12/1/2001
~ NOW  AVAILABLE  FOR  DOWNLOAD ~

A Beginners Guide to the Catahoula Leopard

Go HERE and follow instructions.
The first 21 pages may be previewed for free, without payment.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Update 2/5/2001
!!! PLEASE DO NOT SEND ORDERS FOR THIS BOOK !!!
I have been working feverishly to convert the book into a format which will allow it 
to be sold and downloaded via the Internet. It will also soon be available through major bookstores.
Orders already received in spite of the notices below are here, 
checks uncashed, money unspent, and these orders will be honored.
Thanks to all who have been so patient for so long.

Update 2/14/2000
Physical transfer of my belongings completed Christmas week.
Minor painting/remodeling efforts nearly finished, but everything just drags.
Please, NO BOOK ORDERS until availability is posted on this page.
Anyone who has ordered but not yet received their book
may email me for a refund or hang in there & wait.
I'm not Superwoman after all (thought I was) & I've bitten off more than I can chew.   ;)

Update 9/23/99
No more book orders please until after Christmas.
Everything is now packed for the move to Texas & I'm not sure
exactly when it will be unpacked.

Sorting 10 or 12 rooms of clothing, photos, furniture & memorabilia because
everyone in my family died on top of readying a new place (in another state) to
receive the remains of my former life is difficult at best & near impossible when
1/2 the workmen don't show up to do their jobs & don't call, forcing me to drive
5 hours one way & attempt to reschedule for another week.
If a nickel was banked for every wasted trip, my account would be overflowing.
Yes, I used to think I was SUPERWOMAN, able to handle more jobs at once
than half a dozen men. Now I gotta admit with this move on top of website &
revising/printing book & kennel chores (& other assorted equipment
breakdowns which you don’t want to hear about) it's more than I can handle.
To contact me, send Email HERE. Do not call, do not use SnailMail.
Email is the only form of communication I can use during this time.
Thanks to Oklahoma’s severe storms, my answering machine has been plagued
with malfunctions & both saved & new messages have been lost.
When I'm home, Email is always answered as soon as received.
Unfortunately while away it sometimes isn’t possible to access
my Email account for a couple of days…
but Email will ALWAYS be answered ASAP upon my return.
Thanks to all for being wonderfully patient
during one of the most chaotic years in my experience.

Personal update - I CANNOT RETURN SNAIL MAIL OR PHONE CALLS.
Contact me by Email only please. Watch this page for updates. Thanks for understanding!   :)

"The CATAHOULA LEOPARD, A Beginner's Guide"

50+ page book with photos..... Chapters Include:

Origin of the Catahoula
Breed Characteristics & Type
Working Style
Thoughts on Handling Catahoulas
Training
Basic Obedience
Early Work
The Brood Bitch
Dogs I Have Known

BEFORE you buy your first Catahoula, you need to GET THE BOOK. Everyone
won't be happy with a Catahoula in their life. If you already have a Catahoula, even if you've had one of these dogs a couple of years, there are many insights in this book which will be of value. Leopards are different, and must be handled differently than other breeds. The book explains how & why Catahoula Leopards think and react differently than most other breeds, & the best way to handle them (working around their super-intelligent, stubborn and independent character) to get them to do what you want when you want them to do it, whether they are to be pets or working dogs.

Good quality Catahoula puppies sell for $200 and up. Vaccinations, worming, other miscellaneous Veterinary expenses, and dog food can easily run another couple of hundred dollars in the first year of your puppy's life. For a small investment of only $15.95, "A Beginner's Guide To The Catahoula Leopard" can save you considerable expense and help avoid the anguish of attempting to find a home for an adolescent dog which you will no longer want if you and the Catahoula breed are not
a perfect match.

