16 replies to this topic

[Lewis Moon]

I have bookmarks for "herding" dogs on Craigs List in several cities throughout AZ. I look for BCs and BCx dogs that might be a good fit for AzBCR. One trend I've noticed lately is the large number of listings for Catahoulas. They almost outnumber Aussies and Mini Aussies at this point. Anyone have any idea why they're gaining popularity? The decided impression I get is that they are the "NASCAR" of herding dogs.

[Debbie Meier]

Cool looking, short haired and different. Have seen a few come around up here over the last couple of years, just took on a new student that rescued one from Texas. I've talked to some guys with cattle that don't want a border collie that think they would be the dog for them.

[Journey]

Catahoulas have been around in the South *forever*, they are a pretty cool dog. The ones I knew were *alot* a dog.

[Sue R]

One other possibility is that any short-coated, merle or "spotty" dog, is being called a Catahoula or Catahoula-cross. Somewhat like any merle BC may be called an Aussie or Aussie-cross. And Catahoulas are, as Karen said, a lot of dog and probably very ill-suited for the vast majority of pet owners.

Of course, like any other breed, once some people think, "Oh, how cool are these dogs?" - well, we know where that leads.

[Lewis Moon]

One other possibility is that any short-coated, merle or "spotty" dog, is being called a Catahoula or Catahoula-cross. Somewhat like any merle BC may be called an Aussie or Aussie-cross. And Catahoulas are, as Karen said, a lot of dog and probably very ill-suited for the vast majority of pet owners.

Of course, like any other breed, once some people think, "Oh, how cool are these dogs?" - well, we know where that leads.

I'm absolutely sure this is happening. I often see any black dog with white markings called a BC or BCx. I also see a lot of folks offering "papered" catahoulas and I see that the AKC is taking interest. AKC Foundation Stock Service You know...."We're more than champion dogs....We're the dog's champion"

[Sue R]

Interesting to find that the National Association of Louisiana Catahoulas has been offering show championships for some time.

But I digress...

[Liz P]

I saw a lot of them when I lived near the MS border. However, those owners were using them for hunting, not working livestock.

[Journey]

They're used in Fl/Al/Ga for hunting too, hunting boar, not that they'd be livestock in the general sense. I've also seen them working cattle though in MS.

[Cindy Evans]

Hunters around here use them for all of the above and some use them for snakes. We have some LARGE diamondbacks around here and they train them to alert.

[juliepoudrier]

I had always understood they were used to bring cattle up out of swamps and other impassable areas. And they'd bay or fight as needed to get the wild cattle moving out.

J.

[Liz P]

My understanding, which may very well be incorrect, is that they were bred to be multipurpose dogs for moving tough cattle and for hunting game. I certainly have known some Border Collies who were good bird dogs, so a dual purpose dog is a possibility.

[MrSnappy]

hee hee. My boss, who did Catahoula rescue for years, likes to say that nobody should own a Catahoula therefore anyone who expresses an interest in one should immediately be disqualified for adopting one ;-)

I don't think they are getting any *more* popular ... but everything short coated and merle sure gets labelled as one around here and has for YEARS. The rural areas always seem to have litters of spotty pups turning up in shelters and called Catahoulas, when really they are just spotty mutts.

And, umm, we are neither in the South, nor are we big on hog huntin' out here ;-)

RDM

[Pam Wolf]

Some of the old cattlemen in Mo tried Cat's many years ago and switched back to BC's. From what I've been told on how they work is they send packs of Cats out into the swamp and tough terraine to 'bay up' the cattle. The pack works essentially like hounds barking and biting the cattle, taking the fight out of them. The dogs tend to gather the cattle to one general area and the handlers then follow the baying to find the cows and use another type of dog (Aussies or BC's) to trail the cattle out of the swamps

[Journey]

And, umm, we are neither in the South, nor are we big on hog huntin' out here ;-)

RDM

You have no idea what you're missing! Then again, sometimes I wish I didn't know what took place hog huntin'

[MyTDogs]

You have no idea what you're missing! Then again, sometimes I wish I didn't know what took place hog huntin'

Oh but she could watch "Hog's Gone Wild" or "American Hoggers" if she wanted to see how it goes. It is almost like being there!

(i really need to get rid if cable tv)

Oh yes, while working at the ER I saw more than one "catahoula" hogdog laid open while on the hunt. Hogs are scary.

[JaderBug]

About two years ago, a friend of mine adopted a sweet Catahoula girl for his uncle. When he told me the breed he got, I was excited about Gail and he was shocked that my reaction was anything but "You got a WHAT?! Are you crazy?? Those dogs are DANGEROUS!" which apparently he had heard quite a bit of.

Gail is a very sweet girl, however she definitely needs a job and room to run her energy off...



I also recently met Daytan, a Catahoula x Collie mix, also a sweetheart. Her owner lovingly calls her a 'Swamp Collie'

[ShesMaggie]

I had a Catahoula when I was a teenager. He was a really nice dog and a good companion for our family.