You adopted a Catahoula puppy and now wonder how big Catahoula dogs get.
In general, the Catahoula Leopard dog is classified as a medium-large breed. Once it’s fully mature, this breed weighs about 50 to 95 pounds and sizes up to 20 to 26 inches tall at the shoulder.
Catahoulas reach their full-grown size within their 56th to 78th week from birth. By the time these dogs are 24 months old, they’re already in the phase of adulthood.
If you’re curious to know how big your girl or boy would be, we’ll explain in this article the physical development of Catahoula Leopard dogs and how to help them grow.
Catahoula Dogs as Puppies
You’ll witness steady growth in the height and length of your Catahoula Leopard puppy during the first ten to 11 months. The growth hormones then slow down when the adolescent fats and muscles start to grow firm.
On average, a healthy Catahoula puppy could weigh 15 pounds in the first two months. By six months old, it could weigh about 50 pounds. In its 11th month, your pup could reach up to 65 pounds.
But don’t worry if your puppy is lighter or heavier. Like other breeds, Catahoula dogs aren't all the same size.
Some Catahoulas are larger or smaller depending on the pup’s breeding, environment, and diet. You can try a weight calculator to predict how big your puppy could grow.
Here’s a simple equation if you want to predict the weight of your puppy once he becomes an adult:
Growth = Present weight / present age in weeks
Adult weight = Growth x 52 (number of weeks in a year)
Catahoula Dogs as Adults
Adult Catahoula Leopard dogs normally reach their maximum growth at the 13th to 18th months of age. But, in some cases, larger Catahoulas may even take up to two years to fully mature.
An adult female Catahoula dog could grow 20 to 24 inches tall and reach 50 to 65 pounds. On the other hand, a fully-grown male Catahoula could stand to be 22 to 26 inches tall and weigh 60 to 95 pounds.
Can you imagine lifting an average seven-year-old kid or carrying a bag of cement? That’s around the same weight you can expect once you carry your fully-grown Catahoula boy or girl!
Maximizing Catahoula Dogs Growth
A healthy Catahoula Leopard dog can live for 10 to 14 years or older.
If you want to see your Catahoula Leopard grow to the full extent, providing your dog with the proper nutrition, environment, and exercise is the best option.
This is to develop and maintain the bones and muscles and the overall well-being of your dog.
Diet and Nourishment
The recommended dog food for Catahoulas is premium dry kibble. It includes a balanced and complete package of dog nutritional requirements such as:
- Protein: Aids with muscle growth
- Omega fatty acids: Aid in brain development and healthy skin
- Minerals: Help with metabolism, skeletal development, and growth of muscle, bone, and teeth
- Vitamins: Improve cognitive development and growth process and maintain optimal weight and overall health
On the other hand, experts recommend the following supplements if your Catahoula is on a homemade diet, particularly during adulthood:
- Turmeric: Supports healthy joint mobility and comfort
- Chondroitin: Helps maintain and repair dog's joints
- Glucosamine: Eases pain and joint weariness
- Probiotics: Help digest food, make and absorb vitamins and minerals, and keep a strong immune system
- MSM (Methylsulfonylmethane): Helps reduce age-related pain and stiffness as well as overall muscle deterioration
Now, the question is, how much dog food should you feed your Catahoula?
A pup should consume only about ¾ cup of puppy formula per day, divided into three meals until six months old. For adult Catahoulas, four cups per day is just the right amount, which you should split into two meals.
Of course, don't forget fresh water to keep your dog hydrated! The recommended daily water intake for Catahoulas is an ounce per pound of body weight.
You should also be mindful of the feeding schedule of your Catahoula dog to regulate his weight. Allocate an hour between exercise and feeding to avoid bloating.
Even though Catahoulas are not particularly prone to obesity, they can be overweight if they’re consistently overfed and under-exercised.
Remember, making your dog big by over-feeding doesn’t make him healthy. Obesity in dogs can result in a shorter lifespan and several health issues.
Exercise and Environment
Due to these dogs’ athletic nature and muscular build, the energy level of Catahoulas is always high. Thus, they crave outdoor dog exercises and activities.
Living in an urban setting or confined apartment could compromise the body and strength development of Catahoulas. It's because they can't freely run around and play, which is their primary form of exercise.
To support their growth, we recommend that you habitually bring them to a dog park or an open field where they can release their active energy.
Some of the exercise ideas we suggest include:
- Walking
- Jogging
- Cycling
- Fetching
- Tug-of-war
If you can, allow your dog to tag along in your recreational activities like:
- Camping
- Hunting
- Hiking
- Swimming
Herding is also a very fit role for this breed if you have a ranch or farm with animals.
Aside from helping them become bulky and muscular, these activities will make Catahoula Leopard dogs feel satisfied, energized, and healthy.
Plus, their exposure to good activities and an active environment will help their bodies produce endorphins. These are the “feel-good” hormones that the brain releases to feel happiness and overall well-being.
Just remember not to over-exercise puppies until they’re ten months old.
Overall Health
Even the bulky and muscular Catahoula Leopard dogs are prone to health issues due to aging and poor diets. One of these concerns is hip dysplasia, which affects large dogs’ pace and posture.
As a preventive measure and to keep your dog in good shape as he grows, continue to ensure his balanced height and weight. Maintain a healthy diet as prescribed by your veterinarian.
Also, monitor exercises and sudden changes in the dog’s activities to keep potential illnesses at bay.
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.