Carea Leonés


The i=no or i=no is a traditional Spanish breed of herding dog from the historical region of León in north-western Spain. It was added to the i=no – the national register of animal breeds – in 2016, and a breed standard was published by the Junta de Castilla y León in 2018.

History

The Carea Leonés is the traditional herding dog of the historical region of León in north-western Spain. It was included in the i=no – the national register of animal breeds – in 2016, and a breed standard was published by the Junta de Castilla y León in 2018.
In 2026 it was among the sixteen Spanish breeds considered by the Real Sociedad Canina de España to be vulnerable.

Characteristics

The Carea Leonés is of medium size: bitches stand from at the withers, dogs from ; body weights are usually in the ranges and respectively.
The outer coat is of medium length and is either straight or slightly wavy; the under-coat is thick. The coat may be either solid black or grey merle ; in either colouration, fawn markings above the eyes, on the face and on the insides of the legs may or may not be present. The eyes are always dark in black-coated dogs, but paler in those with merle colouration; in these there may also be heterochromia, resulting in bluish-white areas in one or both eyes.