Description: The Estrela Mountain dog a sturdy dog of mastiff type. The head is long and powerful. The muzzle tappers moderately and the teeth meet in a scissor bite. The nose is big and black in color with open nostrils. The eyes are oval and amber in color to darker these are topped by black eye rims. The ears are small triangular and thin and end in a rounded tip. These are set high and are rose ears folding backwards. The legs are strong and have good muscles. The feet are oval in shape and have tight toes.

The tail is set low and reaches to the hock this is well feathered. The height is 25½ -28½ inches in the male and 24-27 inches in the female. There are two types of coat the long haired is an outer coat that is thick and can be wavy this is slightly hard. The undercoat is thick and lighter in color. The Estrela Mountain Dog short coat is thick and short with a short undercoat. Colors are wolf grey, fawn, and brindle with a black muzzle or mask as even better. The life expectancy is 10 years.

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History: The Estrela Mountain dog comes from Portugal and it is believed to have arrived there with the Romans and have been guarding herds from that time. This was a vital role in its time as wolves and other predators roamed freely. The breed has been kept pure because the area they came from is not an easy area to access. They did over time catch the eye of the aristocracy and this is how they made their way to the pet world. In their native mountain region they are known for their ability to cover hard terrain in all weathers. Being agile and not slow is another point that made them much desired and cherished by the local farmers.

Temperament: The Estrela Mountain dog is a good dog to fit into the family home. They are very good guard and companion dogs and will be ever watchful. They are good with children and are not high demand dogs. They like human contact and love their family but are also happy on their own. Training needs to start young and as soon as they come home, as this will be a big dog. If the basics are there before they reach the height of adult size, things are easier for the owner. Socialize them well and this will help with new situations for the dog. They need a calm, good, pack leader that is able to set household rules and keep to them. They will need walking daily and are happy to walk with the family and will especially love active walks in the country. As this is an intelligent dog mental exercise will be needed, as well. This dog loves to please you but will not like children that bully or are disrespectful to the dog. They will love open spaces and do not require hours of exercise. They can be stubborn but in the end the wish to please will rule, even if this takes longer to do. They can be loud barkers and if this is the case some training can be done to stop this.

Health issues: The Estrela Mountain dog can have problems as it has rapid growth and care needs to be taken to not over exercise the dog at these times. Hip dysplasia has been recorded as well.

Grooming: The Estrela Mountain dog needs regular grooming, but this is not high maintenance. More care needs to be taken when the dog is shedding.

Living conditions: The Estrela Mountain dog is not suitable for apartment living and they will require a large garden that has good fencing.

If you can't find a local breeder in your area don't worry, many breeders are using the major airlines like American, Delta, Continental and Northwest airlines for shipping their puppies.

At this time the airlines will ship puppies to the following States: Alabama AL - Alaska AK - Arizona AZ - Arkansas AR - California CA - Colorado CO - Connecticut CT - Delaware DE - Florida FL - Georgia GA - Hawaii HI - Idaho ID - Illinois IL - Indiana IN - Iowa IA - Kansas KS - Kentucky KY - Louisiana LA - Maine ME - Maryland MD - Massachusetts MA - Michigan MI - Minnesota MN - Mississippi MS - Missouri MO - Montana MT - Nebraska NE - Nevada NV - New Hampshire NH - New Jersey NJ - New Mexico NM - New York NY - North Carolina NC - North Dakota ND - Ohio OH - Oklahoma OK - Oregon OR - Pennsylvania PA - Rhode Island RI - South Carolina SC - South Dakota SD - Tennessee TN - Texas TX - Utah UT - Vermont VT - Virginia VA - Washington WA - Washington, D.C. - West Virginia WV - Wisconsin WI - Wyoming WY - Hawaii HI.