Auscat Catahoulas

History of The Louisiana Catahoula 

The Louisiana Catahoula Dog is a pure-bred hunting dog that originates from the United States of America, as the name suggests they are popular in the southern States of the U.S. particularly in Louisiana where the Catahoula is recognised as the state dog. The Catahoula is part of the "Cur" family of dogs such as the "Black Mouth Cur" "Leopard Tree Cur" "Yellow Cur" and "Mountain Cur" etc, ( explanations for the word "Cur" has been suggested that "Curs" are mongrels or, that the curled, almost question marked shaped tail is the reason for the name where the word "curl" is shortened to "Cur"). But the explanation that is most promising is that all these dogs could have ancestries dating back to the Spanish conquistadors and their war dogs, which brings us to the history of the Catahoula.
The Catahoula is a Dog that was born out of harsh circumstances, their ancestors where dogs of war that followed the conquistador army of Hernando De Soto into the southern interior of the United States in 1539, the dogs that accompanied this army where most probably Spanish Mastiffs and Grey Hounds, two breed of dogs that were popular with Spanish explorers in the 1500's, the Mastiff were used as a fighting dog during the skirmishes with Indians and the Grey Hound was used to assist in the running down of small game animals for food. Naturally because of the way these two dogs were employed they became sick, injured and lost, and many where left behind by the Conquistadors. The dogs that were abandoned bred with each other and the only other known K-9 capable of breeding with dogs at this time, the Wolf, and in the Catahoulas case it was the Red Wolf ( a species that was once prolific in Louisiana is now an endangered animal). The resulting cross produced the foundation of the Catahoula, because they were running free in the wild these Wolf cross dogs interbred with themselves and with the course of time became a new breed within  the new world. In 1682, Rene Robert Cavalier, Sieur De La Salle accompanied by his Lieutenant, Hendri De Tonti better known as "Tonti the iron hand" travelled down the Mississippi river to claim the valley of France, they named it Louisiana. In the 1700 Tonti met with French settlers at the mouth of the Mississippi and told stories of strange wolf like dogs with white eyes and mottled coats. After approximately 150 years of breeding free in the wild, these strange looking dogs with the haunting white eyes where found by the first white settlers. The French settlers also had dogs of their own to hunt the abundant game in the new world, one of the dogs in particular was the Berger De Beauce or Bas Rouge. Today this dog is known as the Beauceron, it originated in Le Beauce France and was known as a fierce hard to control dog that was used to hunt wild boar. Later on, through selective breeding, this dog was sought for it herding ability and became less aggressive. It is believed that the Beauceron was crossed with the wolf dog  to create a better working dog that could be used to herd and hunt in the harsh swamps of Louisiana. The Beauceron is black and tan in colour; this would explain why Catahoulas can have one or more  black and tan pups within a litter of blue or red leopards. There is some speculation as to how the Catahoula got it's name, some believe that it is from the Choctaw Indian word "Kawahcula" meaning "barking Fox" and "Okatahulo" meaning "clear water" a reference to the glass eyed Catahoula, and the Indian word for Choctaw is "Couthaougoula" pronounced (coot-ha-oo-goo-la) if this word was mispronounced by the white settlers it could easily have been spoken as "Catahoula" and would be associated with the dogs as they were frequently seen with Choctaw Indians. History has made brief references to the Catahoula in the 1800's the famous Alamo fighters, Jim and Rezin Bowie were said to have owned Catahoulas and that Rezin the owner of the famous knife was said to have always slept with a Catahoula by his side. In the 1900's President Teddy Roosevelt was introduced to a pair of Catahoulas by the famous mountain lion hunter Ben Lilly while on the famous bear hunt that gave rise to the name "Teddy Bear".  The Catahoula soon became popular with Louisiana farmers with its ability to wind scent live stock and game animals and to herd and bay these animals in the swamps made them a perfect choice. The Catahoula is medium to tall dog with adults being between 50-66 cm high and they can weigh anywhere between 24-45kg, colours are usually blue and red leopards but black, brindle, liver and Tan are also quite common, the most striking feature is the eyes, a large boned blue leopard is said to be the Cadillac of the breed. Catahoulas have excellent temperaments, they have an affectionate nature and love being around people that they know, but will disapprove of strangers usually by barking, bearing teeth and putting the tail between the legs but once the stranger is introduce and does not pose a threat , the behaviour will cease. They are good with children and will often shepherd children when playing in the yard. Catahoulas make good Guard dogs! They are an agile dog and are fast on their feet, they also have webbed feet which make them excellent swimmers. Catahoulas love to hunt and with their physical build, hot nose and keen eyesight they have become popular with boar hunters. Catahoulas may be classed as a "Find Bailer" but some Catahoulas do prefer to lug especially if they are working with other dogs that will lug up. The Catahoula has a hot nose and are a medium ranged dog they will ground or wind cent and are quiet capable of finding from a moving vehicle. They have a hound like baying bark and are silent on the trail. While bailing they use a circulating method with the occasional dart in and out, this confuses the boar as he never knows from which direction the dog is coming from and is more inclined to stay bailed. Catahoulas can be trained to do a number of tasks; they are obedient and because of their affectionate nature strive to please their master. Catahoulas reach full maturity at two years of age but basic training is essential and should be taught at an early age, they are willing to follow and hunt at ground at around 8 months old. The Catahoula is a Dog that will soak up plenty of work and as long as they are kept fit they with have good endurance. Article compiled by David Gardener.