Estrela Mountain Dog
The Estrela Mountain Dog is Portugal's oldest livestock guardian, worked in the Serra da Estrela where shepherds took flocks up to the summer grazing and needed a dog that would…
About the Estrela Mountain Dog
The Estrela Mountain Dog is Portugal's oldest livestock guardian, worked in the Serra da Estrela where shepherds took flocks up to the summer grazing and needed a dog that would stay out there with them against wolves. It comes in a long coat and a short coat, both registered as the same breed.
Dogs stand 65 to 73 cm and are powerfully made, in fawn, brindle or wolf grey, usually with a dark mask and often with black tipping through the coat. The breed is devoted to its own family and genuinely suspicious of everyone else, which makes early and continued socialisation non-negotiable. A stud should be confident and controllable with visitors, because a guardian that cannot be called off is a poor foundation for puppies going into pet homes.
Ask for hip and elbow scores, since a heavy, fast-growing breed loads its joints hard, and for a current eye certificate. A cardiac examination is a fair request at this size. Ask about bloat in the line, about the ages relatives reached, and about how the stud's existing puppies have turned out temperamentally, which for a guarding breed is the most useful information available.
Health & breeding
We check every hip, elbow, eye and DNA result you give us against the Royal Kennel Club’s public records by hand, and we record who checked it and when. The Royal Kennel Club’s public records may not include all the screening a dog has had, so a dog with no Royal Kennel Club record showing is not necessarily untested.
Breed Right’s summary — under The Royal Kennel Club Health Standard
Health tests for the Estrela Mountain Dog
This panel is Breed Right’s summary of the testing that matters for the breed under The Royal Kennel Club Health Standard. The Health Standard is the Royal Kennel Club’s guidance for breeders, not a registration rule. It describes tests to ask about — it is not a report on any individual dog. The Royal Kennel Club’s public records may not include all the screening a dog has had, so a dog with no Royal Kennel Club record showing is not necessarily untested.
Good Practice — the Royal Kennel Club’s minimum before breeding
The tests the Royal Kennel Club says breeders should, at a minimum, complete before breeding.
| Test | Type | Scheme | What’s involved |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hip score (BVA/KC) | Screening scheme | BVA/KC | Total of both hips, 0–106. Lower is better. |
Breed hip median
Breed median 6 (BVA Hip Dysplasia Scheme breed statistics 2025 — 5 years, 7 dogs scored — indicative only, from a small sample). Lower is better. Source · How hip scores work
At stud now
Estrela Mountain Dog stud dogs
No Estrela Mountain Dog studs are listed right now
When an Estrela Mountain Dog on the Royal Kennel Club Breed Register is listed at stud, it will appear here.
Also available
Estrela Mountain Dog litters
No Estrela Mountain Dog litters are listed right now
Litters appear here as breeders list them. Check back soon, or browse other breeds.
