Overview
The Saint Miguel Cattle Dog is a muscular, deep-chested mastiff type from the Azores, traditionally used to work cattle. It has a broad head, long legs and a short brindle coat.
Intelligent and bonded to its keepers, it can be gentle and even docile with good training.
History
The breed comes from São Miguel Island and is linked to the extinct Terceira Mastiff of a neighbouring island. It has been documented since the early 19th century.
A breed standard was first published in 1984, and the FCI published it in 1995. Though called a cattle dog, it is classed as a molossoid breed.
Appearance
A large but not oversized dog up to about 60 cm and 35 kg, with females slightly smaller. It has a deep chest, broad head, straight back and a curved tail carried up. The short, harsh brindle coat is brown, fawn or grey with black. Ears were traditionally cropped, which is now illegal in many places.
Temperament
Intelligent and strongly bonded to its keepers, generally gentle when well trained. Temperament varies between individuals, and early training matters for how it works and behaves.
Care and exercise
It needs regular exercise and a job such as herding, agility or tracking. The short coat needs only occasional brushing. Do not let it become oversized, and feed in small meals to lower bloat risk.
Health
Dogs from Portugal have no documented health problems. Oversized dogs bred elsewhere may suffer from problems of deep-chested large dogs, such as bloat.
