Quick Links: Table of Contents
- Catahoula Leopard Dog Breed Overview
- History of the Catahoula Leopard Dog Breed. Where Catahoula Leopard Dogs came from
- What the Catahoula Leopard Dog Looks Like
- How Much is the Catahoula Leopard Dog Puppy?
- Best Catahoula Leopard Dog Breeders
- Adopting or Rescuing the Catahoula Leopard Dog
- How Long Catahoula Leopard Dogs Live
- How Fast Catahoula Leopard Dogs Can Run
- Good Names for Catahoula Leopard Dogs
- Health Problems in Catahoula Leopard Dogs and How to Prevent Them
- Dog Breeds That Are Similar to Catahoula Leopard Dogs
- Other Things to Know About Catahoula Leopard Dogs
Catahoula Leopard Dog Breed Overview
The Catahoula Leopard Dog is a large-sized dog.
The adult Catahoula Leopard Dog stands 20 to 26 inches tall at the shoulder.
The Catahoula Leopard Dog belongs to the Herding Dogs group.
Dogs in the Herding Dogs group, like the Catahoula Leopard Dog, were bred for moving livestock, including sheep, cattle, and even reindeer.
Herding dogs work closely with their human shepherds, and their natural intelligence and responsiveness make them highly trainable.
Herding dogs have high levels of energy, which needs to be channeled properly to prevent destructive behavior.
Herding breeds are protective of their people and property and make excellent watchdogs. Their intelligence, agility, and activity level make them well suited to dog sports.
The fact that Catahoula Leopard Dogs belong to the Herding Dogs group is one of the reasons why Catahoula Leopard Dogs have the personality and temperament that they have.
The temperament of the Catahoula Leopard Dog is generally described as:
- Energetic
- Gentle
- Independent
- Inquisitive
- Intelligent
- Loving
History of the Catahoula Leopard Dog Breed. Where Catahoula Leopard Dogs came from
Catahoulas first appeared in Louisiana, near Catahoula Lake.
Catahoula is thought to be derived from the Choctaw Indian word for “lake.
” The Catahoula Leopard Dog certainly lives up to the “leopard” part of his name, regardless of what it means or where it came from.
With a coat speckled in multiple colors all over, it`s easy to see why this breed was given that name.
This breed was officially renamed the Louisiana Catahoula Leopard Dog when it became the state dog of Louisiana in 1979.
It was previously known as the Catahoula Cur, Catahoula Leopard Cur, and Catahoula Hound.
The Louisiana Catahoula Cur Association was founded in 1976.
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What the Catahoula Leopard Dog Looks Like
The Catahoula`s appearance is as striking as their personality.
These medium-sized dogs have a medium-length double layer coat that comes in a variety of colors.
The Catahoula has a leopard pattern with a base of one color and spots of one or more colors, ranging from black to yellow merle.
They may have specific points above the eyes, chest, cheeks, legs, tail, and underbody.
The eyes of a Catahoula Leopard Dog are also quite distinctive.
The colors can vary in a variety of ways, and it is not uncommon to find a Catahoula Leopard Dog with two different colored eyes; there is even something called “cracked” eyes in this breed, where one single eye can be multiple different colors.
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How Much is the Catahoula Leopard Dog Puppy?
The average price of a Catahoula Leopard Dog puppy is $580. The price of a Catahoula Leopard Dog puppy ranges from $350 to $700.
A lot of factors determine the price of the Catahoula Leopard Dog. These factors include what health records the Catahoula Leopard Dog puppy has, the lineage of the Catahoula Leopard Dog puppy, the US state the breeder is located in, etc.
To estimate how much you can expect to pay for a puppy Catahoula Leopard Dog based on the many factors that determine the price of the Catahoula Leopard Dog puppy, check out our calculator that lets you estimate how much you should expect to pay for the Catahoula Leopard Dog puppy based on what you want in the puppy.
When looking to buy a puppy, look at buying a puppy only from well-established breeders that breed puppies primarily for the love of the Catahoula Leopard Dog breed, and secondarily for profit. Do not buy a puppy from a puppy mill. Puppy mills mass-produce puppies in bad living conditions for maximum profit.
You may also consider adopting instead of buying a puppy. Adoption costs are very low compared to the price of a puppy.
Best Catahoula Leopard Dog Breeders
We have researched reputable Catahoula Leopard Dog breeders that you can buy a puppy.
