What Exactly Is a Catahoula Bulldog?
Source © Shutterstock
The Catahoula Bulldog is a crossbreed dog that is created by crossing the American Bulldog with the Catahoula Cur, also known as the Catahoula Leopard Dog. These dogs have been in existence for over a hundred years but they are not currently recognized as an official breed by any major breeder organization or kennel club.
Characteristics
The dogs are medium to large in size. They can weigh up to 100lb and reach a height of 66 cm to the top of their shoulders. They have a muscular build like the American bulldog and their hair is very short without an undercoat. Their coat can be white, black or brown and is sometime a mixture of several of these colours. The appearance of the dog is more similar to the bulldog than it is the leopard dog.
The Catahoula Bulldog was bred to be a working and hunting dog. They are also sometimes used as a guard dog. However, they do have quite a companionable nature and are very loyal dogs. They are very protective over their owners and their instincts would be to protect their owner which is why they are often suspicious of strangers. They are very good with children and will also be fine with other dogs as long as they have been raised together. They remain calm in stressful situations and spend a lot of time observing what is happening around them. Their ears are usually either rose type or button over and they tend to use their ears in an expressive manner.
The cross of the two breeds mean that that are very talented at hunting. They have the natural abilities of the Catahoula Leopard Dog and this means that they are very skilled in the intelligence of hunting. This is coupled with the muscular strength of the American Bulldog and so they are often used for hunting larger animals such as bears. As working dogs they are also used as herding dogs and guard dogs.
History
The Catahoula Bulldog was first bred in the southern United States over one hundred years ago. They were bred primarily because ranchers needed a dog that could hunt larger animals as well as doing more traditional jobs such as herding and catching hog. They used Catahoula Leopard Dogs to herd the hogs into the pens but these dogs could not catch the hogs by themselves. The American Bulldog did have this ability as they have a strong jaw and had extra size and weight compared to the leopard dog. However, they did not have the instincts of the leopard dog and also lacked endurance. By breeding the two different species together, the different strengths were combined to create a working dog that was just as good at hunting as it was herding.
The Catahoula Bulldog was crossbred for the abilities it would have as a working dog. There are many other examples of crossbreeds that have been bred for work. It is not considered to be a designer dog that are bred for their appearance.
You can also read:
