FCI standard 368

Transmontano Mastiff.

Flock guardian against wolf. FCI 368 utilization: livestock guarding dog for sheep and goat flocks. History: evolution tied to the Peninsular transhumance routes; a companion of the shepherd with specific duties guarding against wolf attacks, wolves being long abundant in Trás-os-Montes; settled in the Portuguese highlands where steep, hard-to-reach pastures shaped the breed. Temperament: docile but reserved, cautious without being aggressive, calm; an exceptional guard protecting flocks against wolf attacks. CPC: livestock guarding dog for sheep and goat flocks. Grupo Lobo: still widely used to protect livestock, mainly sheep; a very recent breed, first registrations in 2004 and standard definitively recognised in 2012; the largest Portuguese breed; Grupo Lobo's Programa Cao de Gado places puppies of four Portuguese breeds, the Transmontano among them, with livestock owners to cut wolf losses. Wikipedia (English): more than 95% of the dogs guard sheep flocks; defends against wild boar, foxes, wolves and feral dogs; an excellent night guardian; needs large space and is ill-suited to chains or apartments; Portugal keeps a registry and, with Grupo Lobo, supports placing the dogs to protect flocks from wolves.

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.

0INHeightdogs null, bitches null. An ideal from the standard, not a range.

99–165LBWeight, all linesbreed dogs 121 to 165 lb; breed bitches 99.2 to 132 lb.

The body

What the breed is built like. Registry standards give an ideal, not a range.

Height at the shoulder

dogs 29.1 to 33.5 in · bitches 26 to 30.7 in

Breed clubFCI Standard N° 368, 2020

Four sources print 68-78 cm; Portuguese Wikipedia prints 66-76 cm, so low widens to 26.0 in (66 cm / 2.54). No ideal printed, center blank.

Weight

dogs 121 to 165 lb · bitches 99.2 to 132 lb

Breed clubFCI Standard N° 368, 2020

Four sources print 50-60 kg; Portuguese Wikipedia prints 45-60 kg, so low widens to 99.2 lb (45 kg x 2.20462). No ideal printed.

Coat

FCI 368: thick, medium length, abundant; smooth, very dense, obvious undercoat; shorter and thinner on head, ears, muzzle and limbs. Most common colours white with black, yellow, fawn or wolf-grey markings; solid fawn, yellow or wolf grey, brindled or not; white on feet and a white blaze are common; may be ticked or tricolour

Breed clubFCI Standard N° 368, 2020

Heat tolerance

3 of 5 · FCI 368: coat thick, medium length and abundant; hair smooth and very dense with an obvious undercoat; shorter and thinner on head, ears, muzzle and limbs. CPC: coat thick, medium length and abundant, smooth and very dense with obvious undercoat. Grupo Lobo: pelo grosso de comprimento medio, liso e muito denso

DerivedFCI Standard N° 368, 2020

Derived from the coat description in the standard (confidence derived). 3 = medium double coat.

The work

What it was built to do in the field, and what a test or trial asks of it.

Role

Breed clubFCI Standard N° 368, 2020

Role is stated by FCI, CPC, Grupo Lobo and Wikipedia. The programme-wide Grupo Lobo result (74 percent of 90 owners reported reduced wolf losses) is not breed-specific and is not used as a figure.

Search pattern

FCI 368: flock guarding is never done by a single animal; it is normal to see males outnumbering females in flock guarding; males live and socialize with other males without conflict and impose a dominance hierarchy in groups with breeding females; after initial reserve with strangers allows handling without problems. CPC states the same working-group behaviour

Breed clubFCI Standard N° 368, 2020

FCI and CPC (same text, separate publishers).

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. 1 sources on this page. Found something wrong? Tell us and the correction is logged with its date.

Also called: Cão de Gado Transmontano, Transmontano Mastiff

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