The working dog that walks with a slight waddle is rarely seen outside Azores, Portugal, an archipelago characterized by dramatic landscapes of blue hydrangeas hedgerows, impossibly green pastures, and the kind of fishing villages one tends to see while assembling a jigsaw puzzle. The dog is an Azores Cattle Dog, also known as the Cao Fila de Sao Miguel. Breed purity has been maintained for several hundreds of years, in large part because of the remoteness of the island – and that suits island people just fine. They’re proud of the dog that’s integral to the old ways and culture, and breeders have strictly controlled sale of their dogs.
As mentioned earlier, these are working dogs, so much so that they’re often born in pastures and remain outside throughout the year herding and guarding cattle. They’re remarkably agile and are said to move like lightning to “love nip” an errant cow by the leg – but never the udders. These are intelligent dogs who are keenly aware to avoid the udders of a milking cow, but have the wherewithal to get aggressive when dealing with cranky animals.
Interestingly, while the breed is believed to be a descendant of a molosser, it has a square head that resembles a hyena. The comedy ends there. Incredibly muscled rear quarters produce a waddle that vanishes when the dog is after an ill tempered bovine, or a “stranger-danger” intruder.
The Azores Cattle Dog is believed to have existed for over 300 years, but has been documented only since the early 19th century. A breed standard was published in 1984, the same year it was acknowledged by the Clube Portuguese de Canicultur, and in 1995, it was recognized internationally when the standard was published by the FCI. The Azores Cattle Dog is regarded as a rare breed with only some 3,000 dogs registered worldwide.
Aggressive would be putting it mildly.
This dog needs an experienced handler as they are a no nonsense protector, room to run and a job. Not for the weak hearted or children.
We appreciate the feedback, Jennifer. The more information we can share, the better!
Any breeders you would recommend? Or do you know any?
We really don’t know any breeders, Vitor, let alone ones we can recommend. We did come across this site, but urge you to ask lots of questions, and do your due diligence in researching the breeders. We can’t endorse any of them because we don’t know them: http://filadesaomiguel.com/reputable-cao-de-fila-de-sao-miguel-breeders
They can become very difficult to deal with. Mine, a female, is 18 months and is as hyperactive as a Malinois.
I don’t trust her near small animals or children, she wents crazy everytime a truck or a bus passes and there’s no stopping her to pull on the leash.
At 30kg she’s a very strong dog. We use to run a lot in the woods near home and it calms her down a little.
When we let her come inside, she’s starting to behave better.
Overall I can say she loves me and my wife, also the kids, but I always keep a very close eye on her when around them.
I really hope she can calm down a lot more, but I’d say this is not a breed for the family, this is a tough working dog.
There is nothing like personal experience from an owner to “flesh out” our understanding of different breeds. Thank you for sharing your observations, Marco!
We recently acquired an Azores Cattle Pup/Shepherd cross puppy.
Does anyone have any experience with this cross breed.
She is 3 months old and already 13 kg, she is beautifully dark brown with brindle and very strong.
Perhaps one of our readers can help, Marci?
They do require a serious “alpha” in the household pack.
Without one, this breed will become aggressive.
I had taken in a year old male from a property he was guarding with the rest of his family and never house trained. To put it mildly, a super aggressive/dominant dog that pooped in the house.
They are a very dominant breed. My monster is one of the most well behaved dogs I have ever had or seen, still get compliments all the time on him. I can walk him down a side walk without a leash, while passing other dogs with steak in there mouth while I cat runs by. He won’t move a muscle or even bark, however when they do bark, you hear them.
They’re an awesome protector and truly do only listen correctly to one alpha.
Alot of his training consisted of lots of excersise, that should be a key point in any training regiment with any dog. But specifically this breed. I had him in check in about 4 months time of heavy training. I believe I was 17 at the time.
(Watched alot of dog whisperer lol)
I still don’t trust him around kids without supervision, and can’t be weary with other dogs meeting up for the first time. They are amazing with younger dogs(puppies) and smaller breeds. But as this is a very dominant breed, they will respond instantly with a low growl and be ready to go if the other dog shows any type of dominance. Especially larger dogs.
This dosnt really change either the more you socialize them. They are always like this with new dogs.
But ya he’s 10 years old now and still does mid air 360s like he did when he was 1. I’ve had him on raw meat for alot of years but now on signature kangaroo 🦘 with a bunch of goodies added in for his coat and skin.
He did develop allergys last year, other then this. He’s been as healthy as a horse. They rarely bother him, when they do, Allegra is here lol .
Very helpful comment, Jules, thanks for sharing it. There is no substitute for experience, and learning about a breed from people who’ve lived with it is very helpful.
