Quick Links: Table of Contents
- Estrela Mountain Dog Breed Overview
- History of the Estrela Mountain Dog Breed. Where Estrela Mountain Dogs came from
- What the Estrela Mountain Dog Looks Like
- Estrela Mountain Dog Growth
- What Colors do Estrela Mountain Dogs Have?
- Estrela Mountain Dog Litter Size
- Health Problems in Estrela Mountain Dogs and How to Prevent Them
- How to Take Care of Estrela Mountain Dog
- Dog Breeds That Are Similar to Estrela Mountain Dogs
- Other Things to Know About Estrela Mountain Dogs
Estrela Mountain Dog Breed Overview
The Estrela Mountain Dog is a large-sized dog.
The adult Estrela Mountain Dog stands 24 to 30 inches.
The Estrela Mountain Dog belongs to the Herding Dogs group.
Dogs in the Herding Dogs group, like the Estrela Mountain 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 Estrela Mountain Dogs belong to the Herding Dogs group is one of the reasons why Estrela Mountain Dogs have the personality and temperament that they have.
The temperament of the Estrela Mountain Dog is generally described as:
- Alert
- Dignified
- Keen
- Protective
- Stubborn
- Suspicious
History of the Estrela Mountain Dog Breed. Where Estrela Mountain Dogs came from
For centuries, the Estrela Mountain Dog has protected flocks of sheep throughout Portugal.
Known for their bravery and intelligence, shepherds were used to identify and scaring off wolves and other hungry predators.
The Estrelas` skills were eventually used by local aristocrats to guard large estates, and by the 19th century, the number of Estrelas employed by local shepherds had begun to decline.
The modern breed of Estrelas, however, evolved from these large estate dogs.
After the first Estrela was entered into the show ring in 1908, the number of Estrelas began to decline due to the Portuguese people`s adoration of foreign breeds.
In addition, they insisted on castrating them to prevent them from leaving their flocks to mate.
Special shows called contests were held between 1908 and 1919 to promote and preserve the Estrela breed in the region.
A breed standard was first established in 1933.
Breeders of Estrela cattle were primarily shepherds and farmers before World War II.
As interest in the breed returned in the early 1950s, the annual contests were reinstated in order to stimulate interest among the locals and encourage them to adhere to the official standard.
In 1972, the United Kingdom became the first country outside of Portugal to establish the Estrela Mountain Dog.
It can now be found in several countries around the world.
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What the Estrela Mountain Dog Looks Like
The Estrela Mountain Dog is an exceptionally large breed of dog.
There are two types of coats available: short and long.
Long-haired Estrelas have an outer coat that is thick, slightly coarse, and may be flat or slightly waved, as well as a dense undercoat that is light in color compared to the outer coat.
Estrelas are short-haired dogs with a similar outer coat and undercoat, but they have a significantly shorter undercoat.
The coat color of this dog is commonly fawn, wolf gray, and yellow, with or without brindling, depending on the breeding season.
In addition, there may also be white markings on the coat or smudges of black throughout the coat.
Occasionally, there may also be blue tinges on the coat, which are considered undesirable.
The Estrela has drooping ears as well as a long tail.
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Estrela Mountain Dog Growth
New Estrela Mountain Dog owners need to know about the growth of their Estrela Mountain Dogs. This will help them plan their living spaces accordingly.
Also, knowing the typical growth pattern of the Estrela Mountain Dog will help new owners catch the abnormal growth of their Estrela Mountain Dog early.
See our calculator for predicting how big your Estrela Mountain Dog puppy will get. You will also learn about the typical weight of the Estrela Mountain Dog at different ages and how to catch abnormal growth in your Estrela Mountain Dog
What Colors do Estrela Mountain Dogs Have?
Estrela Mountain Dogs come in the following beautiful primary colors:
Estrela Mountain Dogs come in the following lovely secondary colors in addition to their primary colors:
Estrela Mountain Dog Litter Size
Researchers from the Norwegian School of Veterinary Science did a study where they counted the numbers of puppies in 2 different Estrela Mountain Dog birth litters.
From this study, the researchers found that the average number of puppies that Estrela Mountain Dogs can have is 4 puppies. Also, the Estrela Mountain Dog can have as few as 3 puppies per litter and as many as 6 puppies per litter.
The number of puppies that the Estrela Mountain Dog will have depends on factors such as the age of the Estrela Mountain Dog, the method of pregnancy, etc.
Click here to see our calculator for predicting how many puppies your Estrela Mountain Dog will have and how the litter size of the Estrela Mountain Dog compares to the litter size of other dog breeds.
Health Problems in Estrela Mountain 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 Estrela Mountain 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 Estrela Mountain Dog puppy that will grow up to be healthy, make sure that your Estrela Mountain 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 Estrela Mountain Dogs for:
You can find out more about OFA`s recommended tests for Estrela Mountain Dogs here.
How to Take Care of Estrela Mountain Dog
To take good care of your Estrela Mountain Dog, you need to make sure that you groom your Estrela Mountain Dog regularly.
Secondly, you need to find a veterinarian in your area that will routinely check the health status of your Estrela Mountain Dog regularly, and give you appropriate recommendations on your Estrela Mountain Dog`s preventative care.
Thirdly, you need to commit some time to exercise your Estrela Mountain Dog daily. Regular exercise helps improve the health and quality of life of your Estrela Mountain Dog.
Also, you need to feed your Estrela Mountain Dog high-quality dog food, and the food should be of the right amount to prevent your Estrela Mountain Dog from getting overweight or underweight.
See our recommendations on what to feed the Estrela Mountain Dog and how much food to feed the Estrela Mountain Dog at different life stages.
Finally, you need to make sure that your Estrela Mountain Dog has access to clean water all the time. See our recommendations on how much water your Estrela Mountain Dog needs to drink at different ages.
Dog Breeds That Are Similar to Estrela Mountain 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 Estrela Mountain Dog.
We crunched the numbers and found that the following dog breeds that have similar behavior and temperament as the Estrela Mountain Dog:
- Akbash (81 percent match with Estrela Mountain Dog). Learn more about the Akbash here.
- Dutch Shepherd (75 percent match with Estrela Mountain Dog). Learn more about the Dutch Shepherd here.
- Hovawart (74 percent match with Estrela Mountain Dog). Learn more about the Hovawart here.
- Pyrenean Mastiff (75 percent match with Estrela Mountain Dog). Learn more about the Pyrenean Mastiff here.
- Spanish Mastiff (75 percent match with Estrela Mountain Dog). Learn more about the Spanish Mastiff here.
Other Things to Know About Estrela Mountain Dogs
Here are some of the very important characteristics of the Estrela Mountain Dog that you need to know about the Estrela Mountain Dog breed: