Bons Temps Catahoulas

23/03/2025

Pressure! It is a very effective tool and form of clear communication in animals. It is used by herding/working breeds in very obvious ways to drive livestock, but it is used between dogs to communicate and often missed or mistaken for aggression. Freyja excels at using pressure...these pictures, Sally developed a hotspot that Apollo is VERY interested in to the point that he is ignoring me when I tell him to leave it...Freyja refuses to be ignored! LOL

You can see from the pictures she has put herself between him and Sally. She is not touching him but you can tell from his avoidance posture in each picture that she is clearly making him very uncomfortable. If he tries to ignore her or push past she might grab him by the muzzle to make it clear that is not acceptable.

I monitor these interactions carefully, because they can turn into a fight quickly (usually when Apollo decides he wants to push boundaries, today he was being smart and not pushing) but i do love watching how dogs communicate and I have found catahoulas to have some of the best body language skills

02/02/2025

The more you know...

Pet vaccine antibody titer testing can help determine your pet's immune status and guide personalized vaccination decisions. Dr. Laurie Larson from UW-Madison Immunology Lab explains how titers empower pet owners and veterinarians to protect pets without the risks of over-vaccination.

06/01/2025

Well our Breeding career was a long time in the making but short lived. Unfortunately we will not be planning any future litters, but will continue to support our Bons Temps Catahoula families. Thank you everyone for your support and most importantly the love our families provide to their pups.🥰

21/12/2024

THIS!

22/11/2024

I have seen a lot of videos of small off leash dogs attacking large dogs and I get a lot of shade for saying "I will punt a small dog" this is what I mean, not causing harm if the small dogs is deterred like the on in this video that we are good, if it's not and continues without owner interaction it will not be so gentle of a foot nudge.
The reason for this reaction on my part, if my dog gets involved they will A)become more reactive than they already are. Or B) be blamed for any injury said small dogs sustains, i know my dogs are powerful and depending on the size of the small dog a single reactive bite could be fatal, my dog should not be (but would be) punished because of someone else's irresponsibility.
If I as a person eliminate said threat without my dog getting involved my dog is safe from any retaliation. I have no problems going toe to toe with an idiot owner.
Now I post plenty of content of my own dogs off leash, before someone comes at me and says "what if your big off leash dog goes after my small leashed dog" I have trained my dogs for an excellent recall and on the off chance they fail (dogs aren't robots, they have a mind of their own) I am a HUGE advocate of ecollars(when used appropriately) and when advocates say they save lives they aren't just talking about their own dog. I have and will administer a stim strong enough to my dog to make it very clear they made the wrong decision. Dog ownership comes with responsibility of both keeping your dog safe AND keeping your dog on their best behavior. It goes both ways.

03/11/2024

The dogs new favorite treats...dehydrated shrimp

02/11/2024

Happy 3rd Birthday to our TrueBlood litter🎉🥳

28/10/2024

Happy 2nd birthday to the 'Nightmare Before Christmas' litter! 🎂

26/10/2024

Día de los Mu***os lasts more than one day. Celebrate the lives of those who shared our world.

24/10/2024

All of this! Socialization is not greeting everyone, it's being neutral, being able to walk by people and dogs without reactions. People think reactivity=aggression but it can be excitement too. Reactivity=a strong reaction.

Think of it in human terms...Do you scream HI, start waving and strike up a conversation with everyone you pass? If your toddler starts running up to every stranger they see and try to hug them do you allow this and juat yell after them "its ok he's friendly" or stop them and teach them boundaries?

Catahoulas are one of those breeds that is predisposed to being reactive. Sometimes despite our best efforts they end up that way especially if you have several, they learn both good and bad behavior from each other because body language is their main form of communication, which is why having a negative or positive interaction like this very easily causes reactivity.

23/10/2024

I am a big advocate for waiting till 18-24mo before castration. Every reason vets provide for early castration has been debunked and in a lot of cases it can cause the issues they are telling you it will prevent (along with many more health issues)

🛑 What Are The Risks of Spay Neuter?
We are often ask this question, so let’s dive in and take a look.
Desexing removes hormone-producing organs (the ovaries or testicles) that researchers are now finding are actually quite important to overall health. Studies also indicate that the earlier a puppy is spayed or neutered, the greater the likelihood of health problems later in life. Here are examples of studies evidencing some of these potential issues.
❗️BONE ABNORMALITIES
Studies showed that the hormone estrogen, which is no longer produced in spayed or neutered dogs, plays a crucial role in bone growth and development. The removal of estrogen-producing organs in immature dogs can cause growth plates to remain open. The dogs continue to grow and wind up with abnormal growth patterns and bone structure, which can result in irregular body proportions. (Shown in the photo example)
❗️ HIP DYSPLASIA
In a retrospective cohort study conducted at Cornell University’s College of Veterinary Medicine, and published over 10 years ago in the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association, results showed that both male and female dogs desexed at an early age were more prone to hip dysplasia.
❗️(CCL) Injuries
A study conducted at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center on canine cranial cruciate ligament (CCL) injuries concluded that spayed and neutered dogs had a significantly higher incidence of CCL rupture than their intact counterparts. And while large breed dogs had more CCL injuries, sterilized dogs of all breeds and sizes had increased rupture rates.
❗️BONE CANCER
In a study of Rottweilers published in 2002, it was established that the risk for bone sarcoma was significantly influenced by the age at which the dogs were desexed. For both male and female.
Among the reports and studies pointing to health concerns associated with early spaying and neutering, you can also find mention of increased incidence of:
🔹Adverse reactions to vaccines
🔹Noise phobias
🔹Fearful behavior
🔹Aggression
Our recommendation is to wait until 2 yrs with responsible pet ownership.

Please take a moment to like our page for more great topics on living the healthy K9 lifestyle.

References used for this write up.
https://avmajournals.avma.org/doi/abs/10.2460/javma.2004.224.380
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8226247
https://cebp.aacrjournals.org/content/11/11/1434
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6863800/

22/10/2024

So you think you want a working dog...