I own a male that is 4 years old now. Reading everyone’s comments I find some similarities, but a main difference is my dog is very docile and calm. He rarely barks, but when he does, you notice. We got him when he was already 2 years old, and I’m not sure what kind of family or training he had prior, so that may have affected him. He is very sweet and gentle, so gentle that he can’t even play tug of war. He also gets along great with my 10 lb Maltese and my cat, and he’s never been aggressive at all with them. He’s just weary of strange dogs, especially if they’re bigger, he gets very protective. But he really is the sweetest boy, it’s crazy to read that most people on here find their cattle dog to be aggressive and highly energetic.
I owned a male who passed away two years ago. They are large, protective dogs. He weighed 120 pounds and was built like a tank. They are not dogs for first time owners. They require socialization, exercise and training. They are naturally weary of strangers and make good guard dogs. There was some dog to dog aggression, but it was typically in response to being shown aggression by the other dog. They are also incredibly intelligent and bond strongly with the family. It’s a dog that you always have to watch around people they don’t know, and in all honesty, most people won’t approach the dog if they don’t know them. They are physically very intimidating.
Their gate is misinterpreted as hip dysplasia by vets because of the “waddle”, but they are a large dog so there could be a probability of having the affliction. Beyond that, he had no real health issues.
I have owned a number of large breeds, and this breed was by far my favorite. He was probably the best dog we ever owned.
A wonderful comment, Alex, because there’s no feedback like the one given by an actual owner. Thanks for sharing it!
Spot on brother lol!
How old was he aswell?? My monster is 10
How did he die also is there any Portuguese Cattle dogs for sale i am willing to travel to a diffrent country if you find a breeder can you email me at
Nobody really knows about these dogs. Mine’s two years old now. When I first got him he was very hyper and could be aggressive towards strangers and other dogs. These dogs are very weary of anything outside of their regular routine. Loud noises especially…I’ve experienced the same thing with my dog with the pulling and the buses. I’ve spent a bit of money on training and alot of time implementing what I’ve learned and he’s now the smartest and most loyal dog I’ve ever owned. He walks beside me with no leash. I can call him off other animals wild or not. When trained properly with a firm hand and tons of love there is no limit to what u can train this breed to do. He won’t even touch food unless I tell him it’s ok. Best dog ever
What a wonderfully insightful comment, Brandon, thank you for leaving it. We hope to meet one of these dogs in person one day.
Anybody knows a legitimate breeder contact info?
Jay, we did a Google search on “Cao Fila de Sao Miguel breeders” and a number of pages came up. You might want to start contacting them one by one, and of course, ask tough questions of the breeder to make sure they are health testing, and perhaps engaged with organizations to stay connected with other owners.
I can affirm the other comments on the aggression of these dogs with other dogs. This has been the biggest problem I’ve faced. This breed is also extremely intelligent. It can open doors, gate latches, and even lifted my garage door when I forgot to lock it. She opened it by pulling up on the bottom rubber gasket.
I got this dog when she was two years old and she suffered from separation anxiety, hence the desire to follow me everywhere (doors were just an obstacle to overcome). She got over that in a few weeks when she realized I wasn’t abandoning her. These dogs can be very affectionate with their owners but they only listen to the “alpha” in the house. They will just ignore anyone else’s commands. As with most dogs, consistency is the key.
We have owned 4 of these dogs and love the breed. All of our friends own at least one. We have many friends that breed these dogs because we love the breed. They are all gentle, both male and female. It depends on how they are raised and trained. They make excellent barking guard dogs and are very, very intelligent. We have a male that is 20 years old that still herds both wild and domestic cattle and can hear a truck a mile away heading toward the ranch. Are male dogs have never bitten my cats or other dogs unless provoked in a fight. They are territorial Re land and owner so be aware you made need some special training if your dog shows any of these tendencies. Overall the best breed of dog we have ever owned. Also if anyone knows the oldest dog that ever lived in this breed category please share. Of all our breeder friends in California we have the oldest dog ever and he is still going strong.
We have owned 4 of these dogs and love the breed. All of our friends own at least one. We have many friends that breed these dogs because we love the breed. They are all gentle, both male and female. It depends on how they are raised and trained. They make excellent barking guard dogs and are very, very intelligent. We have a male that is 20 years old that still herds both wild and domestic cattle and can hear a truck a mile away heading toward the ranch. Are male dogs have never bitten my cats or other dogs unless provoked in a fight. They are territorial Re land and owner so be aware you made need some special training if your dog shows any of these tendencies. Overall the best breed of dog we have ever owned. Also if anyone knows the oldest dog that ever lived in this breed category please share. Of all our breeder friends in California we have the oldest dog ever and he is still going strong.
I’ve had various breeds over the years Collie/Sheppard, Cokerspaniel, and my family has had jack russells etc.
The Azores Cattle Dog is by far one of the best behaved. Behaved only if you teach it appropriately by month 18. If you do not let this dog know you’re in control or make it known you’re Alpha – they will take control and not listen.
They are very smart and stubborn.
People always want to know what type Dog the Azores Cattle Dog. They are truly rare and amazing.
There is nothing like hearing from the voice of experience, D. Thank you for sharing your thoughts on this amazing breed