Catahula leopard dog

thanks everyone []

i guess when DNA testing becomes more reliable (more breed identifier capacity & reliability), i'd be tempted to shoot out a few bucks just to satisfy my own curiosity

btw, her measurements are:

25: shoulders to floor while standing on all 4
33" head to floor while standing on all 4
56" head to floor when standing up on rear legs

19" head diameter

If you are measuring right, 25" is huge for a Catahoula cur, much less one mixed with Aussie. At least the ones around here. 25" is big even for a collie or lab, isn't it? But maybe there are lines that are taller. English shepherds can be as big as collies - it's one way I can spot one - if it looks like an Aussie or BC but stands as tall as a collie and walks like one too, it's probably an ES. It's sort of a dignified, horsey way of moving. They were dogs that trotted behind stock for twenty or thirty miles a day and they've got that really easy way of going like a good saddle horse.

Hi Brookcove,

you migt be on to something here. i did an image search using google for english shepherds and there are some really close matches going on.

i measured the shoulder height as follows:

i had mandi stand up on all 4 next to a wall and noted how high her shoulder was such that if i put a ruler across her shoulder parallel to the floor, then simply measure the distance from the ruler to the floor.


we had rescued her and she must have been on the streets for awhile because she was 65 pounds and her backbone was quite prominent as well as her ribs. she's nicely filled out now and she's not fat either - just a big framed dog (not overly muscular) with the gait of a horse and can leap like a deer. she was a good find.


one of our previous aissies (papered so i know he was a purebred) was a 95 pound male. he was not fat either - very muscular.... so dogs can get beyong their normal height and weight ranges. most aussies are around the 55-65 pound range as an average - but then you do get the boig ones and the small ones.