Castro Laboreiro Dog

The Castro Laboreiro dog is undoubtedly, along with the Serra da Estrela dog, one of the oldest breeds in Portugal. It originates from the small village of Castro Laboreiro located in the north of the Iberian Peninsula, in a mountainous and remote region conducive to maintaining the morphological type of this breed. It is only found in the mountains of Peneda and Soajo and in the regions of the Minho and Lima rivers, adapting to altitudes up to 1,400 meters. The Castro Laboreiro dog is traditionally selected to guard cattle herds. The breed is very uncommon and cannot be found outside its country of origin. The first specimens of the breed are registered in the Portuguese Book of Origins (LOP) in 1932. The first standard is written in 1935. The number of annual registrations from 1932 to 1983 rarely exceeded thirty subjects. After 1983, the number of registrations gradually increased until 1996 with a record of 173 dogs registered. About one hundred Castro Laboreiro dogs have been registered each year in the LOP since 2006. The Castro Laboreiro dog is in 2010 the seventh most popular Portuguese breed in Portugal.

The FCI standard describes the Castro Laboreiro dog as loyal, docile, vigilant, agile, and active. Its very sonorous barking, described as a "deep sound at the beginning that rises in bass tones to end in a prolonged high-pitched sound," reminiscent of a howl, is characteristic of the breed. Very agile and active, it can show hostility toward strangers without being quarrelsome. Training must be conducted with firmness and without brutality in order to adapt to the fairly strong character of the breed.

The Castro Laboreiro dog is a large dog of mastiff and lupoid type, with a vigorous and robust appearance. The body fits into a rectangle. Thick at its base, the tail reaches the hock. The distribution of the coat gives it a thicker appearance at the center. At rest, it hangs between the buttocks while in action, it is raised above the back line without touching the lower back. The limbs are strong and well-muscled, with developed bone structure. The gaits are rhythmic and easy, with the limbs moving parallel to the body. The most commonly used gaits are normal walk and sometimes amble; trot and gallop are rarer. Of medium size, the head is rather light, dry without being gaunt, rectangular and elongated in shape. The stop is not marked. Medium-sized, almond-shaped eyes are set obliquely; they are brown in color, lighter or darker, in harmony with the coat. Set relatively high, the ears are drooping, rounded triangular in shape at the tip. The width of the ear is equal to its length. The coat is short on the body, rather dull, smooth, thick, and well-laid, without undercoat. It is shorter and denser on the head, ears, and on the limbs below the elbow and hock. It is thicker and longer on the buttocks. The coat is most often light or dark brindle called "mountain." A small white spot is acceptable on the chest. According to the Fédération Cynologique Internationale standard, breeders in the Castro Laboreiro region consider the "mountain" as a characteristic of the breed. The mountain is a brindle coat ranging from the color of a pine nut to mahogany.