Catalan Sheepdog

The Catalan Sheepdog — Gos d'Atura Català — is the shaggy herding dog of the Pyrenean foothills, and it served as a messenger dog in the Spanish Civil War.

History

It has worked sheep in Catalonia for centuries, valued for being able to manage a flock alone while the shepherd was elsewhere. Republican forces used it to carry messages between positions in the civil war, and the losses from that period plus the post-war decline of transhumance nearly finished the breed; Catalan breeders rebuilt it from the 1970s.

Temperament

The breed is known for being intelligent, self-directed and devoted to its own people, watchful with strangers and entirely capable of making decisions without being asked.

Care and training

It needs substantial exercise and work; without it the herding instinct finds a target. The long shaggy coat sheds in an unusual pattern — often half at a time — and needs regular brushing.

Health

Generally robust, with hip dysplasia and hereditary eye conditions among the known tendencies. These are patterns for the breed rather than a forecast for one dog; the measured facts are in the panel.