The breeds · working
AKC Foundation Stock Service · UKC Guardian · FCI standard 173
Estrela Mountain Dog.
Livestock guardian, watch dog and companion; also draught work. FCI 173 utilization: a livestock guarding dog, watch dog and companion dog, also used for draught work. Temperament: inseparable companion of the shepherd and faithful flock guardian, bravely protecting it against predators and thieves; farm and house guard, distrustful of strangers. UKC: in summer shepherds moved sheep to high mountain pastures where the Estrela guarded the flocks; in winter the dogs guarded the shepherd's household and occasionally served as draft animals; first standard 1933; to be evaluated as a working livestock guardian capable of protecting stock in mountainous terrain. RKC: flock guard that can work summits 2000 feet above sea level or the parched summer lowlands. AKC breed page: not only an excellent livestock guardian but loves children and family.
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
Low and high span FCI, UKC and the AKC page band (breed-wide); center blank.
Weight
Low and high span FCI, UKC and the AKC page band (breed-wide, so its 132 lb top is the male ceiling). Center blank.
Coat
Shedding
AKC breed page trait score, 1 to 5: a breed-club tendency, never a measurement.
Heat tolerance
Derived from the coat description in the standard (confidence derived). 2 = heavy double coat, the long variety; the short-coated variety would sit nearer 3.
The dog at home
What the breed asks of a day. The first thing most homes get wrong.
Exercise need
RKC band 'up to 1 hour' = 60 minutes.
Energy
AKC breed page trait score, 1 to 5: a breed-club tendency, never a measurement.
Grooming load
RKC band 'more than once a week' mapped to 3; the AKC page band (2 of 5) is lower, so the sources differ.
The work
What it was built to do in the field, and what a test or trial asks of it.
Role
FCI names predators and thieves, not wolf specifically; no source here names the wolf for the Estrela.
Also used on
Search pattern
No source describes pack size or patrol pattern.
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.
- UKHip evaluation (strongly recommended before breeding)BVA/KC Hip Dysplasia Scheme · The Royal Kennel Club, Estrela Mountain Dog breed page: exercise and grooming bands, health schemes, history
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. 3 sources on this page. Found something wrong? Tell us and the correction is logged with its date.
- Also called
- Cão da Serra da Estrela, Portuguese Shepherd
Every breed, read the same way.
The breed index grows as entries clear the standard. Gun dogs first.
All published breedsYour estrela mountain dog, on the record.
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