Cao De Castro Laboreiro Dog Breed

Below are the details and specs for the Cao De Castro Laboreiro dog breed.

A medium-sized breed; weight is 50-75 pounds, and height is 20-24 inches at the shoulders.

Laboreiros are extremely protective, and intensely devoted to their owners – and to them only. This breed is instinctively suspicious of unknown people and animals, and tends to be quite stubborn. Though these dogs are typically good-natured towards their family "pack," they are not well-behaved around others, and are recommended only for experienced dog owners.

A fair amount of care is needed. Though little grooming will be necessary, some training, and a lot of exercise, will be required.

Very little is known of the origin of this rare breed, and its history has been long disputed. The only incontestable fact about these dogs is that they have existed in the region surrounding Castro Laboreiro, the mountain village in Northern Portugal for which they are named, for centuries. Most dog historians believe the breed is related to other Portuguese dog breeds, most of which are Mastiff varieties, and that the Laboreiro, like other native breeds, was brought to Portugal as early as 200 B.C. when Roman settlers first relocated there. Recent genetic tests on these dogs' DNA, however, indicate that the Laboreiro is in fact unrelated to the other local Mastiff-type breeds; this information lends credence to an alternative theory of the breed's origin: that the Laboreiro is what's called a Lupomolossoid, which is a variety of dog breeds that historians believe descended from the first known guardians of livestock – domesticated wolves.

Whatever the case, this breed has always been quite small in number, and Laboreiros have existed primarily on farms in Northern Portugal, where they have been used as livestock and property guardians. Sometime in the early twentieth century, a Portuguese veterinarian named Manuel Marques wrote a breed standard for the Laboreiro, and in 1935 the breed was recognized by the Clube Português de Canicultura, the official Portuguese kennel club. Today, it is estimated that less than 400 of these dogs exist in the entire world. A majority of these dogs are in rural Portugal, but a few have been exported to other countries, particularly the U.S. and Germany.

This breed has a short-haired, coarse, weather-resistant coat. A Laboreiro's powerful body is usually about equal in length and height. The head is long and rectangular, the eyes are almond-shaped and exist in varying shades of brown, and the ears are medium-sized, triangular, and floppy. The chest is deep, and the shoulders (as is the entire body) are well-formed and muscular. The medium-length legs are fairly straight, and the tail is high-set, thick, and curved slightly.

Protective, loyal, trustworthy, and dominant, the Cao de Castro Laboreiro is an alert, intelligent animal that, true to its breeding as a livestock guardian, makes an excellent guard dog. This breed normally forms a close bond to its family "flock," and is usually suspicious of (and often aggressive towards) other people. These dogs tend to try to dominate other people and animals, and are known for their stubbornness, so they are not recommended for inexperienced dog owners or for those with other pets (particularly small-sized dogs). Dog trainers recommend raising this breed from puppyhood in order to minimize this dominant behavior. Obedience training for this breed will likely be required.

Life expectancy, while undocumented, is estimated at 11-14 years. Due to the rarity of the breed, no health issues are known.