# Breed question. Great Dane/Catahoula Leopard Dog Mix. Pictures!



## lscaffidi (Mar 13, 2011)

I'm wondering if anyone can help me figure out what breed my dog is. I got her from a rescue and they told me she was a lab mix with a Catahoula leopard dog. I think she is obviously part Dane and many people have told me that. In her oldest picture she is around 9 months. Anyone have any input about the Catahoula side, or anything regarding her breed in general? Thanks!


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## Labmom4 (Feb 1, 2011)

I have no idea, but what a beautiful dog!


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## Willowy (Dec 10, 2007)

How big is she right now?


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## lscaffidi (Mar 13, 2011)

Thank you! I'm not sure how much she weighs, last time we went to the vet she was 60lbs but that was around 3 months ago. She has super long legs and is about up to my mid-thigh and I am 5'8". I know those are not good measurements at all haha but that is all I have right now!


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## Nargle (Oct 1, 2007)

She looks a LOT like a Great Dane. She's beautiful!


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## InkedMarie (Mar 11, 2009)

I too see Great Dane....whatever she is, she's beautiful!


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## Willowy (Dec 10, 2007)

I was thinking she could even be a purebred Great Dane. They come in that color. . .I don't really see anything else.


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## animalcraker (Nov 9, 2006)

Looks like a blue merle Great Dane to me. Infact she looks exactly like my co-workers Dane except on hers the other front leg is all black. Did the rescue have her mother as well or any info on how she ended up in the shelter?


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## Deeken (Feb 14, 2011)

How old was she when she weighed 60 lbs at the last vet visit? She doesn't quite look pure dane to me. The muzzle shape doesn't seem quite right but that could be due to the angle of the pictures. Also, if she's 9 months in the top picture, she looks too small in comparison to the car seat. As for what she's mixed with though, I don't have a good guess. She a gorgeous girl though, so whatever she is she's 100% adorable


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## the_mighty_khan (Nov 10, 2009)

Pretty dog.


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## Deron_dog (Feb 21, 2009)

My Big boy, is a Lab Mixed with Possibly Catahoula, he weighs roughly 55 pounds and is about 24 Inches tall. Its also been suggested he has Great
dane in him. (A real posibility looking at Siblings sizes, 85, 98, 118, 120, and 135 at last talk) I say there were two Daddies XD! Either way your GIRL is gorgeous!!


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## ChaosIsAWeim (Feb 12, 2011)

I would say great dane and lab. From what I have seen shelters tend to list any mottled/merle coated breed as a Catahoula mix when half the time they probably are not even one ounce of Catahoula.


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## chul3l3ies1126 (Aug 13, 2007)

I would say that she is not full Dane, but definitely has some Dane in her. I would say possible Lab/Dane or Catahoula/Dane...



animalcraker said:


> Looks like a blue merle Great Dane to me. Infact she looks exactly like my co-workers Dane except on hers the other front leg is all black. Did the rescue have her mother as well or any info on how she ended up in the shelter?


Oh and another thing  I wanted to correct animalcracker, just so no one is confused. 
In the Great Dane breed this coloring is only called Merle, not "Blue Merle"... that name goes for other breeds but not Danes. In order for a Great Dane to be considered a Blue Merle, it would need a blue nose and blue splotches on top of the grey base. 
A Merle in Great Danes has black splotches on top of the grey base and a black nose. Callahan would be considered a Merle Great Dane and this dog above (if it is indeed a Great Dane mix) would be considered a Merle as well. 

Just wanted to make that clear because that is often a misconception with my heart breed.  

Cute pup BTW 
Nessa


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## AmberJ0625 (Mar 27, 2011)

I have a Catahoula/Great Dane mix. He is now 7 months old and I would be willing to bet yours is a Catahoula/Lab mix as well.
My profile picture is of mine when he was 4 months and 55 lbs. He is now 77 lbs. They have great personalities and are very loveable dogs. Aren't we lucky?


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## lscaffidi (Mar 13, 2011)

thanks everyone. i was a little off before she is around 9 months now (her birthday was estimated by the shelter) so the oldest picture of her above she was about 5 months. WAY OFF, i apologize. Now she is 2 feet tall and a long one. her paws are giant. Sometimes I think she is pure bred great dane but I dont think her snout is big enough. Definitly at least part merle great dane tho. i think its a toss up between catahoula and lab, but i know nothing about the catahoula breed except they are used for hunting and herding. She nips at my ankle when I pace the kitchen so i think that may be why unless thats all dogs  thanks for the imput and the compliments everyone! these pics are recent*


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## CatahoulaLula (Oct 22, 2011)

That is totally a catahoula great dane, here is a pic of our, that we also got from a shelter


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## Jenn~n~Luke (Aug 20, 2010)

Willowy said:


> I was thinking she could even be a purebred Great Dane. They come in that color. . .I don't really see anything else.


nope...the hair is too long for one thing, nose is too pointy. A lot of shelters and rescues that aren't well versed in danes though will often mislabel a dane mix with merle markings as a catahoula, so there is a great possibility that there is none of that in her. Could be another mix. I've seen GD/GSD mixes in the merle coat that looked quite similar, or lab/dane...it's hard to tell really.

