Introduction

This blog will seek to follow the daily life, experiences and development of our Catahoula male named Hudson. We will seek to remain politically neutral and allow the reader to shape their own opinions rather than try to convince you the reader that what we believe is right.

Louisiana Catahoula Leopard Dogs are a rare breed of Dog across the world. Here in Europe especially. As such we have a good learning curve to deal with and look forward to the challenge of keeping Hudson both mentally and physically challenged.

Why a Catahoula, what is a Catahoula and what does a Catahoula need?

I first saw an adverstisement from a Catahoula breeder in a Huniting Magazine, Bacon Busters, when I was back home in Oz in Christmas 2002(ish). The first thing that I saw was the name: Louisiana Catahoula Leopard Dog. In itself a mouthful and then I saw the dog itself. Eyes that stood out more than a Malamutes, athletic bodies more powerfull than my Rhodesian Ridgebacks. It was love at first sight. But I thought I would never own one since they are a Hog Dog and I dont hunt. But I knew back then that I would, one day, raise a Catahoula. They are a rare breed which makes them interesting enough, but they are also very athletic in their appearance which means I can take them for runs cross country and they would challenge me as well as have a great time.

The Catahoulas can be traced back to an area in Louisiana, the American Indians had crossed an imported breed with their own domesticated dog and over the last 500 years the Catahoula has been maintained as primarily a hunting dog. They are renowned for their courage, focus and energy. The Catahoula is a mainstay in Hog Hunting even to the point that, at least in the USA they are often highly ranked in the Hog Competitions, whereby a Catahoula is pitted against a Boar. Similar to a kind of Dog Rodeo I guess you could say. Watching the videos it is amazing to see how they bay and corner the boar. They are also used to herd cattle, since they are dauntless in their approach they have no fear of the much larger bovine and their baying instincts lend themselves to cattle work.

Catahoulas are a strong and courageous hunting dog. As such they require much physical exercise as well as mental exercise. Due to the centuries of breeding programms targetting the hunting instincts, the Catahoulas have a strong urge to hunt. The leader/trainer needs to be aware of this. These traits can be more than a nuisance if the dog is to be living in an urbanised environment. Being that they are a physical presence they need to be able to get out and rove about. This means getting out on and off the line.

Catahoulas hunt and they are good at it, this means that they are able to improvise and adapt to situations quickly. This means that the Catahoula requires mental exercise. They require mental work and are very focused when they do. It is not only rewarding to train a dog but it also helps create and promote a healthy balanced dog, which in turn leads to a happy dog which is what we all want.

So with all that said what do we want a Catahoula for? We want a Catahoula for his personality, though we enjoy the company of lap dogs we also require our dog to have his own needs that push us off of the couch.

We want a dog that we can take out and go to Agility and Rescue classes with. Not only that but we also want a companion that we can take out on Bushwalks with us.

We found a reputable breeder that came recommended from US and Canadian breeders alike and whats more she lived in the next town! We went and met her at a City Festival where she was leading a Rescue Dog group in their public show. It was great to finally see a Catahoula face to muzzle and watch him go through the motions. In watching him and speaking to her we found that the Catahoula is more matched to our wants than we thought and given that we are both experienced dog people we where able to make a deal. Our Catahoula was only 2 weeks away!