Are you torn between getting a sweet, smart, competition-ready dog and an active, athletic, working canine? Worry not because you can get the best of both worlds with the Border Collie Catahoula mix.
This crossbreed marries the magnificent brains of the Border Collie with the hunting instincts of the Catahoula. It also inherits many of the physical characteristics of both parent breedsو from the medium size to the unique coat colorations.
An Overview of the Border Collie Catahoula Mix
As the name suggests, the Border Collie Catahoula mix is the result of crossbreeding a Border Collie and a Catahoula Leopard Dog. This is a relatively new cross; that’s why many of its breed standards aren’t quite set in stone yet.
Plus, since it’s a crossbreed, it’s ineligible to join the traditional American Kennel Club (AKC) Registry.
Border Collie Catahoula Mix Temperament and Personality
The Border Collie and the Catahoula Leopard dog share some common characteristics in terms of temperament and personality. Their crossbreed inherits a lot of these shared characteristics as well.
Incredibly Intelligent
The Border Collie Catahoula mix is fiercely intelligent. This is a trait it inherited from the Border Collie—one of the smartest dog breeds.
Because of its intellect, this mix requires a lot of mental stimulation. It’ll make great use of interactive games and puzzle toys.
A Natural Athlete Built for Work
The Border Collie is a natural herder, while the Catahoula Leopard Dog was bred to be a hunter. As a result of their joining, the Border Collie Catahoula mix is nothing short of amazing in terms of athleticism.
This crossbreed has high energy.This is why its everyday routine must include so much exercise, including:
- Agility training
- Structured walks, runs, or jogs
- Swimming
- Outdoor free play
- Fetch
Sweet and Protective
Border Collies are one of the friendliest dog breeds. Its crossbreed with the Catahoula Leopard Dog, fortunately, adopts this characteristic.
Yet, because of the hunting instincts of the Catahoula, the offspring of the two dog breeds can be a little less tolerant of small kids.
Still, this doesn’t mean that the Border Collie Catahoula mix doesn’t make a good family dog. In fact, it’s quite protective of its loved ones and anyone it considers family.
As with any dog, good socialization is key. Make sure you provide your Border Collie Catahoula mix with a lot of opportunities to socialize with both dogs and humans.
Border Collie Catahoula Mix Size and Appearance
Much like in terms of personality, a Border Collie Catahoula mix comes with a combination of the physical characteristics of its parents.
Height and Weight
Generally, this mix is medium-sized just like its parent breeds. The height is usually around 19 to 24 inches, while the weight ranges from 30 to 80 pounds.
However, since this is a relatively new breed, the standards for its size aren’t as clear-cut as the parent breeds’. Some Border Collie Catahoula mix puppies could grow a bit larger depending on the parents’ sizes.
Coat Color, Pattern, Length, and Type
While Border Collies are famous for their signature black and white coats, they can have other different coat colors. Similarly, Catahoulas can also stray away from their usual leopard-like patterns.
This means that Border Collie Catahoula mix puppies come in a variety of coat colors and patterns, such as:
- Black
- Red
- Blue
- Brindle
- Gold
- Sable
- Seal
- Slate
- Lilac
They can also have a combination of any of these colors in a mottle or merle pattern.
This mix’s coat length can either be short or medium. As for the coat type, it may be single and short, coarse and medium, or double and wavy.
Border Collie Catahoula Mix Health and Care
Generally, this crossbreed will grow up into a healthy dog if owners give it the right amount of care. This includes proper grooming, researching potential diseases, and more.
Grooming
Maintaining a dog’s coat is part of giving excellent pet healthcare. Fortunately, there’s a chance that you may not need professional grooming at all with this dog breed.
A Border Collie Catahoula mix may inherit the latter parent breed’s short coat. In this case, it’ll only require regular bathing and nail trimming.
However, there’s also a chance that this crossbreed will acquire the Border Collie’s genetics for a long coat. As a result, you can expect your puppy to go through heavy shedding seasons.
In addition, the Border collie Catahoula mix will need consistent brushing and the occasional trip to the groomer if it has a long coat.
Disease Predisposition
When talking about Border Collie Catahoula mix health, you have to consider diseases that the parent dog breeds are susceptible to. It’s likely that their mix is predisposed to the same diseases and issues, too.
Unfortunately, both the Border Collie and Catahoula Leopard Dog are highly susceptible to hip dysplasia. This exponentially increases the risk to their crossbreed as well.
The Border Collie Catahoula mix is also vulnerable to eye problems because both parent breeds can pass eye conditions genetically.
To clarify, Catahoula dogs with the Merle coat are prone to cataracts, while Collies can carry the congenital condition called Collie eye anomaly.
Lifespan
Border Collie Catahoula crossbreeds have an average life span of 10 to 17 years. This is slightly higher than that of both parent breeds.
With a good amount of tender loving care, this crossbreed can easily outlive its parent breeds.
Where to Find a Border Collie Catahoula Mix
If you think that this crossbreed fits your lifestyle, you may be wondering where you can get one.
Your first stop should be the local shelters. Check if they have this particular crossbreed up for adoption.
The good thing about shelters is that they usually only collect a small fee to let you adopt a puppy or an adult dog.Plus, you’ll be giving a dog a second chance at a forever home.
Otherwise, if you’re determined to purchase your pup, remember to only get it from reputable breeders.
Since the Border Collie Catahoula mix is already predisposed to a number of diseases, we don’t want to add any issues that may be a result of irresponsible breeding.
Paul has been creating content for the dog niche for many years. The information he shares comes his first hand experience growing up in dog lovers household and then owning multiple dog breeds of his own as an adult. Paul enjoys doing the hard research to collect, analyze and present our dogtemperament.com readers with the best answers to their questions.