Catahoula Leopard Dog Care

The Catahoula Leopard Dog is a large-sized, short-haired working dog originally developed in Louisiana. Initially bred to hunt wild hogs and to drive cattle, these dogs are assertive, energetic, and intelligent. Overall Catahoula Leopard Dog care and maintenance won't take too much work, but will need to include a good bit of daily exercise and some early training and socialization.

Below you'll find plenty of details on caring for a Catahoula Leopard Dog: puppy care and development, exercise needs, diet and nutrition, and more are covered here. Get answers to your questions about raising a Catahoula Leopard Dog in the following sections!

As an athletic, versatile hunting and herding breed, Catahoula Leopard Dog exercise requirements are pretty high. Catahoulas are also highly intelligent and task-oriented, so they'll need activities that both condition them physically (walking, fetch) and stimulate them mentally (games, canine sports). They make good jogging and bicycling companions as well.

Adult Catahoula Leopard Dogs, depending on their age and overall activity levels, will need 60-90 minutes of dedicated exercise per day. You can start exercising your Catahoula puppy when it's three months old by taking it on short walks, then you can increase the walks' length as the pup grows.

Precautions with Catahoula Leopard Dog exercise:

• Don't exercise puppies too hard before they're ten months old
• A leash is required when exercising in public
• Yards must be securely fenced to keep the dog from running off
• Possible separation anxiety; exercises should be done together with people

Exercising your Catahoula every day is a must. These dogs are energetic and focused, and without consistent activity they'll become frustrated, disobedient, and highly destructive. Regular exercise will be great for both the dog's and your own peace of mind! A few Catahoula exercise ideas:

• Walking/Jogging/Bicycling: Two 30-minute walks (or 20-minute jogs or bike rides) per day is a good target
• Fetch/Frisbee: These dogs usually love chasing a ball, stick, or Frisbee
• Tug-of-War: Great indoor activity; use a rope or old towel
• Hunting: Puts Catahoulas in their natural element
• Canine Sports: These dogs can excel at agility trials, lure coursing, and other events
• Hiking: Excellent bonding activity

When indoors, giving your Catahoula Leopard Dog access to balls or toys will allow the dog to burn excess energy. It's also good to have a regular exercise schedule for the dog, such as walks, jogs, or bike rides after breakfast and dinner and playtime in the afternoon.

Overall, these dogs don't need a lot of maintenance. Catahoula Leopard Dog shedding is light to moderate all year long, and drooling isn't an issue.

Catahoulas have short-haired, smooth, single-layered coats that don't shed too much. Owners can brush their Catahoulas once or twice per week to keep the Catahoula shedding to a minimum, and hair cleanup--vacuuming the floors, and lint rollers on clothes and furniture--will only be required once in a while.

And a Catahoula rarely drools. If your Catahoula Leopard Dog is drooling excessively, it might be a sign of a medical issue, in which case a veterinarian's care is needed.

The Catahoula Leopard Dog diet will need to include animal proteins, healthy carbs, vitamins, minerals, and omega fatty acids--nutrients every dog needs to maintain its health. This means the best Catahoula dog food is premium dry kibble, as it contains balanced portions of the above-listed ingredients.

And how much dog food to feed a Catahoula? Adults will need about four cups of dry food per day, divided into two meals. Puppies will need a bit less: depending on age, about 2¾ cups per day, divided into three meals (not two) until six months old.

(NOTE: The Catahoula is prone to gastric torsion, also called bloat. To reduce the chances of bloat occurring, allow an hour between exercise and feeding.)

For more info on feeding a Catahoula Leopard Dog, see the following chart:

*--Around this time, transition to adult food by mixing in adult formula with the puppy formula, in slowly increasing amounts with each meal, for one week.

Try is possible to stick to the above-listed portions. Though they're not especially prone to obesity, if constantly overfed (and under-exercised) these dogs certainly can become overweight--and a fat Catahoula will have numerous health problems and a shortened lifespan. You can help control your Catahoula's weight by having consistent feeding and exercise schedules, by not feeding the dog table scraps, and by not leaving food in the dog's bowl all the time.

If you're worried your Catahoula is overweight, try this simple test: run a hand along the dog's side, and if you can't feel any ribs, it's diet time--which means less food and more exercise!

A majority of veterinarians, breeders, and owners agree that the best dog food for Catahoula Leopard Dogs is premium dry food. While more expensive, this high-quality food provides your Catahoula with complete nutrients to keep the dog healthy and long-living--nutrients that cheap, generic foods simply lack.

The Catahoula Leopard Dog does best with food formulated for active breeds. SportMix, Royal Canin, and Dr. Tim's are three recommended brands that carry excellent lines of high-energy dry food.

These dogs have lived in the humid, hot American south and are therefore quite resilient to a variety of temperatures. They may not like the cold as much but should do fine as long as they are provided shelter when the temperature begins to get chilly.