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{{Infobox dog breed


| image = Cao de Castro Laboreiro Ruede.jpg
| image_caption = A specimen with "dark wolf" coat
| name = Castro Laboreiro Dog
| altname = {{lang|pt|Cão de Castro Laboreiro}},<br />Portuguese cattle dog,<br />Portuguese watchdog
| country = Portugal
| fcistd = http://www.fci.be/Nomenclature/Standards/170g02-en.pdf
| note=
}} 

The '''Castro Laboreiro Dog''' ({{langx|pt|'''cão de Castro Laboreiro'''}}, 'dog of Castro Laboreiro'), also known as the '''Portuguese cattle dog''' or '''Portuguese watchdog''', is a [[dog breed]] of the [[Livestock guardian dog|livestock guardian]] [[Dog type|type]], originating from [[Castro Laboreiro]] in the northern mountains of [[Portugal]].<ref name="Pugnetti">{{cite book |first1=Gino |last1=Pugnetti |editor-first=Elizabeth Meriwether |editor-last=Schuler |title=Simon & Schuster's Guide to Dogs |url=https://archive.org/details/simonschustersgu00pugn |url-access=registration |year=1980 |location=New York, London, Toronto, Sydney, Tokyo, Singapore |publisher= [[Simon & Schuster]] |page=[https://archive.org/details/simonschustersgu00pugn/page/91 91]|isbn=0-671-25527-4}}</ref>

== History ==
The Portuguese name, meaning 'dog from Castro Laboreiro', refers to a small town in the far north of Portugal, now a parish in the [[Melgaço, Portugal|Melgaço]] urban area. It is in the same mountains as the [[Peneda-Gerês National Park]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.panoramio.com/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051013063919/http://www.panoramio.com/|url-status=dead|archive-date=2005-10-13|title=Panoramio is no longer available|website=www.panoramio.com}}</ref> Although now served by modern highways, the mountainous, rocky area was once quite remote. The modern breed is descended from a very old [[Livestock guardian dog|livestock guardian]]s, which worked with livestock herders in the mountains, defending against wolves and other large predators.

The origin of the breed is not known, although many legends are given. The Portuguese breed club notes that "Everything that is written about their origins is pure fiction, without any scientific or historical accuracy ... data is rare, or does not exist ... most guardian and herding breeds do not have records before 1900".<ref name="apccl">{{cite web |url= http://www.apccl.net/historia.html |title=História |work=APCCL.net |date=2008 |publisher=Associação Portuguesa do Cão de Castro Laboreiro |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20150408103655/http://www.apccl.net/historia.html |archive-date=8 April 2015 |url-status=dead |access-date=20 February 2020}}</ref>

There are mentions of the Castro Laboreiro in the 19th century but none before 1800. [[Camilo Castelo Branco]] in his novella ''A Brasileira de Prazins'' (1882) mentions "the dogs of Castro Laboreiro, very fierce ..."<ref name="apccl" />

Modern genetic studies have shown that the modern breed is unique from other similar breeds in Portugal.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=pt&u=http://www.ambienteinsular.uac.pt/arquivo/abril2004/artigos3.htm&sa=X&oi=translate&resnum=3&ct=result&prev=/search%3Fq%3DIPATIMUP%2B%2522C%25C3%25A3o%2Bde%2BCastro%2BLaboreiro%2522%26hl%3Den%26client%3Dsafari%26rls%3Den-us |title=Mitochondrial diversity of strains of Four Dog Breeds (in Portuguese, Google translation) |publisher=Biology Department, [[University of the Azores]] |access-date=3 October 2008 |quote=We can say that almost all sampled dogs descended from the same female.}}<br />Original paper:[https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1180824/ MtDNA diversity among four Portuguese autochthonous dog breeds: a fine-scale characterisation BMC Genet. 2005; 6: 37. Published online 2005 June 22. ] {{doi|10.1186/1471-2156-6-37|doi-access=free}}.</ref>

It is said to be "ferocious against wolves."<ref name="Pugnetti"/>

With the eradication of wolves and other large predators the Castro Laboreiro Dog lost its original use. Changes in agricultural methods over the last hundred years led to many of these dogs being abandoned, turning feral and becoming a problem for those that raise cattle and horses.{{citation needed|date=April 2024}}

