Today is officially the ‘future’ according to the popular film Back to the Future! For this reason we have decided to dedicate our breed of the week to the dog ‘Einstein’, a Catalan Sheepdog, who featured as Doc’s pet pooch!

Catalan Sheepdog – The Breed

Usually a shade of grey or fawn, the Catalan Sheepdog stands around 50cm tall. They require regular grooming as they have a long coat. They are a medium sized breed and can have a mixture of wavy or straight fur, often having a soft facial expression with long hair around their eyes and floppy ears. Typically, they are best suited to living with older children as they can require extensive training in their younger years.

Breed History

The Catalan Sheepdog was originally bred for herding and guarding flocks of sheep, however they have since proven themselves as brilliant companion dogs. Throughout many centuries, the Catalan Sheepdog was a helpful companion, being a versatile working dog, farm guarder and even a messenger dog during the Spanish Civil War.

Temperament

Like most sheepdogs, the Catalan is lively and active, therefore needs regular exercise and the opportunity to engage in activities to keep them happy. With a history of guarding, this breed can take a while to warm up to strangers as they can be very protective over their family. They are very vocal dogs and require a lot of exercise to match their energetic personalities. Catalan Sheepdogs absolutely love to work, so will enjoy positive-reinforcements when training.

Life expectancy: 12-14 years
Originating country: Andorra region of Spain
Temperament: Intelligent, active and natural guard
Interesting fact: In the film Back to the Future, Doc’s dog Einstein was initially supposed to be a pet chimpanzee. We guess the relative theory of a dog being a time traveller’s best friend won out in the end!

Pet Insurance

If you’re considering getting dog insurance for your Catalan Sheepdog, then please get in touch today.