The breeds · big game · hog and stock dog
AKC Foundation Stock Service · UKC Herding
Catahoula Leopard Dog.
Multi-purpose working dog, to be judged as such: scenting, trailing and treeing game, and baying and herding feral hogs and cattle.
Breed sets the odds. The parents set the dog. Every number here shows its source, its spread and how sure we are. Nothing on this page is a prediction about one dog.
The body
What the breed is built like. Registry standards give an ideal, not a range.
Height at the shoulder
UKC standard (2008); the AKC figure is an FSS summary, not a standard. Both sources shown (Chad, Oct 8 2026: show every source).
Weight
UKC gives one range for both sexes and no ideal, so no center is recorded. AKC page header agrees (50-95 lb).
Coat
UKC standard.
Shedding
AKC breed page trait score, 1 to 5: a breed-club tendency, never a measurement.
Heat tolerance
Derived from the UKC coat description (single, short-to-medium coat, between 'short single' = 5 and 'short dense' = 4). No measured data.
The dog at home
What the breed asks of a day. The first thing most homes get wrong.
Energy
AKC breed page trait score, 1 to 5: a breed-club tendency, never a measurement.
Grooming load
AKC breed page trait score, 1 to 5: a breed-club tendency, never a measurement.
The work
What it was built to do in the field, and what a test or trial asks of it.
Role
UKC history and general appearance wording. Texas A&M also lists the breed among dogs used for hog hunting, recovering wounded game, herding cattle and treeing small game.
Primary game
UKC standard history. Whether an individual dog is a bay dog or a catch dog varies by dog and training; sources disagree on which is more common, so none is stated.
Also used on
Two sources: UKC history names deer, bobcat, wild hog and bear; Texas A&M lists wounded-game recovery and treeing small game. Not governed by a published trial rule.
Cold water
Derived from the coat description. The standard calls for webbed toes but says nothing about water work; no measured data.
How common the problems are
Evaluated dogs skew toward breeding stock; the numbers are still the best there are.
Hip dysplasia
OFA's own breed statistics. OFA-evaluated dogs skew toward breeding stock, with normal results over-represented.
Elbow dysplasia
OFA's own breed statistics. Small n and breeding-stock skew: owners submit selectively, so normal results are over-represented.
Most common disorders
The two BAER figures differ widely and should not be merged: the LSU table is a research-clinic sample with no stated date or selection, and OFA's 51 dogs are owner-submitted breeding stock. The LSU row was confirmed in the Internet Archive copy of the LSU table on Oct 8 2026 (live lsu.edu blocked automated fetching); the table is undated. Strain 2004 (Vet J) tested Catahoulas among at-risk breeds but its abstract prints no Catahoula figure. OFA does not name the eye findings.
More
akc bands
Fourteen AKC bands in one row; the selector reads each by name. Breed-club ratings: a tendency, never a measurement.
What to ask a breeder for
The health clearances the breed’s own club and registry name. Reference only: what to ask for, never a statement about any dog’s health.
- USEye examinationACVO/ECVO via OFA · Orthopedic Foundation for Animals, breed statistics data service (the data behind ofa.org/diseases/disease-statistics/): hips and elbows, all evaluations on file, read Oct 5 2026
- USElbow evaluationOFA · Orthopedic Foundation for Animals, breed statistics data service (the data behind ofa.org/diseases/disease-statistics/): hips and elbows, all evaluations on file, read Oct 5 2026
- USHip evaluationOFA · Orthopedic Foundation for Animals, breed statistics data service (the data behind ofa.org/diseases/disease-statistics/): hips and elbows, all evaluations on file, read Oct 5 2026
- USBAER hearing testOFA · Strain G.M., Louisiana State University School of Veterinary Medicine, Breed-Specific Deafness Prevalence in Dogs (percent), BAER-tested dogs table, Catahoula Leopard Dog row (page undated). Row confirmed against the Internet Archive copy, Oct 8 2026.
How to read this page
Every value carries a label. Measured means peer-reviewed data on many dogs. Studied means peer-reviewed, smaller or indirect. Breed club means a club or registry states it. Editorial means expert opinion with no measurement behind it. Where two good sources disagree, both are shown and neither is averaged.
Published when the entry rests on the best information available from no fewer than three independent sources, checked by a second pass that did not write it. 5 sources on this page. Found something wrong? Tell us and the correction is logged with its date.
- Also called
- Catahoula, Louisiana Catahoula Leopard Dog, Catahoula Cur, Catahoula Hog Dog
Every breed, read the same way.
The breed index grows as entries clear the standard. Gun dogs first.
All published breedsYour catahoula leopard dog, on the record.
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