Just looked at the last pics, the muzzle has filled out..I'm definitely seeing more dane now in the latter pics.


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## DustyCrockett (Sep 24, 2011)

She does seem a bit long in the leg for either catahoula or lab.

One sure way to identify a catahoula, is its ability to round up and pen cattle with no formal training. As a herder, the catahoula is a "header" rather than "heeler", meaning, they use an "in your face" approach to intimidate, rather than nipping; although, they are known as an independent thinking, problem-solving type of dog, and very gentle with their families. I once had a cur who tried to move us through the house by grasping a wrist (very gently).

On the hunt, I believe the cur and the Dane are very similar; either one will track it down silently and kill it if they can, or hold it at bay and call you. And I'm pretty sure, either would step between you and any danger without hesitation.


In any case, looks like you got an exceptional dog there.


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## yoshi214 (Jan 25, 2012)

You have just made my night.
I too rescued a Catahoula but was told that he was a beagle mix.
He is at 11 months now and only 64 lbs but looks exactly the same as yours.
The same as in shape and size, he is all black except for the tuxedo he has on.
Many people too comment and say he is a Great Dane mix but because he is only at about 24 inches high I feel he is not. 

Does yours lean against your body or your seats with her rear end? Like she is resting? Because that is what mine does all the time.
This is him as a 3 month old puppy and at 9 months.


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## yoshi214 (Jan 25, 2012)

Does she howl? Mine does a lot.


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## Spicy1_VV (Jun 1, 2007)

She may have been mislabeled as a cat because she is merle.



chul3l3ies1126 said:


> I would say that she is not full Dane, but definitely has some Dane in her. I would say possible Lab/Dane or Catahoula/Dane...
> 
> 
> 
> ...


And how they word it "black on gray" when a merle dog is a black dog with merle gene which diluted pigment causing some of the coat to be gray. It's like registering brindle in Pits you are supposed to list the base color first fawn brindle, red brindle ect yet they have "black brindle" for a heavily stripped brindle which appears mostly black even though the base coat is still red, fawn or buckskin.


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## zolttt (Jan 20, 2012)

Just trying to do some research on my breed, and my lil guy looks very similar to yours ! Mine is only a couple days over 5 months, and does not seem quite tall, but the markings are so close.

I know he is catahoula, but he is probably 35-40 lbs at least at 5 months, so I would guess he would be larger than just a pure cat.

here is my post !

http://www.dogforums.com/general-dog-forum/106837-want-play-guess-breed-2.html#post1138385


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## RCloud (Feb 25, 2011)

I see at the very least a Dane mix. Adorable little beast in any case!


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## thatdogowner (Dec 21, 2012)

I have a Great Dane/Catahoula cross. At a year old he's already over a hundred pounds. He's super sweet but his protective side comes out sometimes with strangers.


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## Dutchbelly (Jan 5, 2013)

