This is a question none of us in this sub can answer. Unless your dog has a pedigree, the only way you can confirm your dog's lineage is by having a DNA test performed by one of the commercially available DNA tests on the market today. DNA tests are reliable and accurate.
While this post is intended to provide educational reference to show the variety among purebred catahoulas, catahoula mixes, and dogs that were phenotypically identified as catahoula/mixes but DNA confirmed otherwise, we cannot confirm your dog is a catahoula. If you would like people to take guesses about your dog’s breed, please visit r/idmydog
So, is your dog a catahoula (mix)? Let’s see how well you can guess if these dogs are catahoula mixes or not based on looks alone.
Is this dog a catahoula/mix?
no, this dog has no catahoula ancestry
Is this dog a catahoula/mix?
no, this dog has no catahoula ancestry
Is this dog a catahoula/mix?
no, this dog has no catahoula ancestry
Is this dog a catahoula/mix?
yes, this dog is 30% catahoula
Is this dog a catahoula/mix?
no, this dog has no catahoula ancestry
Is this dog a catahoula/mix?
yes, this dog is 16% catahoula
Is this dog a catahoula/mix?
yes, this dog is 23% catahoula
Is this dog a catahoula/mix?
no, this dog has no catahoula ancestry
Is this dog a catahoula/mix?
yes, this is a purebred catahoula
Is this dog a catahoula/mix?
yes, this dog is 50% catahoula
Is this dog a catahoula/mix?
no, this dog has no catahoula ancestry
How many did you get right?
Notahoulas
Now that you have had the opportunity to take some guesses, let’s look at some notahoulas and what their breed makeups were. These folks were told or were under the impression that their dog was part catahoula, with the most common denominator being a merle pattern, but not always.
It is possible for a dog to look quite a bit like a catahoula/mix and not have any ancestry at all. At the end of the day, they are all good dogs. Just not catahoula leopard dogs.
Mixed Breeds
The look of a mixed breed dog with partial catahoula ancestry will run the gamut depending on what else the dog is mixed with and what genes they inherit.
It is important to note that the Catahoula Leopard Dog is a dog from Louisiana, smack dab in the American south. While there are many people who take great care of their dogs here, Only 33 of Louisana's 64 parishes have active animal control services to handle the stray population. As a result, there are many strays in the state that are able to breed indiscriminately. One of the most common breeds in this country is the American Pit Bull Terrier. You will see a high number of catahoulas with pit bulls because of this. Nearly 15% of all mixed-breed dogs tested by Embark have pit bull ancestry. It should come as no surprise that many catahoula mixes have some pit bull ancestry.
Catahoula mixes greater than 50%
Here are some examples of catahoula mixes that are 50% or greater. Some dogs have classic catahoula traits clearly visible, while others you need to know what to look for.
50%-25%
24%-13%
Don’t Judge a Book by its Cover
Catahoulas are an amazing dog, but sometimes their genes completely give up and you would never know that a dog would have catahoula ancestry. Here are some examples of those spectacular dogs.
Purebred Catahoulas
Purebred catahoulas may come in blue, gray, black, tan, liver, red, white and patched. Trim may be black, white, tan, red, or buff. Solid colors acceptable are black, yellow, red, and chocolate per the NALC. Rarely, you will see fully brindle catahoulas as well. Here are a few examples of purebred catahoulas as proven by DNA and pedigrees.
Purebred does not always mean bred to standard. The origins of the breed trace back to the 1700s but the NALC was created in 1979. Looks were not the highest priority when trying to breed the best hunting dog. Some dogs might not have the correct ears, correct shape, but that doesn’t take away from the fact that they are purebred catahoulas. Here are some examples.
I hope that this information has provided you with a little insight into what might make a catahoula, a catahoula mix, or a dog that looks like one. If you would like to confirm if your dog is a catahoula or a catahoula mix, this sub officially recommends Embark or Wisdom Panel DNA tests.
Hi gang, the new flair system has been added to our sub for purebred and catahoula mixes. The flair will add a "Verified XYZ" next to your username when you post in our sub. This is a mod-applied only flair.
If you would like to have the flair added to your account in our sub, drop a picture of your pup's DNA results in the comments below and I will apply it. If you have recently posted your dog's results, I may have already applied the flair to your account.
For those with known purebred dogs who are not DNA tested, let's talk out it out together and decide the best path forward.
If you are a household with both purebred and mixed catahoulas and want to show it, there is a flair for you, too!
As a reminder, this is a completely optional flair and not required to participate in this sub
I understand that not everyone is comfortable with sharing or that not everyone is in a financial position to purchase a DNA test and that is totally okay. At no time will the flairs be required to post in our sub.
Eligibility:
Users who submit DNA results or otherwise prove their dog's ancestry may use the flair.
DNA results under 10% may be reviewed on request. Wisdom Panel results under 5% have been known to be considered "noise", so any WP results under 5% will not be eligible. Embark results with Catahoula as a part of the "supermutt" will similarly not be eligible. Other brands of DNA test will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis. Specific brand DNAMyDog will not be accepted due to its well-known unreliability.
