The Carea Leonés ( English: Leonese Sheepdog) is a breed of

herding dog A herding dog, also known as a stock dog, shepherd dog, sheep dog or working dog, is a type of dog that either has been trained in herding or belongs to breeds that are developed for herding. Herding behavior All herding behavior is mo ...

from León, Castile and León,

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

(

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a subcontinent of Eurasia and it is located entirel ...

), and is used as a

sheepdog A sheep dog or sheepdog is generally a dog or breed of dogs historically used in connection with the raising of sheep. These include livestock guardian dogs used to guard sheep and other livestock and herding dogs used to move, manage and c ...

. For centuries, they tended flocks of

Churra The Churra (also known as ''Spanish Churro'') is an ancient Iberian breed of sheep from Zamora province in Castile and León. The ewes produce the milk for Zamorana cheese; the meat is also prized. The Churra (renamed "churro" by American fr ...

(sheep) in the mountains of the historical region of León.http://allaboutaussies.wordpress.com/2008/11/19/the-history-of-australian-shepherds-and-the-spanish-shepherd-dog/ Carea Leonés in the Sierras of Castile and León

History

The Carea Leonés is a dog whose morphology and character have been molded by its environment, both physical and human. Regarding the physical, it can say that this breed is rooted in the regions of the

province of León León (, , ; ; ) is a province of northwestern Spain in the northern part of the Region of León and in the northwestern part of the autonomous community of Castile and León. About one quarter of its population of 463,746 (2018) lives in the ca ...

and Zamora. This was so because it are agricultural areas where crops shared its existence with sheep herds. For such coexistence come to fruition, and due to shortage of shepherd men who were at any particular time, and the number of heads could be high, it was necessary to resort to a helper who will control cattle to temptation, and this was the Carea Leonés.

Ancestor of other breeds

When Spain colonized America, they introduced

sheep Sheep or domestic sheep (''Ovis aries'') are domesticated, ruminant mammals typically kept as livestock. Although the term ''sheep'' can apply to other species in the genus '' Ovis'', in everyday usage it almost always refers to domesticated ...

for food and fiber. They also brought their Carea Leonés to manage the huge flocks. These dogs contributed to the type of herding dogs found throughout California and the Southwestern United States including the

Australian Shepherd The Australian Shepherd is a breed of herding dog from the United States. The name of the breed is technically a misnomer, as it was developed in California in the 19th century; the breed was unknown in Australia at the time. It is claimed that A ...

Appearance

Their coat is smooth and short or moderate length and slightly wavy, and ranges from black to dark liver or merle with white and or tan trim.

Size and weight

They range in size from 18 to 23 inches (45 cm to 58 cm) and in weight from 30 to 70 pounds (14–32 kg).

Temperament

This breed is used as a

working dog A working dog is a dog used to perform practical tasks, as opposed to pet or companion dogs. Definitions vary on what a working dog is, they are sometimes described as any dog trained for and employed in meaningful work; other times as any dog ...

and as a companion. Because of its intelligence, the Carea Leonés, like most sheepdogs, is easy to train.

Function

The function of Carea Leonés it is to carry and control livestock, whether

bovine Bovines (subfamily Bovinae) comprise a diverse group of 10 genera of medium to large-sized ungulates, including cattle, bison, African buffalo, water buffalos, and the four-horned and spiral-horned antelopes. The evolutionary relationship betwe ...

equine Equinae is a subfamily of the family Equidae, which have lived worldwide (except Indonesia and Australia) from the Hemingfordian stage of the Early Miocene (16 million years ago) onwards. They are thought to be a monophyletic grouping.B. J. Ma ...

, it is a stubborn and courageous animal with the cattle, not allowing these daunted it. This is an important detail and valued by shepherds, and the dog should be strong with some bite to the respect earned it by the cattle so it can control a large number of sheep and impose to the size of cows or mares, with the possibility of receiving a kick. In mountain areas these are used more for that type of cattle and take to the home the sheep, for the large herds spend most of the year, in the plain, paramos and shores where the carea is very necessary. It is a very smart and intelligent animal, with great learning ability and willingness to work. It is a dog with good personality but is subject to the orders it receives from its owner."Carea Leonés" Tsobu de Laciana
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Activities

The Carea Leonés can compete in

dog agility Dog agility is a dog sport in which a handler directs a dog through an obstacle course in a race for both time and accuracy. Dogs run off leash with no food or toys as incentives, and the handler can touch neither dog nor obstacles. The handler ...

trials, obedience, showmanship,

flyball Flyball is a dog sport in which teams of dogs race against each other from the start to the finish line, over a line of hurdles, to a box that releases a tennis ball to be caught when the dog presses the spring-loaded pad, then back to their ha ...

tracking Tracking may refer to: Science and technology Computing * Tracking, in computer graphics, in match moving (insertion of graphics into footage) * Tracking, composing music with music tracker software * Eye tracking, measuring the position of t ...

, and

herding Herding is the act of bringing individual animals together into a group (herd), maintaining the group, and moving the group from place to place—or any combination of those. Herding can refer either to the process of animals forming herds in ...

events.

Herding Herding is the act of bringing individual animals together into a group (herd), maintaining the group, and moving the group from place to place—or any combination of those. Herding can refer either to the process of animals forming herds in ...

instincts and trainability can be measured at noncompetitive herding tests. Careas exhibiting basic herding instincts can be trained to compete in herding trials.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Carea Leones Herding dogs Dog breeds originating in Castile and León Rare dog breeds