© Anyone can give you their opinion of what a Catahoula is, but if you haven't hadthe pleasure of meeting
one, you just wouldn't understand. First I will tell you the standards of a Catahoula, then I will give
you my opinion of them. If you think you know what they are after that, you have only touched the
surface. To truly know what a Catahoula is, you have to meet one, and get to know him.
The Louisiana Catahoula Leopard Dog is a medium to tall dog with a broad chest, and strong legs.
They have great agility, and endurance. They are independent, protective, territorial. They have short to
medium hair. The average weight of a Catahoula is between 50 and 95 lbs. Their average height is 20 to 26 inches at the withers. Most Catahoulas are spotted with between 2 and 5 colors. They can be black, brown,
blue, liver, or white or any combination of these colors. Acceptable solid colors are yellow, black, red, or chocolate. Trim may be black, white, tan, red, or buff. Their eyes can be many colors, or a combination of
colors, glass eyes are preferred. Their ears can be crinkled, or folded over like a hound, but much shorter.
They have webbed toes to help walk easily over swampland, or snow and makes them excellent swimmers.
The Catahoula grows until they are about 2 years old, but work like an adult at 8 - 9 months. © A Catahoula is not just a dog, it can be many things. If you have livestock,
a Catahoula can be your working partner. He can help you find that missing cow
with her new calf, or pick up the strays moving away from the herd. He can also
round up the cattle and bring them in at feeding time.
© If you are a hunter, a Catahoula can be your hunting buddy, or maybe even save your life. A Catahoula
is gentle enough to hunt duck, birds, and rabbit. yet tough enough to hunt boar hogs, bear, and
mountain lion. They hunt by winding, trailing, and tracking, so they make excellent tree dogs for
squirrel, and coon hunters. They also have exceptional night vision, and their webbed toes help them
hunt better around swamps or in the snow. If you get into a dangerous situation when hunting, your
Catahoula will risk his own life to save yours. A Catahoula can also be trained as a service dog. If you
are blind, a Catahoula can be your eyes. If you are a lost child, a Catahoula can be your rescuer.
If you are lonely, they can be your best friend. If you are a police officer, a Catahoula can be your partner,
and best friend. They have a great sense of smell and can find bombs, or drugs, or missing persons. If you
are a criminal and the police officer has a Catahoula, you are in a very bad situation. If someone is breaking
into your home, a Catahoula can protect you better than a gun (because a Catahoula won't hurt the wrong person, and cannot be taken away from you and used against you). The Catahoula will do anything to
protect his owner. Whatever you decide to train your Catahoula to do, you can bet he will do it with no
question or hesitation. When you get your Catahoula, you are not just getting a dog, you are getting a friend
for life. A Catahoula will love you just as unconditionally as a newborn child loves their parents.