The or is a traditional Spanish breed of herding dog from the historical region of León in north-western Spain. It was added to the – 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 – 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 (black spots on a grey base, sometimes with white spots also); 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.

Use

References

Milagros Marcos Ortega (16 October 2018). Orden AYG/1170/2018, de 16 de octubre, por la que se aprueba el estándar racial de la raza canina Perro Leonés de Pastor (in Spanish). Boletín Oficial de Castilla y León. 213 (5 November 2018): 42847.

Isabel García Tejerina (29 July 2016). Orden AAA/1357/2016, de 29 de julio, por la que se modifica el anexo I del Real Decreto 2129/2008, de 26 de diciembre, por el que se establece el Programa nacional de conservación, mejora y fomento de las razas ganaderas; el anexo del Real Decreto 558/2001, de 25 de mayo, por el que se regula el reconocimiento oficial de las organizaciones o asociaciones de criadores de perros de raza pura; y el anexo III del Real Decreto 841/2011, de 17 de junio, por el que se establecen las condiciones básicas de recogida, almacenamiento, distribución y comercialización de material genético de las especies bovina, ovina, caprina y porcina y de los équidos (in Spanish). Boletín Oficial del Estado. 191 (9 August 2016): 56904–56907. Reference: BOE-A-2016-7639. European Legislation Identifier: permalink.

David Hancock (2014). Dogs of the Shepherds: a Review of the Pastoral Breeds. Ramsbury, Wiltshire: The Crowood Press Ltd. .

Miguel Fernández Rodríguez, Mariano Gómez Fernández, Juan Vicente Delgado Bermejo, Silvia Adán Belmonte, Miguel Jiménez Cabras (editors) (2009). Guía de campo de las razas autóctonas españolas (in Spanish). Madrid: Ministerio de Medio Ambiente y Medio Rural y Marino. .

Perro Leonés de Pastor (in Spanish). Madrid: Real Sociedad Canina de España. Archived 14 August 2025.

Perro Leonés de Pastor (in Spanish). Madrid: Real Sociedad Canina de España. Archived 14 August 2025.

Razas españolas consideradas vulnerables (del 1 de mayo de 2025 al 30 de abril de 2026) (in Spanish). Madrid: Real Sociedad Canina de España. Archived 12 November 2025.