Catahoula's

[cross_7]

We had one when I was a kid but I don't remember much about him
There is a guy that posted a video where he was doctoring wheat pasture cattle and the dogs held them while he rode through and roped and doctored one.
He'd let that one up and go to the next, they handled the cattle and kept them from running off and saved him a lots of time and miles

Can they be taught to move cattle or are they just bay dogs ?

 

[branguscowgirl]

I have seen them work Catahoula X. Don't know if it was just that dog, or if they all would.........

 

[cow pollinater]

I have two I'm starting right now. Read dryfork's thread from a few days ago. There's not much doubt in my mind that they'll pick up on moving cattle around. Whatever I do, they do. Today we had pecans for lunch. They never ate pecans before that I know of but I cracked a few and ate them and before to long they were digging them out of the windrows and eating them.
I've been told that they're a little heavy handed and I can see that being a problem. They helped my daughter get her goat penned up and it was kind of like watching a pro wrestler help a sixteen year old girl politely decline an invitation to dance.

 

[cross_7]

Cp I guess they would gather out the brush, you think they'd learn to drive cattle ?

 

[cow pollinater]

I think if I push cattle, they will. I'm more worried about getting them to gather to me/hold them up than I am about getting them to do something that I'm doing.

 

[cross_7]

From what I've seen they're natural instinct is to bay and circle cattle
I figured it might be tough to teach them to push cattle away from them when the instinct is to hold the cattle and not let them get away

 

[cow pollinater]

That's not much different than a border collie. The border collie instinct is to gather cattle to us. If you want something just to push cows around, get a queensland. They're a dime a dozen and they all have at least a little work ethic.

 

[cross_7]

That's not much different than a border collie. The border collie instinct is to gather cattle to us. If you want something just to push cows around, get a queensland. They're a dime a dozen and they all have at least a little work ethic.

The border collie's gathering instinct is what made me thing about teaching a Catahoula to drive
I don't want one I was just curious as what kind of cowdog they are
I've had a heeler and he was the toughest dog I ever owned. He would handle tough cattle and would get rough.
I was separating cows and calves and a bull wanted through the gate and I moved out of the way and figured I'd run him back later. The heeler had other ideas and got rolled up and kicked and stepped on, but he got up and went after the bull again. He was a tough rascal
He was hard headed and didn't listen. I didn't like the way he worked and I won't have another, but they have there place

 

[NickVA]

I've seen teams of Catahoulas do just as good a job with cattle as any team of dogs at the Nationals in Louisiana. It was amazing. I've got two - they have the instincts but it's being wasted because I'm not a trainer!

 

[wacocowboy]

I like them. I had a stray but someone had beat him and treated him bad. Spent 3 months getting where he didn't slink and was not afraid of me, then he got snake bit and died, but he was a great dog the short time I had him.