At this page we will give you the official version of the Catahoula Bulldog
The Catahoula Bulldog has been in existence for over 100 years. The general character of the Catahoula Bulldog is laid back yet alert when necessary. They are a
unique and extraordinary dog possessing wonderful qualities and high intelligence.
The Catahoula Bulldog can be trained for several uses. They make excellent watch, guard, and catch dogs. You
need not feel vulnerable with one by your side. They will hunt and tree game and can basically be considered as a
working breed.
As pets they are easily trained and are very loyal to everyone who intimately surrounds them.
They love to be around their family and are very tolerant of children. They are a level headed breed that wishes to
please and respects their owner for teaching them proper obedience.
Howard Carnathan did a lot of early work in developing the breed. He wrote a letter to Mr. Stodghill, the director
of the Animal Research Foundation in 1960 giving information on the breed. "I needed a dog that would be a
companion and protector to my children and home yet also was in need of a dog that would help with the farming
duties. The mixture of the Catahoula Bulldog fit my purpose exactly".
The American Bulldog, once known as the American Pit Bull Dogs, which is not the Pit Bull that is known today,
gave great strength of jaw, a heavier body and a laid back attitude. It also beefed up the head of the Catahoula
lending itself to a wider skull. The Catahoula Leopard Dog added intelligence, speed, endurance and the instincts
of hunting and herding. They also added an astounding array of unique coloration's known as merle.
The appearance of the Catahoula Bulldog is a medium to large size dog that weighs 34-45 kg. (75-99 lbs) and stands
61-66 cm. (24-26 in) at the shoulder.
He has the musculature of the American Bulldog with tight skin and a very short smooth
coat. Normally he does not have an undercoat but usually develops one when living in seasonal or colder climate.
Their ear set varies from a rose type to button over and sometimes cropped for a regal look. They tend to use
their ears in a very expressive manner, as if they are talking with them.
His eyes can be a soft to dark brown, ice
blue, emerald green, gold or any combination of all of these.
Catahoula Bulldogs come in a wide variety of colors. A pure white coat is commonly seen with or without striking
ice blue eyes, a soft sable brown and white coat with or with out merle, or the infamous merling patterns. Merling
produces a huge range of colors and patterns. Some are white with gray, black and tan patches and blotches; some
have very large areas of color and smaller patches and spots. You truly have to see it to believe it. Not only are
they useful for all the above-mentioned purposes but are extraordinary to look at.
CJ's located in East Hartford, CT, has been working with the breed for 20 years and is the leading breeder and
developer.<
The Catahoula Leopard Dog
The name Catahoula comes from an Indian word meaning "clear water". They originated in a region of the
Catahoula Lakes in central Louisiana and are the official dog of Louisiana. In the early days this area was the
homeland of the "Catahoula Indians", a branch of the Natchez tribe.
The earliest history of the Catahoula can be linked to a Spanish explorer named DeSoto. When he came to the
USA in the 1540's he brought with him his fierce Spanish Mastiff type war dogs to use against the Indian Tribes
that he encountered. Evidentially the Indians cared for some of the wounded and sick war dogs, which is assumed
to have bred with the Red Wolf at some point. Research has showed that the only dog like animal in the area of
the Mississippi River Valley were the Red Wolf.
Because only the fittest survived and surely interbreeding must
have taken place, it would account for the strange and potent set of genes the Catahoula still carries today. Later
the French arrived with their leopard spotted dogs known today as the Beauceron. To strengthen this theory, a
letter in 1958 was sent to the Animal Research Foundation by a man in Louisiana with French ancestry. He
claimed that his grandfather had brought a pair of leopard spotted dogs to the Catahoula area of Louisiana 150
years earlier.
Given the muscular shoulders, powerful jaws, silent trailing, the ability to trail by wind, keen eyesight
and wariness of strangers, would lend itself to this theory because all these traits are associated with wolf like
behaviors. As they started to thrive in America, hound was also introduced to the breed.
In 1686, it is recorded that Tonti The Iron Hand told of seeing dogs with strange white eyes and patches and
spots of color. In the middle 1800's The Bowie brothers owned a pair of Catahoula and in the early 1900"s
President Teddy Roosevelt hunted with Catahoula Leopard Dogs and famous others.
The appearance of today's Catahoula is quite unique and striking. They are a medium to large size dog
weighing from 25-37 kg. (55-81,4 lbs), standing 53-63,5 cm. (20,8-25 in) at the shoulder.
His stature is muscular and lean with a very short
smooth coat that comes in an outrageous variety of colors and patterns and some times solid. Leopard refers to
the most typical color which is a distinctive mottled pattern of blue and black patches with or with out tan trim and
white markings. He also come in shades of red, yellow and liver either solid or patched with darker and lighter
shades. Solid black and tan or black with white markings is also common. How striking the dog that is black with
double glass eyes!
The Catahoula has button or rose type ears and a long expressive tail. The eyes are like no other. Ice blue or
"glass" eyes are commonly seen, green, gold, brown, or in any combination. Sometimes there is what is called a
"crack" in the eye which shows a different color in the same eye.
He has a wedge shaped head with a moderate
muzzle, a moderate stop and a strong neck sloping downward to a straight back. They should stand high up on their
toes with moderate angulation on the hocks. An official standard has yet to be written but their conformation is
remarkably consistent.
The general character of the breed is very intelligent and versatile, a multi-purpose breed par excellence. He
can be used as a working dog herding farm animals, protecting livestock and also for hunting large or small game.
He has a lot of stamina and perseverance making him ideal for the jobs.
As a family pet he is extremely loyal and as a home guardian, nothing will get by his keen hearing and will
certainly alert you to an intruder. Being weary of strangers, he will assess the situation at hand and act
appropriately. Catahoula's make great family and children's companions because they seem to enjoy obedience
training and pleasing their owners.
Catahoula owners affectionately call them "Cats".
