I have worked with many dogs in my life, but rescued a Catahoula about a year. Due to his past, he is anxious and distrustful, but his drive and motivation are astounding. He is curious, eager to learn and very intelligent. I've never met a dog like him. He is incredible. Definitely they require experienced owners. He excels at everything physical, loves scenting, solving puzzles and just being outside. If you are interested in a Catahoula, you need to be sure you capable of handling a very strong and strong willed dog. My Catahoula, Jasper, is a wonderful friend, but the relationship is more complex than with any other dog I've had. Jasper demands respect, but is equally respectful and thoughtful. We are partners. I have the final say and he respects my leadership, but whenever possible I give him choices. He loves being with me, but does not crave attention. Positive socialization is critical from a young age. Be careful with strangers, kids and anyone who does not know how to behave around dogs. My Catahoula won't tolerate bad or strange behaviour. Admittedly, he had a rough life before me. To be successful, you must regularly work with your Catahoula and reward correct choices, never punish. Jasper requires a lot of time, patience and emotional commitment, but I love every moment with him. I am astonished every day by him and his love for adventure and learning. I've loved all the dogs I've had and worked with, but this Catahoula is one in a million. They are not for the faint of heart, but will be your partner to the end.
My Catahoula puppy Brin is only 14 weeks and he is already a strong minded dog. Your description of Jasper sounds so like Brin. I’m definitely up for the challenge. He is my first Catahoula, however l have retrained rescue dogs in the past so have some experience. I have already started agility training, hand commands to start with; he catches on fast. I’m not expecting to compete with Brin, as we live in a very remote area. I thought agility is a sport he will enjoy. I take him swimming in our creek which he enjoys, running through the bush, and today l took him down to the harbour for the first time, he had fun chasing the waves. Catahoula are popular dogs in the farming and hunting sector here in New Zealand, especially in the remote regions, where wild cattle and pigs inhabit the bush. Brin’s breeders are pleased Brin will not be used for hunting as so many dogs get ripped open and die.
@@libbysevicke-jones3160 Brin sounds great. Positive socialization is so important and so much more difficult with Jasper. He was not socialized for the first crucial 10 months of his life (he was neglected and I'm sure emotionally abused) and although he has made a lot of progress, I am not sure he will ever recover fully. He can be so sweet and silly, but equally incredibly dangerous. His poor treatment before me taught him not to trust anyone or anything and to strike first. It is sad someday to see how anxious he is in some situations even with all our work together and my support. I could never let him off leash except in extremely well managed and controlled situations. He can go over threshold so easily still and his fight or flight response overrides any of thr training and desensitization and reconditioning. But they are an amazing breed. His ability to figure things out is astounding and he learns new things so fast. I can tell he loves learning and he is very proud when he does well. He knows he has done well even without my praise and attention. Catahoulas really are incredible.
@@mongo88now88 so sad to hear about Jaspers early abuse. Been such intelligent beings he will never forget. Though l was encouraged the other day when l watched a program on Netflix called Canine Intervention. On one of the series, it highlights a pit bull that had been on the streets before it was rescued. Very loyal to her owner, but dangerous around others. The intervention and her turn around was amazing. I could never ever trust a dog with a tough background but it was sweet to see her learn to trust a few more people into her life. Fortunately l got Brin at 5 weeks old. We live in a rural area with a harbour and a lot of native bush. I take Brin into our local settlements so he can socialise with the locals and tourists, while l get my coffee fix. In Rawene, the local dogs wonder freely so Brin gets a lot of socialising from them as well. Thank you for sharing
Their feet are webbed. The purpose is due to all the swamps we have in Louisiana. They are excellent trackers and are used extensively with man hunts. The smart thing would be for a person to turn themselves in because these dogs will not give up until their job is complete. We are very proud to have this as our State Dog!
The most loyal,protective and gentle dog out there. Stubborn, intelligent, versatile. Easy to train if you use thier intelligence instead of just trying to manhandle them. Catahoula means people by the lake.