Shelters are full of dogs like this: ".....3 yr old neutered male Leopard, obedient, intelligent, friendly, totally housetrained, quiet, & full of charisma. He is aggressive to some other dogs, & also not trustworthy around children he isn't familiar with. We have moved into a neighborhood with many dogs & children, & must give him away....." This dog's "crime" is being a GOOD Catahoula, behaving exactly as he should behave, & for that he must suffer the horrendous trauma of losing his home & beloved family. He is not at fault. His owners are the ones at fault for "rescueing" him in the first place, into a life for which Catahoulas are not suited. (Residence in an urban area.) Proper yard fencing, including a restricted area where he can be safely kept when strange children come to play, careful supervision, & daily jogging with him on a long line could alleviate the problems, but for most people it's easier to get rid of the dog.

The Spring of '97 I purchased an 8 week old puppy for an outcross, & because of her tender age she was brought into my kitchen instead of trying to keep her in the kennels. This is the first puppy I've raised in my house in more than 15 yrs., & she proceeded to remind me exactly why I stopped bringing Catahoula pups inside until they are well past six months old. My kitchen now has puppy teeth marks on every reachable surface, & even objects on top of the counters have not been safe. Catahoulas, even as puppies, are creative acrobats when it comes to reaching things they've taken a fancy to, & their determination & energy levels far exceed most other breeds'.

Determined? Oh yes. My puppy was so set on having her own way, if I swatted her with a rolled up paper or shouted "NO"... she would turn around & bark at me, & often exhibit her displeasure with her teeth, nipping me just enough to let me know that she was displeased with me. I'm an old hand with these dogs... I should have been in control from the beginning, right? Well, it's not always that easy. Like people, every Catahoula's personality is a little different... some make you really work to establish control & some seem born wanting to please you & express their determination in other ways. You must be consistent, & persistent. I am both, & this same puppy is now a year past, is perfectly mannered, happy to mind whatever command she is given, & respects me as the Alpha of her "pack".

The Catahoula Leopard is different in their mental outlook and attitudes from any other breed of dogs you have ever been around or heard about. This is no hype... it's fact. Catahoulas require extra doses of exercise, attention, exercise, discipline, exercise, patience, exercise, the proper facilities (ie: an acreage... at the very least a large, well-fenced yard) and a huge dose of good humor, in order to grow into well-behaved and sociable companions. (Oh yes, did we mention EXERCISE...?) Not everyone can get along with them... not everyone will even LIKE them... and
not everyone SHOULD own them.

I would rather discourage you from buying a Catahoula than have a good dog mis-matched with an owner who is not equipped mentally, physically, or by location
to provide the proper care and the right kind of bonding which these dogs require in order to be good and useful citizens. Those of us who have "weathered the storms"
of learning how to live with Catahoula Leopards would never have any other breed
of dog. They are wonderful if you understand them and treat them as they need to be treated. Some families have worked and raised only Catahoulas for generations, others like myself are more recent fans. I've worked and raised them for only 26 years, & during that time I've had no need for any other breed and never will.

Catahoulas are extremely intelligent, protective, marvelous companions which will delight, entertain and amaze you throughout their lifetimes. Their smiles and vocalizations, loyalty, craving for affection, and inventive sense of fun also make them good candidates for adoption, so don't be afraid of buying or adopting an older dog. Most Catahoulas enjoy playing until the physical infirmities of old age prevent them from doing so. (My 5 yr old male can amuse himself endlessly playing "catch"... alone... with his ball.) There is another decided bonus in acquiring an older dog directly from its owner... it will probably be already housebroken and trained, and you'll avoid the chewing and digging of puppyhood. (Which for Catahoulas lasts about two years.)

OH, and one other thing... your I.Q. must be higher than your Catahoula's. (Don't laugh... even many of us "old-timers" fail in that department every so often.)

Here's just a sample of what's in the book:

Why you should bring your Catahoula into the house with the family for short periods every day, even if the dog is to be an "outside dog". See page 27...

The best way to start a young Catahoula on stock, so remarkably easy you'll wonder why you didn't think of it yourself... and you don't have to own a single cow. See page 37...

How to get a Catahoula to come to you instantly and happily every time you call him, and keep him coming anytime you call. See page 34...

Why it's not a good idea to lean over any adult Catahoula unless you are well bonded with the animal. See page 28...

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