Catahoula leopard dog

I've worked with a few, but never owned. Beautiful dogs, but they are a working breed. They are active, and need a job. The are highly devoted dogs - and the ones I've known can be a bit shy with strangers, but open up quickly. They are pretty dggs - but not for everyone!

http://dogbreedinfo.com/catahoula.htm

I've worked with a few.  They are awfully nice dogs, not overbred yet so pretty consistent in their temperament.  They are athletic, but bred to be very independent workers.  They need very indirect training methods.  Not, "Show me what I shouldn't do" like a BC, nor "Show me what needs to be done" like an Aussie, collie. or English shepherd, but, "Show me why I should do that."

They can seem very sensitive because they are not all that interested in pleasing the handler, but without the excitement of the chase they have little outside motivation. The hound is extremely strong in these dogs, so if you combine that attitude with the prey drive of the herding dog and bull terrier, you'll have a good picture of what your dog could be like.  However, they are very good natured dogs, even while they are dispatching your cat or other small pets.

This is one of my favorite breeds. My Dad has had quite a few through the years and they are really cool!

They are pretty independent, they definitley arnt velcro dogs but still bond very well with the owner. They are super intellegient and I've noticed after they get a routine down they rarely need to be told again and again....I guess I'm comapring them to a stubborn bully because thats where most of my expereince is, LOL!

They can be testy with strangers and small animals if not socialized a lot when they are a puppy but its not because they have a aggressive nature, its almost like they are compelled to keep everyone and everything in line. My Dad's current Cattie mix is a fun nazi, she tries to keep everyone from running around ro rough housing but she's a old bitch too!

Definitely a cool dog. I hope to have a purebred someday.

I have a catahoula mix (not sure what he is mixed with) and he has been an amazing dog.  He's 14 now and still pretty healthy.  Other catahoula owners seem to all agree that this breed is very smart and loyal.  He was very easy to train as a puppy, picked up on tricks easily via voice command or hand gestures.  He seems to be very much a pack dog, with us being his pack.  If I leave the front door open to garden in the front yard or load up the car, he'll just sit on the front steps and watch me - no interest in wandering away from his family.  He also wanders the house at night to make sure he knows that everyone is in their rooms before he'll settle down to sleep. 

As he has gotten older he seems to not love toddlers in the house but has never bitten or snapped at a kid, and is usually very tolerant of them on the street.  He also mellows out a lot around my friend's grandmother, like he just understands that he needs to be gentle around her and just show her some affection without being in the way. 

All around great dogs!

I've been around a few (never owned), but they have all been working dogs (cattle dogs, guard dogs).  They're pretty serious about what they do!  I have met one really good natured, friendly one, but the others have been pretty "standoffish."  I just think that's because they're doing their job.  I really like the dogs and think they're a very unique breed.  I definitely agree, though, that they really need some kind of job.

 I think they are a very nice breed. They can really work and haven't been watered down too much. They are not super willing to please most the time as in most don't care so much about doing cute little tricks for you but they are certainly trainable. The color variety is also neat of course. I haven't had a bad experience with one yet. I think they take a bit of a wise owner at times. Also my BIL's Catahoula x saved his life.