Dog Community

how small is too small for a catahoula?

Posted : 1/3/2007 3:30:23 PM

we adopted our 8 month old puppy, bacon, a few months ago from a shelter in tennessee. the shelter had her listed as a catahoula, and i know shelters always make their best guess when identifing puppies. all the research i have done on catahoulas says that females should be 22" at the shoulders, but i have also read a lot about how they come in varying sizes. bacon is only 17" at the withers, and i think she might be done growing.
so, are there any catahoula owners that have seen smaller females, or is she just a mutt???

Katie M.

Posted : 1/3/2007 7:10:02 PM

She could easily be a Catahoula mix. Also, are they sure on her age? She might still have some growing up to do.

clifford red dog

Posted : 1/4/2007 11:02:33 AM

We also adopted a Catahoula/Labx from a shelter in Long Island. We never heard of a Catahoula. When we started to research, the book said they grow to be approx 70 lbs. Our Missi was 11 lbs at 8 weeks old and gained like crazy. She is now 14 months old and almost 90 lbs. Her mother is a black lab that weighs 90 lbs also. They did tell us when we adopted her but we didn't believe it. They were right. Anyhow she sure looks like a Catahoula. How is her personality. I was a little scared from the explanations for the breed, but find her a sweetheart now. Once we started to exercise her at the dog park she became another dog. SHE LOVES IT!!
I know she has a lot of Lab traits according to the trainer. Just wanted to share.

jenhuedepohl

Posted : 1/4/2007 2:34:22 PM

20-24" and 55-80 lbs is the breed standard, so I'd guess she's possibly a mix. Her adorable little face makes me think of a beagle. So maybe she's a beagle-Catahoula cross?

C K

Posted : 1/4/2007 7:34:35 PM

I can't see the pictures, but Catahoulas are still a working breed, so there's a lot of deviation from the show standard. Maybe she's just out of a line that runs small. Or she could be a mix. If she still has the conformation of a Catahoula and is too small, she might be a Catahoula Bulldog, which is a mix between a Catahoula dog and either a pit bull type dog or an American Bulldog. It's also possible that she could be crossed with a Blackmouth Cur, which is similar in conformation to the Catahoula. So many options.