard coat can be as varied as the colors and can be coarse, slick/painted-on, or woolly/shaggy. (Don Abney)
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 or marbled eyes are blue or blue-white in color. Catahoulas with two cracked 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 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 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.
The tail of the Catahoula may be long and whip-like reaching past the hocks of the back legs or bobtail which is a tail that is 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.
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.
"You must be ready to teach and exercise a Catahoula. If not, he will eat your house. The Catahoula will not let you forget that you own a dog." --Don Abney[16]
Catahoulas are highly intelligent and energetic. They are assertive but not aggressive by nature. They have a need to take charge of their pack whether other dogs or humans. 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 its 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.[17]
Litter size 4-12
Life Span 10-16yrs
The Catahoula is a common working dog of the region and is seen on farms and ranches across North America. These dogs are outstanding tracking and hunting dogs, commonly 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.
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.[18] They have been introduced in New Zealand as well as Australia, but the number of Catahoulas there is unclear.
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.[19] 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.[20]
The breed is recognized by the United Kennel Club under the "herding dog" breed group.[21][22]
Deafness is one of the major genetic flaws in Catahoulas and associated with individuals that are excessively white in color and deafness attributed to a lack of melanocytes.[23] A Catahoula that is predominantly white, has an 80% chance of being bi-laterally deaf or uni-laterally hearing.[24] Hearing in one ear is referred to as "directional deafness". Breeders are not readily willing to allow deaf Catahoulas to leave their premises and will generally euthanize the deaf pups (there are groups setting out to rescue said deaf pups).
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.
There are three versions of the Catahoula Cur:
These three lines were crossed back and forth and created the variations of Catahoulas seen today.[26]
In the novel, Bobby Faye's Very Bad Day by Toni McGee Causey (copyright 2007), Catahoulas are mentioned as being "The best trackers in the state." Catahoulas were used at the end of chapter 9 by the Louisiana State Police to help the FBI track down Bobby Faye.
In the television series Veronica Mars, episode 15 titled "Ruskie Business", Veronica needs to track down a Catahoula leopard dog named "Steve" to find his owner, so she can bring the owner back together with his runaway bride.
In The Southern Vampire Mysteries by Charlaine Harris, Sookie Stackhouse's friend Terry Bellefleur has had a series of Catahoulas as his prized pets.
The Bellamy Brothers included the Cajun-influenced song Catahoula on their 1997 album Over the Line. The song has also been released as a music video.
In the novel Cry Wolf by Tami Hoag (copyright 1993), the lead male character Jack Bourdreaux is purported to be the owner of a Catahoula named Huey
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