Today, the breed has mostly been removed from its native range and purpose, and is kept as a companion and guard dog. It was first exhibited at a dog show in 1914, and the first written breed standard was by veterinarian Manuel Marques in 1935, when the breed was recognised by the Clube Portugues de Canicultura, the official [[Fédération Cynologique Internationale]] (FCI) kennel club for Portugal founded in 1897.<ref>[http://www.cpc.pt/?cpc/historial Clube Portugues de Canicultura] (in Portuguese)</ref> The Castro Laboreiro Dog is recognised by the FCI in Group 2, Section 2.2: Mastiffs, Mountain Type, Portugal (breed number 150).<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.fci.be/nomenclatures_detail.asp?lang=en&file=group2#section2|title=Fédération Cynologique Internationale Group 2, Section 2.2}}</ref> It is also recognised, under its Portuguese name, by the [[United Kennel Club]] in the United States, in their [[Livestock guardian|Guardian]] dog group. It may also be listed under the name {{lang|pt|cão de Castro Laboreiro}}, similar-sounding names, or different English versions of the name (such as Portuguese cattle dog or Portuguese watchdog) by large commercial breeders, minor kennel clubs that require little to no breed verification for registration, and Internet-based dog registry businesses, where it is promoted as a [[Rare breed (dog)|rare breed]] for those seeking a fashionably novel or unique pet. Nevertheless, the number of specimens of this breed does not exceed 500 in the whole world. In Portugal, there are a half-dozen breeders, plus a couple more elsewhere in Europe (in United Kingdom and Germany), and one in the US.{{citation needed|date=April 2024}}

== Appearance ==
The standardised appearance for which the Castro Laboreiro Dog has been [[Dog breeding|bred]] is somewhat wolf-like in outline. It is a large dog, but not oversize. Height should not be above 60 cm (24 in) at the [[withers]] and weight should not be more than 40 kg (88 lbs); females somewhat smaller. [[Coat (dog)|Coat]] colours are often described in wolf terms: "dark wolf colour", "light wolf colour". Most breeders prefer what is considered the most authentic, called "mountain colour" ({{lang|pt|cor do monte}}),<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://cccl.no.sapo.pt/estalao.htm |title="cor do monte", que é considerada uma característica étnica |access-date=29 July 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120217040019/http://cccl.no.sapo.pt/estalao.htm |archive-date=17 February 2012 |url-status=dead}}</ref> also described as similar to the coat of a wolf, but a mixed light and dark grey interspersed with individual hairs (not spots) that are brown (called "pine-seed") or dark red (called "mahogany"), forming overall a [[brindle]] pattern.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.fci.be/uploaded_files/170gb2002_en.doc |title=Breed Standard |access-date=4 October 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070207015408/http://www.fci.be/uploaded_files/170gb2002_en.doc |archive-date=7 February 2007 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

== Health issues ==
Health issues specific to the breed have not been documented. Dogs represented as Castro Laboreiros may be mixed with other breeds, which may have other genetic health problems. Puppy buyers should enquire of breeders about types of health testing done on the sire and dam; responsible breeders will be able to provide information. Being a "rare breed" does not guarantee immunity from inherited disease or disability.

==See also==
* [[Portal:Dogs|Dogs portal]]
* [[List of dog breeds]]
* [[Saint Miguel Cattle Dog]] ({{lang|pt|cão fila de São Miguel}})
* {{lang|pt|[[Cão de Gado Transmontano]]}}

== References ==
{{reflist}}

==Further reading==
* {{cite book |last=Hancock |first=David |title=Dogs of the Shepherds: A Review of the Pastoral Breeds |location=Ramsbury, Marlborough, Wiltshire |publisher=The Crowood Press Ltd.|date=2014 |isbn=9781847978097}}
* {{cite book |last=Kojima |first=Toyoharu |title=Legacy of the Dog: The Ultimate Illustrated Guide |edition=Revised and Updated 2nd |isbn=9780811851138 |publisher=[[Chronicle Books]] |date=2005 |url-access=registration |url= https://archive.org/details/legacyofdogultim02edkoji }}

== External links ==



{{Portuguese dogs}}
{{Livestock guardians}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Castro Laboreiro Dog}}
[[Category:FCI breeds]]
[[Category:Dog breeds originating in Portugal]]
[[Category:Livestock guardian dogs]]
[[Category:Castro Laboreiro]]

Castro Laboreiro Dog - Revision history

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