Not sure if you're still interested, but it's very possible your dog is a catahoula/dane mix, but it would be impossible to say just by looks. I've been around catahoulas for a while, My inlaws have had them for decades, breeding them and working them at what used to be a wild boar hunt camp. I presently own (and am owned by) a 7 year old male. One of my friends owns a Dane/Catahoula mix, as well. Incidentally the merle gene is not considered a fault with catahoulas. This is not to say I am an expert, but I have had very good exposure to the breed. I don't think, however, going by looks is going to be your best bet. My dog has very long legs, more of a barrel chest, and thin back end, is about 90lbs and has been mistaken for a Dane puppy. We actually hand picked him from a breeder in texas, despite me living in Ontario Canada. Very happy with the dog, the breeder was Blue Sky Catahoulas, easy to find on the net. My father in laws 2 Catahoulas have a bit of a thicker coat, and are much shorter but more stocky, and have less of a difference in size between chest and rear. They are all purebred and papered Catahoulas. The catahoulas you've likely seen in pictures on the internet are sure to be the most exotic looking examples, spotting, merle, cracked eyes, etc. The breed was created entirely for utility, not for aesthetics, and they can pretty much look any way. The "catahoula look" came by chance and is actually fairly rare. Many are a very plain brown, or black. Many of them have a very hound like face and voice, females tend to be thinner faced. Every catahoula I've seen has had webbed feet, and have been sometimes referred to as swamp dogs. With the exception to possibly the webbed feet thing, none of what I have said has been any help to confirm or deny your dog's breed. I'm hoping to teach you a bit of what I feel is important to know about catahoulas, and if you see some of these traits in your dog, maybe that will help you identify it. I mentioned they haven't been bred for their looks, and this is true (until recently, that is). Catahoulas have been bred for entirely utilitarian reasons, certain personality traits, and herding/hunting ability. It can be possible to never see the same look in a Catahoula twice, but every single dog I've every met has had certain traits in common. These dogs are very attentive. It can be very easy to train these dogs, and then suddenly very difficult if the training goes against breeding traits. It can be easy to assume the dog is being disobedient. If you are being consistant this is seldom the case. An example: It is very difficult to teach a Catahoula to heel off of leash (not so bad on leash, just be consistant) , and the reason is this: I can take my dog into any forest (or basically anywhere, not a good idea in a city, he will do the same thing) and let him go. He will instantly secure the immediate visible terrain, nose to the ground and then work his way out from there, usually forward in the direction we are moving. After this, he will continue to search all area out of my sight, while periodically "checking in" every 5 to 10 minutes or so. He will come into my vision, make sure I've seen him, and then disappear again. An outside observer would assume my dog cares not at all for me and has taken off, concerned only for his own devices. The truth however, is he is searching MY surroundings for anything we might be hunting, or might be hunting me. This is not something I've trained him to do. Its exactly what my Father in laws dogs do, and he has not trained them to do it, either. You cannot lose these dogs. They always come back to make sure where you are. Catahoulas are often described as aggressive dogs, and while I understand why they have been labeled as such, I believe the description to be very misleading. It is my belief that aggression is simply a symptom of the single most unifying trait of all catahoulas I've ever come in contact with. *They take their relationship with their owner more seriously than any breed I've come in contact with*, and often more seriously than their owners. They are loyal to a fault , thrive in an environment where they are given a purpose, and are very focused on their owners. If you do not give them a purpose, they will find one for themself. The found purpose is often protecting their family. They focus on you, and they look to you for input on what they do. If you are excited, they will likely get excited. If you are calm, they are more prone to calm down when someone approaches. If they bark when someone approaches, and you excitedly yell at them to calm down, calming down will not be an option because you are excited. My own dog is very submissive and gentle with people met outside my house, and very unforgiving to people approaching or entering the property. He will let them in because I tell him to, but it can take him some time witnessing how I treat someone inside the house before he can accept their presence, and the instant he does, he would jump between them and the next "intruder" entering. When the dog is excited about someone coming in, it is _imperative_ that you remain calm if you expect the same from your catahoula. 
*These dogs take criticism very seriously.* It was the only thing my father in law made a point to tell me when I got my first Catahoula, and it's always proven to be true. I'll try to give an example. I do not feed my dog in the house. I try to be very consistent with him, and I find he responds very well to it. I feed him outside, and he doesn't beg for food inside while I'm eating as a result. A few years ago, I left my plate full of pizza on the couch and went to the bathroom, without even thinking. I came back to catch him in the act of eating the last piece. I caught him in the act, pulled the pizza from his mouth, and sent him to his bed. In this situation both of us are excited, but an hour or two of time could pass, and I would calm down, and the dog would calm down, and all would be forgotten. With any other breed this would likely be true. Its really not the case with these dogs. You might forget an hour or two later, but he won't likely have forgotten a day or two later. It really does matter to them to be scolded, and they need their relationship repaired, or they can become sulky. The only reasoning I can find for it is, they try to please you at all times, so when they are scolded while they are trying to please you, they get sulky. Every time I chastise my dog, and send him to his bed, or send him outside, etc, no matter the size of the grievance, I try to make a point of calling him to me later on, and letting him know we are ok. If you believe your dog to be a catahoula, watch for sulky behavior. There's a chance they feel you are unhappy with them. If you aren't unhappy with him/her, it's very important you let them know things are ok. With my dog, its sometimes as simple as noticing him pacing with his tail down for what seems like no reason. There have been times I've seen that, called him over, looked him in the eyes and literally told him we are ok while patting his sides, to see him instantly throw his tail up, walk over to his bed lie down and go to sleep. I don't know why he thought we weren't ok, maybe I was stressed about work, he thought it was something he had done, No idea. Your relationship with your catahoula is VERY important to him/her. 

Theres a possibility none of what I have said has helped you with your dog, as from what I've read Dane's are wonderfully uncomplicated and gentle dogs, but if your dog does have catahoula traits, I do think its important to know the breed; I've fallen in love with these dogs but I don't consider them to be a "beginner breed" if that is a term. Best of luck


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## sclevenger (Nov 11, 2012)

This is a true statement. Where im from cattle dogs are very common in the shelters due to the amish, and EVERY dog that comes in the door if it has any merleing or speckling its automatically an ACD mix. So you never really do know, and neither do they most of the time. Lots of breeds come in merle. 

Beautiful pup though! I do see Dane!


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