How to Identify a Louisiana Catahoula Leopard Dog
- 1). First examine the dog’s body, paying attention to its dimensions and weight. It should stand roughly 2 feet high at the shoulder and weigh about 60 pounds. Some males can weigh significantly more due to an increase in muscle mass upon maturing, reaching almost 95 pounds, but this is very uncommon. In any case the dog will always look well-proportioned, not gaining or losing weight easily. It should be long-bodied, not quite one and a half times long as it is tall. The tail should be short and thin, long enough to reach to the hocks, but is always held up or over the back. The legs should be thick and sturdy. The body should be athletic and tubular, with a wide chest to provide room for a good sized pair of lungs.
- 2). Look at the dog’s head. It should be very unprepossessing, and people often get the impression that it’s just a little too small for the size of the body. This is mainly due to the very thick and long neck upon which the skull sits. The skull should be short, wide and flat along the top of the head. Ears should be small and triangular, hanging low and well to the rear. The nose should be slightly upturned at the end of a muzzle that is of equal length to the skull.
- 3). Finish by looking at the dog’s fur. It should have a single coat of short, water-resistant hair over tight skin. The dog’s coloring is partly what contributes to its name. Often the dog will have a mixof black, gray, red and tan fur that would serve well to break up its outline in the marshy backwoods of Louisiana. The breed also occasionally displays an interesting recessive trait. A Catahoula with a light grey or tan coat will have spotting almost identical to that of the leopard. It’s theorized that this was the result of natural selection in that it is particularly effective camouflage in low-light, overcast conditions. If the dog matches this description then it’s a Louisiana Catahoula Leopard Dog.
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