Go to this page for our complete list of reputable Catahoula Leopard Dog breeders in various states in the United States.
On this page, you will see how much these breeders sell their puppies for, and how many puppies they have available.
A few of these breeders are listed below.
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Hur Family Farm
Puppy Price: Check with breeder
Adopting or Rescuing the Catahoula Leopard Dog
You may consider adopting a dog instead of buying a puppy. Many dogs, Catahoula Leopard Dogs included, are currently available for adoption in your local dog shelters.
These helpless but adorable dogs are waiting in dog shelters hoping that someday someone will rescue them. Dog adoption costs are lesser than the cost of a new puppy. Dog adoption costs are usually around $300 or even less.
In addition to your local dog shelter, another good place to find dogs that are available for adoption is petfinder.com.
Below is an adorable Male Catahoula Leopard Dog named Rollie that is currently available for adoption on Petfinder.com. You can find other lovely Catahoula Leopard Dogs like Rollie on pefinder.com.
Archie B is the name of another Catahoula Leopard Dog (Male) on petfinder.com that is looking for a new forever home.
You can find more Catahoula Leopard Dogs that are available for adoption on petfinder.
How Long Catahoula Leopard Dogs Live
The lifespan of the Catahoula Leopard Dog is typically from 10 to 14 years.
Catahoula Leopard Dogs live long if they eat well, drink well, exercise well, and visit the veterinarian regularly.
How Fast Catahoula Leopard Dogs Can Run
How fast a dog breed can run is a good measure of how athletic the dog breed is.
The American Kennel Club (AKC) regularly conducts dog running competitions. The AKC records the running speed of competing dogs in these competitions. These competitions are open to all dog breeds.
Based on our analysis of the speeds of 20 different Catahoula Leopard Dogs, the average speed of the Catahoula Leopard Dog is 25.2 mph (40.5 kmph).
The fastest speed on AKC record that the Catahoula Leopard Dog ran in a race is 28.48 mph (45.8 kmph) and the minimum speed on record in a race for a Catahoula Leopard Dog is 18.51 mph (29.8 kmph).
Click here to see how the speed of the Catahoula Leopard Dog compares to the speed of other dogs and other mammals such as cats, horses, humans, etc.
Good Names for Catahoula Leopard Dogs
Here are some really good names that are typical for the Catahoula Leopard Dog ranked by popularity:
- Remington
- Goose
- Hank
- Dunkin
- Blue
- Lager
- Rocky
- Maverick
- Scrappy
- Cowboy
Health Problems in Catahoula Leopard Dogs and How to Prevent Them
Every dog breed has its own set of health problems that it tends to develop. There is nothing like a perfect dog breed.
The Catahoula Leopard Dog is prone to certain genetic health conditions. The Orthopedic Foundation for Animals (OFA) is an organization that keeps track of genetic health problems in dog breeds.
From the extensive records that the OFA keeps, the OFA knows what health problems each dog breed is naturally prone to develop.
Hence, the OFA recommends which health screening breeders should perform on a dog breed to make sure that the breeders won`t breed `defective` dog parents that can pass down defective genes to their puppy offspring.
If you want a Catahoula Leopard Dog puppy that will grow up to be healthy, make sure that your Catahoula Leopard Dog breeder screens your puppy or your puppy`s parents for the health problems that the OFA recommends for your puppy`s breed. This will increase the chances that your puppy is free from genetic defects.
The following are the health tests that Orthopedic Foundation for Animals (OFA) recommends that breeders should screen Catahoula Leopard Dogs for:
You can find out more about OFA`s recommended tests for Catahoula Leopard Dogs here.
Dog Breeds That Are Similar to Catahoula Leopard Dogs
If you have not made up your mind on which dog breed to get, you may also want to consider some other dogs similar to the Catahoula Leopard Dog.
We crunched the numbers and found that the following dog breeds that have similar behavior and temperament as the Catahoula Leopard Dog:
- Chesapeake Bay Retriever (73 percent match with Catahoula Leopard Dog). Learn more about the Chesapeake Bay Retriever here.
- Hovawart (78 percent match with Catahoula Leopard Dog). Learn more about the Hovawart here.
- Boerboel (72 percent match with Catahoula Leopard Dog). Learn more about the Boerboel here.
Other Things to Know About Catahoula Leopard Dogs
Here are some of the very important characteristics of the Catahoula Leopard Dog that you need to know about the Catahoula Leopard Dog breed: