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The Cane Corso Catahoula Mix is a mix of the Cane Corso and Catahoula Leopard Dog breeds. They are both vigilant working dogs that love nothing more than being given a task to complete, which means that potential owners should have a good understanding of the type of mix they are going to get. The Cane Corso Catahoula Mix will be energetic, lively, and driven.
Neither of the parent breeds nor the resulting Cane Corso Catahoula Mix are considered good breeds for novice and first-time owners.
Breed Overview
Height:
22–28 inches
Weight:
50–110 pounds
Lifespan:
9–14 years
Colors:
Black, blue, gray, brown, white
Suitable for:
An experienced owner with a loving and kind attitude
Temperament:
Loyal, loving, brave, strong
Both parent breeds tend to be good with their families, but they do require a lot of exercise and mental stimulation to ensure they are fulfilled. Neither breed is considered especially good with strangers or other dogs, which means that any cross will require a lot of socialization and training from a young age, to ensure that they grow up well-adjusted dogs. However, they are low-maintenance dogs that are easy to groom. The cross may mean that an owner ends up with a dog that drools like the Cane Corso or doesn’t drool like the Catahoula parent breed.
Cane Corso Catahoula Mix Breed Puppies
First and foremost, the Cane Corso Catahoula Mix puppy will be bigger than a typical puppy. It will also need early and ongoing socialization, and without this, the puppy may be withdrawn from strangers and other animals. This is assuming you can find a mix of these two breeds. The Cane Corso is quite a rare breed, and the Catahoula Leopard Dog is even more unusual. Most breeders concentrate on creating purebred versions of these dogs, rather than mixing them with one another.
The size of these dogs means that you may be able to find them in shelters, although this will also be a challenge because of the rarity of the crossbreed and because both breeds are usually bred and raised as working dogs so will rarely find their way to shelters or rescues.
Temperament & Intelligence of the Cane Corso Catahoula Mix
The Cane Corso Catahoula Leopard Dog Mix is, predominantly, a working dog. With that said, in the right environment and with the right owners, these dogs can become loving and loyal members of a family. Their size dictates that they won’t really settle into life in an apartment, and they would certainly benefit from having a secure outdoor area where they can roam around and burn off any excess energy. This outdoor space won’t just benefit the dogs, it will also prove beneficial to their owners.
Are These Dogs Good for Families? 
Cane Corso and Catahoula Leopard Dogs can grow a very close bond with their owners, although both breeds will remain independent to some extent. Unfortunately, they can be fiercely loyal, which means care needs to be taken to ensure that the dogs are not a threat to other animals or people outside the family unit. Because of the size of the dogs, you should always be careful when keeping one around children, and you should never leave them unattended with very small children. Generally, the breed will do better with an adult-only household that is quiet and relatively free of visitors.
Does This Breed Get Along with Other Pets?
Both dogs have been bred to hunt or round up wild animals, which means that they can view some animals as a challenge to be hunted or rounded up. If they are introduced when both animals are young, it may be possible to integrate a Cane Corso Catahoula Mix into a family with other animals. However, it may be difficult to introduce a new animal into a family with an older Cane Corso Catahoula Mix. There are exceptions, and there are undoubtedly owners of these dogs that get along with other animals.
Things to Know When Owning a Cane Corso Catahoula Mix
Cane Corso Catahoula Mixes generally prefer to be the only animal in a house and do better in a quiet household that doesn’t welcome too many strangers. They are working dogs, and do benefit from being given jobs to do, and this can also help protect your furniture and other items from being chewed and destroyed.
Food & Diet Requirements
You will need to feed your mix a lot, each day. The exact amount you have to feed will depend on the actual size of the specific dog, but you can expect to feed around 4 whole cups of dry food per day, ideally spread over two meals. When your dog is a young puppy, it should be given up to six meals a day, following the feeding guidelines on the packet.
Always make sure your dog has access to fresh drinking water, whenever it wants it. The Cane Corso parent, in particular, is prone to putting on extra weight so you will need to measure the amount you feed, regularly weigh the dog to ensure that it isn’t getting too heavy, and adjust your feeding schedule accordingly.
Exercise
As well as needing a lot of food per day, your Cane Corso Catahoula Mix is also going to need a lot of exercise. Both breeds were first bred to work the fields and they would have done so for several hours every day. A pet will need a minimum of 2 hours exercise a day, combining walks with other forms of brisker and more challenging exercise. This breed can be especially good at tracking and will excel at strength-based canine sports but may struggle with agility challenges.
Training
This breed is business-like and will take on roles within the family and on the property. If you don’t provide these roles, the dog will make them up, which can lead to destructive and other unwanted behavior. Start training from a young age, enroll in puppy and other canine classes, and ensure that you maintain firm but fair training throughout the dog’s life. The breed is not considered a good choice for first-time owners, and one of the reasons for this is that because of the breed’s independence, training can be a challenge.
Grooming
Both parent breeds are considered low-maintenance dogs. Their short coats do not need much in the way of brushing, but a weekly brush will help minimize shedding and also gives you the opportunity to check for injuries and to check general body condition. Owners do need to assist with cleaning their teeth, which should be done at least three times a week. And unless claws are kept short on hard terrain like concrete, they will need trimming every 2 or 3 months.
Health and Conditions
As big dogs, Cane Corso Catahoula Mixes are somewhat prone to bone and joint conditions including hip and elbow dysplasia. The parent breeds can also be prone to conditions concerning the eye. While hybrid vigor might help the mix avoid these problems, it is worth being aware of them.
Male vs Female
There are few, if any, differences between the males and females of this breed, although males tend to be a bit bigger and heavier. This is especially true if you get your female spayed and male neutered, and this will eliminate any hormonal differences there may be.
3 Little-Known Facts About the Cane Corso Catahoula Mix
1. The Cane Corso Is an Ancient Breed
The Cane Corso is an Italian dog that is thought to have originated from Roman war dogs. When the Romans invaded the Greek Islands, the dogs were taken back to Italy where they were bred with local dogs, and the Cane Corso breed was created. They were used as farm dogs as well as to guard livestock and land. They were also used for hunting game and a variety of other working tasks.
2. They Need a Job to Do
Both the Cane Corso and the Catahoula parent breeds do best when they are given a task and when they have work to do. They like to have something to occupy their mind and keep their bodies active. If your Cane Corso Catahoula isn’t being used as a working dog, it will be beneficial to still provide tasks for the dog to undertake. If you don’t have jobs for the dog to do, consider signing up for training classes and taking part in canine sports.
3. The Catahoula Leopard Dog Is the State Dog of Louisiana
The exact history of the Catahoula Leopard Dog is somewhat contested, but it is widely believed that it is a result of combining several dogs. One thing for sure is that the breed is heavily intertwined with the state of Louisiana and, in particular, the parish of Catahoula. In 1979, Governor Edwin Edwards named the Catahoula Leopard Dog the state dog of Louisiana and it remains so today.
Final Thoughts
The Catahoula Leopard Dog and the Cane Corso are giant dogs. They are both considered working dogs and benefit from being given work to do. The resulting mix, the Cane Corso Catahoula Mix, is not considered a good dog for novice owners because it can be a handful, and the Cane Corso especially can be wary and potentially even aggressive around strangers and other dogs. Owners are advised to ensure that their dog is socialized well from a very young age and that it has early and ongoing training.
It is also a good idea to enroll the breed in some kind of canine sports to help provide the physical and mental exercise that the dog requires.
Featured Image Credit: (L) Didkovska Ilona, Shutterstock | (R) Zuzule, Shutterstock
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