Catahoula dogs reach maturation later than other breeds. By then, their dietary needs change, but they still keep their high energy level.
You can harness the breed’s active nature by training mature Catahoula Leopards as watchdogs. However, you’ll need to adjust some of your habits to suit this new stage.
7 Things You Need to Know About a Full-Grown Catahoula Dog
Your Catahoula pup is growing, and it seems like he’s about to move from puppyhood to full growth.
Here are the essential changes that you’ll have to consider:
1. They’re Late Bloomers
Many dog breeds reach their maximum growth in 12 months. Yet, the Catahoula Leopard breed takes longer to get to full size.
This breed’s puppies will continue to grow until 18-24 months.
So, with a Catahoula Leopard, you should be ready for a puppyhood period longer than usual.
The tricky thing here is that they could act like adult dogs from the age of 9-10 months. However, it’s important to remember that they’re still immature pups at that age.
So, you don’t want to overwork them because this might result in burnout.
Keep in mind that an adult male could weigh around 60-90 lbs and stand at 22-26 inches. Meanwhile, the female’s average weight is 50-65 lbs, and she can reach 20-24 inches.
So, you can use these as rough estimates to mark your pet’s growth. Ultimately, you’ll have to consult a vet to confirm that your dog has matured physically.
2. They’ll Shift to a High-Calorie Diet
You might be familiar with the small but more frequent portions for puppies. However, as your Catahoula Leopard grows, you’ll need to adjust the feeding patterns.
For one, a full-grown dog could eat around 1150 to 1750 calories daily. This can fill up 4-5 cups.
That said, it’s best to try to distribute them over 2-3 meals to boost digestion.
All in all, the protein intake should be at least 25% of his diet. Most of this protein should be from animal sources like chicken, beef, or turkey.
In addition, you can consider some healthy fats, like avocados, whole eggs, and fatty fish.
The catch here is that you don’t want to go overboard and increase his portions too much, either.
That’s why it’s crucial to control the carbs intake. Otherwise, your Catahoula Leopard dog could suffer from digestion or weight problems.
It’s also best to avoid offering him a large amount of food or water right after exercise or intense activities. This is because he could consume a massive amount of water and food quickly, putting him at risk of gastric dilatation.
3. They Need More Than Bowl Feeding
Hunting dogs, including the Catahoula Leopards, love to work for their food, even as adults.
So, incorporating fun activities for meals and treats isn’t just for the puppies.
That’s why getting puzzle-feeding toys can be a great idea.
The way this works is that you’ll place the food inside the toy and give it to your dog. Then, he should try to get the food out of the toy by pawing, shaking, nibbling, or licking it.
It’ll take a while, but the food will drop out of the object gradually. So, the pooch must continue trying, maybe for a few hours, which can satisfy his hunting nature.
Plus, the breed is rather intelligent. So, odds are, your adult dog won’t mind the extra effort!
4. They Still Need Vet Visits
Just because your dog had a healthy puppyhood and got the needed vaccines doesn’t mean that he can stop visiting the vet.
One of the diseases associated with the breed, hip dysplasia, usually appears in the adult stage. The vet might also detect deafness and eye problems at that age.
Plus, when as they get older, like many other breeds, the Catahoula Leopard dogs could be prone to skin cancer. However, if you detect the condition early, you could have better odds of treating it.
That’s why regular check-ups are crucial, even for full-grown dogs.
5. You Can Put Them to Work
The breed’s active nature is explicit from puppyhood. However, when a Catahoula Leopard reaches adulthood, he should be in the most energetic life stage.
That’s why some people might use the breed as stock dogs. Other pet parents can opt to train them to be guard dogs or watchdogs.
Either way, you can rely on them in those jobs if your lifestyle calls for it.
6. They Still Need Plenty of Exercise Opportunities
If you don’t give your adult Catahoula a job to perform, he might lash out and be rather vocal.
Suppose you can’t find something to keep him busy around. In that case, you can at least try to provide 1-2 hours of daily exercise.
After a while, walks and fetch can get a little boring. So, here are a couple of ideas that can keep you both entertained:
Scent Games
The Catahoula Leopard dogs are air-scent and ground-scent dogs. So, you can harness this natural gift to plan an exciting activity with your Catahoula.
For instance, you can hide a tasty treat your dog likes and let him look for it. You can also use his favorite toys from his puppyhood days since he’ll know their scent well enough by now.
Water Games
If your adult Catahoula Leopard doesn’t mind getting wet, you don’t have to limit the activities to the ground.
You can bring floatable toys, throw them in the small pond or pool, and ask your dog to bring them. The big guy might love jumping in the water and searching for toys.
However, it’s vital to put a life jacket on him to ensure his safety.
This is still true even if the pool is relatively small for his full-size body. However, it’s more crucial if you plan to take him on a raft.
7. You’ll Need Training Boosts Occasionally
The Catahoula Leopard dogs can be rather independent and assertive.
Hopefully, by the time your pet has reached full growth, you’ll have covered that issue with basic obedience training. So, he should be able to respond to recalling, sitting, and other commands.
However, that doesn’t mean you’re done training him just yet.
You can still train your dog on more advanced skills. This is particularly true if you want him to end up being a reliable watchdog.
Calvin is the co-founder and one of the main contributors to dogtemperament.com. He has been an avid dog lover all his life. He enjoys researching and sharing great ideas on how you can avoid common pitfalls of dog ownership and build the most loving and enjoyable relationship with your dog.