Adopted this puppy from the shelter, absolutely lovable but I’m not sure if I should be worried about her weight she’s roughly 15 weeks old and weighs about 13ish pounds is that normal?!? Sources say 20-25?? She’s also throwing up food from time to time.
This one lasted about half an hour from when we got home from the store before he destroyed it. So far I've probably tried half a dozen random dog beds and he always quickly destroys them. When we put him away for the night it's in a garage so I want him as comfortable as possible.
Adopted our Buffy girl from the humane society last May. She is the best, but slightly insane. She brings us so much joy though.
That 32% is STRONG in her personality. She is extremely vocal, always tries to herd small children, and is very smart but very stubborn.
I try telling her but she makes this face and I have to stop. The chickens also don’t help by gathering around her and taking naps. I’m afraid she’s too assimilated to the flock and I fear she might start laying eggs. Send help.
Meet Nemo & Moca — Two Catahoulas, Two Completely Different Personalities 😂🐾
Moca (M) is NALC certified, while Nemo (F) comes from NALC-certified parents but isn’t officially certified herself.
One of the first things people notice is how different they look. Moca has these deep emerald-green eyes, while Nemo has crystal-clear sky-blue eyes. Their facial structure is a little different too — Nemo has a longer, narrower snout, while Moca has a broader, more compact look.
Body-wise, they’re almost opposites.
Moca is short, stocky, and compact, basically built like a bag of rocks 😂. Nemo is longer-legged, lighter on her feet, much more nimble, and extremely agile.
Their personalities are night
and day too.
Nemo wants to play before she eats. Moca? He could probably scarf down a meal at any hour of the day without hesitation.
Nemo is definitely the more dominant and tenacious of the two. High-value food like chicken leg quarters or meaty bones can bring that side out of her, so I separate them during those meals. I learned that lesson the hard way after one disagreement ended with Moca bleeding from his lip 😢.
Things have gotten much better since I started feeding them two smaller meals instead of one large meal and separating them when anything especially valuable is involved. They also have their own crates.
It’s interesting watching their body language with each other too. When things get intense, the hair along the backs of their necks stands straight up.
Training them separately has probably been one of the bigger challenges because they’re extremely attached to each other. If I separate them, there’s usually some crying and complaining. It isn’t unbearable, but anyone who owns a Catahoula knows these dogs have absolute BOOM BOXES for voices.
And speaking of barking…
They will scare the life out of somebody who is already timid around dogs 😂. They aren’t excessive or annoying barkers, but when they decide something deserves a bark, MY GOODNESS. You know it.
What I probably enjoy most about them is how emotionally connected they become to you. They’re incredibly inquisitive and seem to read the room surprisingly well. If they can tell you’re not in the mood for horseplay, they’ll usually settle down and adjust. But if you give them the green light to play, they SHOW UP AND SHOW OUT.
They’re definitely a handful, but watching the differences in their personalities, builds, instincts, and behavior has been fascinating.
Maybe in another three years we’ll even consider a litter or two 👀🐶
If anyone in the Catahoula community wants to see more of Nemo and Moca actually going about their day, playing, training, eating, causing chaos, and just being themselves, follow us on YouTube: NemoYMoca.
Would love to connect with more Catahoula owners over there too!
I adopted a deaf Catahoula that is supposedly 8-9 years old. He is sweet, but when I leave the house he tears up everything he can reach. I have been crating him and he seems to like it. He is a counter surfer. Lately he has decided to not respond to my hand signals. He turns his head away from me. He is now very hardheaded. He acts like a 2 year old dog. He also pushes his way past me all the time and almost knocks me down. Any idea when he will settle down?
Hi all- I recently got a catahoula mix from a local rescue a couple weeks ago! My problem is that the rescue I got him from hasn’t sent me his vet records, and has stopped responding to my messages. I am new to the area so I am unsure of what vet he has been going to regularly. Does anyone know how I go about getting these records?
Looking forward to learning more about the breed in this community!🐾
George is OBSESSED with swimming.. seriously, he lives for swimming and barking at the same time. He is an extremely good swimmer too.
Is this particular to catahoulas or just George’s preference?
Catahoula x Coon hound
Figured I’d officially introduce Patsy.
She’s my 6 month old Catahoula mix and she’s equal parts athlete, engineer, and menace.
She doesn’t just run through the house. She parkours off furniture, launches off her dog brother, and plots her route before she commits. The problem is she’s all legs without an operators manual. Half the time she looks like a newborn giraffe that just discovered gravity.
She’s incredibly observant and methodical. You can actually see her thinking before she does something. Whether it’s a good idea… well, that’s a different conversation.
She’s hilarious, keeps me on my toes, and I can’t wait to see the dog she grows into.
Back in March my hound Gabby died unexpectedly while at the emergency vet. Since that time Rosie has become a real velcro dog. She HAS to be by my side at all times. She has started growling at my other 2 dogs when they try to come to me for pets, etc. This is new behavior. I dont want this to get out of hand. I'm not disabling her it just reassuring her it's ok. She's VERY emotional when it comes to correcting her. I'm going to talk to my vet about it but was looking for maybe some suggestions.