Canis lupus familiaris
Catahoula Leopard Dog
Featured photocatahoula-leopard-dog.jpgThe Catahoula Leopard Dog is a French-colonial Louisiana wild-boar and feral-cattle hunter — official state dog of Louisiana. The Catahoula Leopard Dog is the only breed historically native to Louisiana and is named for Catahoula Parish (from Choctaw 'Couthaougoula', meaning 'sacred lake').
Quick facts
- AKC group
- Herding
- Origin country
- United States (Louisiana)
- Origin period
- Colonial era (formalized 1995)
- Coat type
- Short
- Coat colors
- Leopard (Merle pattern in blue, red, grey, black), Solid colours including black, yellow, red, chocolate, with various white trim or 'glass' (blue) eyes
- Average lifespan
- 10-14 years
- Recognition
- UKC 1995
Origin
The Catahoula Leopard Dog is the only breed historically native to Louisiana and is named for Catahoula Parish in north-central Louisiana (the parish name is from the Choctaw Couthaougoula, meaning 'sacred lake'). The breed was developed by 18th-century French colonial settlers of Louisiana from crosses between Native American (Choctaw, Caddo, Tunica) working dogs and the descendants of the Greyhounds and bloodhounds left behind by Hernando de Soto's 1539-1542 Spanish expedition; later admixture from French Beauceron stock contributed the merle (leopard) coat and the working bay-and-catch hunting style. The breed was used to track and pen wild boar and feral 'piney woods' cattle in the Louisiana swamps and longleaf pine forests. Louisiana governor Earl K. Long was an avid breeder, and the Catahoula was named the official state dog of Louisiana in 1979. The United Kennel Club admitted the breed in 1995 and the breed is currently in the AKC Foundation Stock Service.
Recognition
the United Kennel Club followed in 1995.
Standard
The UKC standard describes a well-muscled, powerful, working dog of moderate to large size, slightly longer than tall, with a deep, broad, well-developed chest. The defining features are the merle (leopard) coat pattern — irregular blue, red, grey, or black blotches on a lighter ground colour — and the often-striking 'glass' (blue or partly-blue) eyes. The short, smooth, single coat lies close to the body. Recognized colours: any solid colour or merle pattern; the leopard pattern is the breed's signature. Males stand 56-66 cm at the withers, females 51-61 cm.
Sources & further reading (2)
- encyclopedia — accessed 2026-04-30
- kennel-club-registry — accessed 2026-04-30
Frequently asked questions
What is the Catahoula Leopard Dog's AKC group?
The American Kennel Club places the Catahoula Leopard Dog in the Herding Group. The Herding Group, carved out of the older Working Group in 1983, gathers breeds developed to control the movement of livestock — Border Collies, Australian Shepherds, Welsh Corgis, and the German Shepherd among them. The breed's foundation working role was as a French-colonial Louisiana wild-boar and feral-cattle hunter — official state dog of Louisiana.
When was the Catahoula Leopard Dog officially recognized?
The United Kennel Club followed in 1995.
What is the average lifespan of a Catahoula Leopard Dog?
Kennel-club longevity surveys place the Catahoula Leopard Dog's average lifespan in the 10-14 years range. The figure here represents the spread reported by the major parent-club studies and the Kennel Club (UK) purebred-dog health surveys.
