I am trying to find other Castro Laboreiro breeders. I'd appreciate they would contact me at castrolaboreiro@yahoo.com, in case they live in the USA.
Porto is now 3 years old. As was Lis. We are very sorry to inform that Lis died last January 22nd.
We are planning though to import another girl soon, as there were already a lot of people interested in this breed. Whenever that happens, and puppies are available, I will let you know here.
People have been writing me about this breed´s temperament, and so I decided to transcribe a letter I have been sending to them. Please go check as well the link we put in the previous page about their standard.
This is a very special breed. Besides existing less than 300 in the whole world, they have a DNA that doesn't match at all none of the other Portuguese dogs.They come from a very old breed. No one though knows very well where from. http://sloughi.tripod.com/sloughiworld/SloughiAidiPortuguesedogsPires.html
If you use them as livestock guardians dogs (LGDs), you will have to socialize them from very young age with your cattle, and preferably have older livestock guardian dogs to teach them how to guard. As all LGDs, they have the instinct, but they need a guidance, be it from their owner or from older experienced LGDs. There are some people who think that if you want them as LGDs you cannot socialize them with people; I don't agree with that. These dogs will suffer a lot if they don't have people's attention, mainly from their owner, who they will protect, risking their lives without a doubt. They do need though someone who knows how to deal with them, someone who has authority, but yet someone who has a very sweet and patient temperament. If you treat them harshly they will get afraid and will respond with panic. You won't get a thing from them.
They are lover boys and girls. They have a long childhood: they will be very playful till 3 years old and will seem not very obedient. Suddenly, around the middle of their 2nd year, they'll start to respond very well.These are dogs with their own intelligence and do think twice before obeying to you. They would be good for blind people if they weren't so protective and would trust strangers more. If you aren't there when a stranger comes by, they will scare them as hell. They won't attack, they back up, but if you're there and tell them 'It's alright', they will stop.
These are not fighting dogs.
They love kids and other household animals as well, and they make wonderful companion dogs if your idea is to have them as pets. Their response to strangers though will always be the same. Big teeth show off, barking, stop when instructed to (still with an attentive eye) and no attack. I never heard of one who would ever bite some person (they may run after a chicken and kill them, if they are not trained to guard them).
I want to be a very honest breeder. To convince someone of something that is not, will not give my dogs an adjusted, nice and sweet home.
As guardian dogs, they like to roam. They need to check if there are any predators around. Also, they will mark their territory, and after the first couple confrontations with predators, these will pass far from your place. So, if you don't have more than about 100 acres of non fenced land, they may go visit your neighbor. In Portugal that is not a problem, as communities are small and everyone knows everybody. Everyone is authorized to treat others' animals as their own, and the dogs get together to protect the whole community. Americans though are very protective of their property and don't like other dogs (and people) in their land when not invited. So, this is a problem for LGDs, not only CCLs.
If you want to know more about LGDs, you should go check this site: www.lgd.org. They have a group that discusses about this kind of dogs. Nevertheless, each breed of LGD has their own nuances.
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