Louisiana Catahoula Leopard Dog Or Dalmatian?

Arianna: Catahoula Leopard Dog Or Dalmatian?
Which Breed Is Better And Why? I Would Like To Some Pros And Cons Please :)
Thanks!

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Answers and Views:

Answer by Charles
dalmatian
they are always hungry
they are clumsy and bull-headed
they are the icon of the royal family for centuries.
they are alert friendly and good around children
they have a deep bark
they only have an average life span of about 9 yrs-sadly

Answer by Ravyn
They are both bred together quite often, so it's possible to get a mixed breed!
Mixed breeds often have far fewer health issues, which is a huge Pro.

Both breeds need a lot of area. They thrive best in active environments and require a lot of mental stimulation. The Catahoula Leopard Dog especially likes to chew things. While they are hunting dogs, they do well with young children.

It's been said that Catahoula Leopard Dog is "smarter" than dalmatians, but this often just means they get bored easier. So for either one, you need to be very active and give them lots to do.

Answer by TK
Whoah, these are two very different breed personalities. Please read up on them. I've had both breeds and neither is "better".

Answer by Kenton
I had a Catahoula for 11 years so I could tell you about that dog but I know very little about Dalmatians. My dog, Bear (he was a rescue dog and his name fit perfectly) was an absolutely amazing dog. Catahoulas have dispositions very similar to Labs, however, they are typically bigger. Bear was about 100 pounds when he was in his prime and 110 when he got old. That being said, we had to put him down a few months ago at age 12. As with any large dog, they don't tend to live much longer than 12-13 years. They tend to be fairly mellow dogs and do not need excessive exercise like some other breeds.

The only thing bad to say is that he probably was not the best watchdog but our other dog took on that role. They also shed...a lot. I would clean up the equivalent of a small cat on a weekly basis.

Bear was the best dog you could ever imagine. He never really needed a leash as he heeled perfectly and never ran away. He never chewed or destroyed anything. He was not aggressive towards other animals and got along with cats just fine (he lived with two and one would sleep with him). Kids could hang off him and he enjoyed it. Give him a body of water and a ball to retrieve and he was in heaven.

I miss you, Bear.

Answer by Josie
Dalmatians are an energetic, agile breed. They are not "clumsy" like someone else answered, neither are most of the other things they said. They are NOT recommended around children, they make the top 15 dangerous dog breeds and can be unpredictable, and un-accepting of strangers until they get to know them. The dalmatian temperament has been ruined by breeders breeding dogs with unsound temperaments because they had good markings. The demand for this breed went up when the film 101 Dalmatians came out, so many breeders jumped on the bandwagon and many were back yard breeders who didn't care how the dog turned put as long as they made a bit of easy money.

The dalmatian is loyal. And a Very good watch dog-will alert you to everything. They can be dominant and require a strong owner to keep them in check. They are not an easy dog to train. They are normally good around other animals and if they are brought up with children will tolerate them, but I would never let my dalmatian be stroked or touched by strange children, simply because I don't 100% trust her around them.

This is only the experience I have with my Dalmation and things I have researched before I got her. I would not recommend getting a dalmatian unless you have space, good places to walk them off-leash and a lot of time to dedicate to training.

My Dalmatians a great dog, well behaved and never bitten anyone, but has growled/snapped when strangers thinking she will be just like they are portrayed on 101 Dalmatians have rushed over to her and hugged or been too over the top with her.

As long as they are exercised a lot, trained well and have a lot of socialization they are great dogs. Just make sure you get a quality dog that has been checked for deafness and other problems. This is another thing the breed has suffered, many are deaf or have hearing problems, make sure any pups are thoroughly screened by a good vet.

Sorry, I don't know anything about the other breed.

Photo Credit: pulkitsinha/Flickr CC

Answer by Jeffrey
I have never actually owned either, but I have regularly dog sat both for friends and family. Both are extremely, extremely high energy dogs but the Catahoula is far, far more energetic. I would never get a Dalmatian unless I was planning on spending at least an hour a day exercising it, but I would not even think of getting a Catahoula unless I had three exercise hours a day. The Catahoula is also definitely more driven. Every pure Catahoula that I have ever known absolutely needed a job to do, or else it found its own. When I say job I mean herding, hunting, advanced obedience, etc. I would put Catahoula's right up there with Border Collies and Belgian Malinois in terms of demanding dogs.

In terms of intelligence, I would say both are right up there with the smartest of all dogs. There's probably nothing that any dog can learn that a Catahoula or Dalmatian couldn't. That being said, neither breed is very easy to train. Both can be very stubborn and exhibit "selective hearing." Both can be quite protective of their family, but I would say that the Catahoula is definitely more territorial. Although both can live with other dogs when socialized, some Catahoula's (especially males) can be dog aggressive. My biggest concern with either breed would be deafness. There's some connection with the gene responsible for hearing in dogs and the gene responsible for white and merle coats.

A huge percentage of Dalmatians are deaf in at least one ear, and a much smaller, but still sizable percentage of Catahoulas are as well. Dalmatians also have kidney issues. However, overall both are among the healthiest breeds. Catahoulas are usually much more stable temperamentally than Dalmatians because they aren't as popular. Good Dalmatian breeders usually produce excellent dogs, but bad Dalmatian breeders have produced some real monsters. In summation, it depends on what you are looking for in a dog. If you are looking purely for a companion animal, I would say either go with a well-bred Dalmatian or a Catahoula mix (which are usually much lower drive).
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