Catahoula Bulldog

The Catahoula Bulldog is a robust and even-tempered dog, which was bred by crossing the Louisiana Catahoula Leopard Dog with the American Bulldog. This truly multifunctional animal is used as a hunting and herding dog, as a property and personal guardian and as a biddable and affectionate family dog. It requires minimal grooming and possesses good health.

The Catahoula Bulldog was developed in southern parts of the United States more than hundreds years ago. American breeders purposefully mixed the Louisiana Catahoula Leopard Dog with the American Bulldog to get this outstanding breed. The resulting hybrid was characterised by unique combination of qualities, which made it effective both as a catch dog and as a bear dog.

The progenitor of the Catahoula Bulldog, the Catahoula Leopard Dog supposedly evolved from the war dog of Hernando Soto. Catahoula is the word of Indian origin and designates «clear water». It’s clearly intended to describe the breed’s fascinating pale blue eyes. Initially it was used to herd livestock and to decoy hogs in their burrows. The Catahoula Leopard Dog also served as a hunting dog. However this breed didn’t have enough power and robustness to catch a hog so hunters had to take with them catch dogs. At the same time the American Bulldog was renowned for its exceptional talents in catching hogs. So it was surmised that the cross between these breeds would result in the dog, which would big and ferocious enough to bring down a hog and would have quick-wittedness, endurance and speed of the Catahoula Leopard Dog.

Obviously the hybrid was named the Catahoula Bulldog to reflect its ancestry. This dog is notable for impressively wide array of coat coloration. The breed demonstrates agility and durability in the working environment but remains calm and relaxed at home. That’s why it’s oftentimes kept as a purely family dog. The other dog’s talents also include a guarding and watching. Nonetheless the Catahoula Bulldog remains a versatile hunting dog, which is capable of catching, luring and treeing game. The first specimen was officially registered by Mr. Stodghill of the American Research Foundation in 1951.

The Catahoula Bulldog is a hybrid of two working breeds and inherited only best traits from both dogs. It’s praised for its balanced even laid-back demeanour, which makes it an excellent companion dog. The breed develops extreme devotion for its family and likes to be in the centre of its attention. It tends to form special relationship with children and always treats them with appropriate gentleness and consideration. Of course they should be taught to respect the personal space of the dog as well as the dog should be timely socialised with them.

The Catahoula Bulldog manifests wariness and suspiciousness in the presence of strange people. However, the human aggressiveness can rarely been seen in this dog and it won’t show its fierce side without any serious reason. Still, this vigilant animal will become a very good watchdog as it can unfailingly notify its master about the approach of an unfamiliar person. The breeds’ steady temperament and massive built suggest that it can be turned into a fabulous guard dog.

The Catahoula Bulldog is also accepting of other canines. Because of its calm nature it doesn’t prone to compete over the dominance position with other dogs and rarely takes the lead in canine conflicts. The breed has a strong prey drive and usually views stray animals as a prey. However it will co-exist peacefully with a home cat with which it has been reared together.

The most common problems for the breed include:

• eyes problems;
• deafness;
• canine hip dysplasia;
• congenital heart defects.

The Catahoula Bulldog’s maintenance requires minimal time and efforts. Its short and sleek coat should be brushed occasionally to keep it healthy and neat. This breed will never need professional grooming. Other care procedures, which should be conducted on a regular basis, include teeth brushing, ears cleaning and nails trimming. The Catahoula Bulldog sheds insignificantly and more frequent brushing during shedding periods makes this process barely noticeable.

The Catahoula Bulldog is fairly responsive to training mostly thanks to its biddable nature and prominent intelligence. However this dog is used to make quick and momentous decisions while fulfilling its hunting and herding responsibilities so it won’t obey the commands of a handler blindly. It should totally accept his authority and never doubt his alpha status.

That’s why its training should be conducted with proper firmness but excessive harshness should be by any means avoided. The breed works best if motivated with mild encouragement and food treats. With due commitment the Catahoula Bulldog is capable of learning very sophisticated tricks, which will impress your friends and relatives.

The Catahoula Bulldog was designed as a working dog, which combines excellent endurance and power with incredible agility and speed. This implies that it has very substantial exercise requirements. As an absolute minimum it should be taken for a vigorous walk of an hour long every single day. Nevertheless it would certainly prefer to roam and run freely on a safely enclosed area.

Without regular opportunities to let off its energy the Catahoula Bulldog usually turns into disobedient, nervous and hyperactive animal. Once its exercise needs are met the dog has tendency to be a couch potato indoors so it can be relatively easy adapted to living in an apartment.