Louisiana Catahoula

FCI:

N - FCI recognized breeds.

General Appearance:

It is a separate, totally fearless, hardworking, intelligent, but also very dominant dog, whose typical properties include strength, courage, perseverance and endurance. It has good potential to become after proper management of excellent companion to humans. When it is working it is extremely responsible and reliable, beyond cheerful clown with leanings. To strangers it is suspicious. It is never aggressive or shy. It is an independent, self-confident dog and it has developed strong defensive and territorial instinct, consistently it  protects the territory entrusted to it against all intruders.

At the moment it is versatile working breed that is occasionally it is used for hunting, especially for hunting raccoons, bears, but mainly works with herds of cattle, mainly in the southern USA. Its mission was protected stock from predators, but also the owner's property from thieves.

Training/Behaviour:

Due to its innate self-confidence it is necessary to have always clearly defined position in the hierarchical owner´s scale - family "pack". Early socialization is needed. Education must always be and under all circumstances from beginning, non-violent, but entirely consistent.

When you walk on a leash it is necessary that never dog goes ahead of the owner, it must always be at least half a meter behind him, the highest level with its head by owner´s legs. The laws of the dog pack is among the front is always guiding the individual.

It is very difficult to move, long walks it enough, it needs a job that will enable it to discharge all the energy and activity. It can be trained as a race official, it is successful in various dog sports, excelling e.g. in agility. It is considered the breed unfit to city apartment, but it depends on other conditions. The truth is that even some hearty walks per day in large urban parks or in suburban forest park it across all the physical demands satisfied. Not enough for dog or the day's freedom of movement in the large garden. But it is a happy and contented owner guided riding a horse, biking or rollerblading.

Body:

Medium height, muscular, agile and always very hardy haired dog a slightly rectangular body frame and strong physique, but never rude. Ideal height at withers for adult males is 61 cm in adult female is 56 cm at tolerance of ± 5 cm in both sexes. Body weight ranging from 23 to 43 kg and has correspond to height at withers. The absolute values of body weight and height at withers are less important than the mutual balance of these two variables. At exhibitions must always be acted purely in working condition.

The head should be powerful, but not too much, when viewed from the side of the skull is about the same as the length of the muzzle. Topline of skull must be viewed from the side in an imaginary extension of almost parallel with the line of the muzzle. The skull is wide, flat above. Middle of the forehead may be shallow front longitudinal furrow running to occipital part. The cheek muscles should be strong, frontal slope (stop) should be distinct, sloping and moderately long.

The muzzle must be strong, deep, and its length is almost equal to the length of the skull. Seen from above shall be wide at its base and towards the nose. The nose may be any colour and can be combined with colour.

Lips tightly fitting to the jaws and teeth, or are slightly overhanging, their edges can be of any colour or multicoloured. Teeth should be complete (which is highly desirable), teeth are white, regularly aligned, bite should be scissors, but the bite is also acceptable. Worn or broken teeth are not (in the exhibition reviews) grounds for disqualification.

The eyes should be of medium size, rather rounded, deeper and far enough apart saved. They can have any colour. They are also possible combination of different colours, none preferred. The edges of the eyelids fit close to the eyeballs, and can be any colour or multicoloured.

The earlobes are to be suspended, short to medium length, medium sized triangle shape gradually tapering to a slightly rounded peaks. For bases are reasonably wide, dropping. They are permissible and ears folded back but do not give them preference. The neck is muscular, the appropriate length or so. Over muscled or weak it flows into the shoulders. Its circumference of the occipital parts of the head toward the shoulder increases.

Section of topline is sloping slightly away from the sharp tap to a flat back. It is wide, very muscular. The chest should be deep so that it reaches below the elbow, fairly broad, formed properly sprung ribs. The last of which they extend well back and are mainly in the upper part (spine) strongly arched. When viewed from the front is visible chest shallow oval shape. This is seen from the side exits front edge of the shoulder joint. The bottom line of the body is in the hand of the abdomen (below the shoulders) tucked up, but not too much, weaknesses are rolled up.

The forelegs should be straight, medium bone. The paddles require long, wide, flat muscled and moderately oblique. The shoulder bones are about as long as the shoulder blades. Elbows close to the body and should not be out forearms are straight, moderately strong, but not overly thick. Pasterns should be strong, short, and when viewed from the side slightly askew.

The hindquarters are strong, muscular surface, strength and angulations match forelegs. They have long, broad, strong, muscular thighs, appropriately bent knees and hocks low to the substrate. The hocks are short, strong, viewed from the side in a position perpendicular to the substrate when viewed from behind parallel. Feet should be oval in shape, with long, arched and skin duplications associated fingers, strong and rigid padded and strong nails. The dewclaws may be removed.

The loin is short, thick, slightly arched, bitches may be slightly longer. Croup is moderately long, slightly sloping.

Tail forms smooth continuation of the topline of the body. At the root is stronger towards the tip is tapered. Congenitally short tail is permissible, but prefered. Regardless of the length to be thicker at the base and towards the end is tapered. If it is normally long, to be on the move or in the heat of passion erect, straight or curved tip forward. The rest is suspended and reaches the hocks when performing in the show ring should be carried up.

The coat should have no undercoat, short to medium length, adjacent area (i.e. closed). May be smooth to coarse one of them is not preferred. Hair colouring can be any, uniform and patchy. For all combinations of colours and stains can be different front marks on the chest, on the cheeks, above the eyes, legs, lower body and around the anus.