Much of the history of the Catalan shepherd dog is unknown, it is known that it is a very old breed and is believed to descend from dogs brought by the Roman conquerors of the Iberian Peninsula, around 150 BC.
The local dogs of the region would have crossed paths with faster dogs taken by the Roman army (not with the great moss they used for war) and gave birth to different European breeds.
- For centuries.
- The Catalan shepherd has enjoyed great popularity in Catalonia thanks to his great virtues as pastor and guardian.
- However.
- The race lost much of his admirers after the Second World War.
- Reaching the brink of extinction.
- Fortunately.
- In the 1970s.
- A group of breeders launched a program to recover the breed.
- Today.
- It is a rare dog in most of the world.
- But the population of Catalan shepherds is growing slowly but gradually.
The body of this dog is a little longer than tall, in a ratio of length: the height of the cross is 9: 8; It is also strong and muscular, but it is not heavy, the overall impression it gives is of strength and agility.The legs are strong and muscular, able to travel long distances.
The head is strong and has a wide base, although slightly longer than wide, the nose is black and straight.The eyes are round and dark, very expressive and look cheerful and intelligent, although sometimes it is difficult to see them behind the abundant hair that falls on them, the ears are placed tall, triangular, thin and finished in tip.
The tail of the Catalan shepherd dog can be modeled in two varieties, in some it is long, protruding from the hock. In other dogs, it is short, with a length of less than 10 centimeters.
The beautiful hair of these dogs is long and rough and can be stiff or slightly wavy; Catalan shepherd dogs have an abundant inner layer throughout the body, but especially in the later third; on their heads, they have abundant hair that forms a beard, a moustache, tuxedo and eyebrows.
The skin of these dogs seems a single color when viewed from afar, but when looking closely, you can see that the color is defined by a combination of different shades.The basic colors resulting from these combinations are yellow, sand and gray.Sometimes the combination of these colors, from a distance, seems to be black and brown.
The hair change is very curious in this breed because it occurs in two stages: the Catalan shepherd first changes the hair of the anterior half of the body, then the hair of the back half, so for a while it seems that it was a dog with two different hairs or two dogs in the same body.
Catalan shepherds are medium-sized dogs. The height at the cross in males varies between 47 and 55 centimeters and females between 45 and 53 centimeters.The ideal weight is not indicated in the FCI standard of the breed, but these dogs usually weigh between 20 and 27 kilos.
It is a very faithful and affectionate dog, but a little reserved with strangers, like most shepherd dogs, the Catalan shepherd is very intelligent, brave, stable, vigilant and hard-working, in addition his breeding instincts are so strong that they tend to lead the herd.even without any direction from the shepherd.
Inside the house, the Catalan shepherd dog is very quiet and peaceful: you will love it to brush it, be careful and spend long hours in serene tranquility.It is a very grateful dog, gentle and understanding, very skilled and empathetic.you walk with him, he is active and with an overflowing personality, he is really very agile, although he usually creates a special bond with a single member of the family, tends to behave very well with adults and children, especially with minors, this dog is extremely careful, protective and faithful.
Although many people use this precious dog as a work tool, the Catalan Shepherd really needs an active family that offers a lot of fun, exercise and physical activity.As we have already mentioned, the Australian Shepherd is a dog distrustful of strangers and, even without training, is an excellent alarm dog that will warn us before the arrival of some intruder, has a powerful bark.
The hair care of the Catalan Shepherd should be frequent and rigorous, otherwise knots and dirt may appear.Ideally, brush well 4 to 5 times a week, trying to reach all areas.We recommend that you look for a brush with thick, separate metal pins.
Bathing should not be common as it removes the skin’s natural protective fat.To do this, a bath every two months or when it is very dirty is the most suitable.During bathing, we can take advantage to cut the hair of certain areas (eyes, for example) with great care and delicacy.This will help keep your beautiful appearance beautiful. Remember that if you do not know exactly how to do it, it is ideal to go to a professional.
If you do not live in a rural environment in which this dog can develop the skill that he inherited from nature, from breeding, we must offer different and varied activities so that he can burn the accumulated energy.For starters, it will be basic to allow you to take at least three long walks, of which 10 minutes a day are collarless.
It is also very useful to practice active exercises at least once or twice a week, agility, canicross or other exercises for adult dogs are a great way to maintain the muscles of this dog and stimulate it mentally and physically, never forget that sport is fundamental in this breed., if you think you can’t give him all these activities, it’s better to choose a more relaxed and quiet dog.
Despite their exercise needs, these dogs can adapt well to apartment living as long as they exercise enough and are perfect pets for dynamic people who prefer to perform physical activities frequently.
Being naturally reserved for foreigners, the Catalan shepherd dog needs to be socialized from an early age, both with people and with dogs and other animals, otherwise the Catalan shepherd can begin to develop fearful, antisocial and even aggressive behaviors because of fear.socialization and training are very important.
On the other hand, his ability to learn new things allows him to easily understand obedience orders, his intelligence and skill make him perfect for those who like to work in canine education and training who should always rely on positive reinforcement or the use of a clicker. We should never punish or abuse this breed because they are sensitive dogs.
The breed is not particularly prone to hereditary diseases, but should receive the necessary veterinary care.Vaccines and frequent testing are important. In addition, it is a good way to train the dog so that it can be controlled, as its thick fur can hide some wounds.