I’ve had my Catahoula for 6 years, the best dog I have ever had. He’s very independent, loyal and loving. Tough and very playful. His name is “Canyon” he’s a real sweetheart, he loves everybody including cats and dogs.
I have a JACK RUSSELL TERRIER which is like a Catahoula in pint sized form! I have no experience with Catahoula Leaopard, I just like thier looks and personality. I settled for a JAck Russell...
I have read about the Catahoulas and at one time considered buying one. The Governor of Louisiana, Earl Long, had several catahoulas. They are the state dog of Louisiana. I decided against it because I have five dogs and I read they are difficult to train and are very busy. At the time I considered it, I was working all day and thought I might not be able to train one and leave it to go to work during the day. Great video! Thank you for sharing!
I had never seen one before. A guy working at our house brought his and the dog was very well-behaved. Did exactly what he was told but appeared distrustful of his owner. The dog took up with me and sat by my side for the 5 days they were working at the house, then didn’t want to leave… I found that odd and worrisome.
Great info. Especially the double merel part. Lots of people seem to not know this. Also dogs with more white tend to have a higher probability for blue and glass eyes.
I own a houla named Stella. She was born dead, the runt of the liter, but miraculous woke up. We called her Lucky, then Star, because she liked to gaze at the night sky as a puppy. Stella is a brilliant beast with glowing eyes. She can see ghosts. Everything you said about Catahoulas is spot on. Stella lives with us on a big farm with hundreds of acres of forest. Houlas are not a dog you can fence in a suburban yard. You could never put in houla in a yard and go to work five days a week. That would drive a houla mad and be the end of your garden. Stella follows me daily around the farm on my rounds by quad bike or hiking. She never leaves my side and is a natural at herding livestock. She knows and loves the horses, the farm cats, geese and other animals. Stella is extremely curious, a quick study and will not pass a body of water without a swim. Unlike other breeds she never wanders off into the woods, or when she does chase a wild boar, she always circles back quickly. For all her spirit, Stella is actually a very cautious dog, who is afraid of the dark (ghosts are out there) and getting lost in the woods. It is true that houlas can never be punished. It hurts their feelings. When Stella does something wrong, which is very rare, I simply explain to her that what she did was bad and that's the end of it. I reward her when she does well. Stella is also very social with other dogs. I like to joke that Stella is kind of plain, not a great beauty, a country girl who will probably get fat as she ages, but really she's my genius dog who loves me. Stella is the funniest, happiest and most surprising animal I have ever known.
My daughter has one, and he's a big boy! He must've been bred with a Great Dane. If he likes you, he'll sit on your lap, if he doesn't like you, he'll watch you like a hawk. She named him Negan.lol
i was hesitant about adopting my catahula due to what i read during researchingnthis breed. i went thru the adoption and her name is remi. now 2 years with her i wouldnt trade her for the world. definately not a city dog or a dog for the novice pet owner.
If they aren't socialized properly then they can be difficult around new people.. they will be loyal to whoever is caring for them.. usually they will be protective around the owner around new people, they can be quite stubborn too so may be difficult to break any old habits they may have depending on what the dog has been through.. but they are awesome super loyal dogs,
I am helping move a C. dog from a high kill shelter. I have experience with Australian Shepherds, Border Collies, and deaf dogs. This dog is a female deaf dog. She is a year to a year and a half years old. Is there anything I should know especially when introducing her to my male Border Collie mixes.
My Catahoula does great with other dogs, especially if he’s on their territory, he’s respectful, even to cats. But if they come onto his territory, he wants to be the dominant one, but he’s still playful and doesn’t try to fight. He’s a bit of a “show off” with his toys and wants the other dog to try to get them, then he’ll play “keep away.” It think a Catahoula would mix well with a Border Collie and Australian Shepherd, all smart dogs. A female with a male shouldn’t be a problem.
Someone dumped this breed at a friend's house. We adopted her. She has no manners whatsoever and is so skittish. Our blue pit hooked up with her and we now have a female puppy. She is so stubborn 😣
They’re just independent. I let mine run free, he hunts the woods and goes visits all the neighbors. He thrives just doing his own thing. Makes things easy.
