Rafeiro do Alentejo

Rafeiro do Alentejo

Rafeiro do Alentejo is a large dog from Portugal at 135 pounds.

The Rafeiro do Alentejo – also called the Alentejo Mastiff – is an old Portuguese dog breed developed to protect herds of sheep and cattle. The dogs are believed to stem from Molosser type dogs from Tibet that came to Europe thousands of years ago. These are very large dogs that weigh up to 135 lbs, and they require an Extra Large PlexiDor Dog Door.

The Rafeiro do Alentejo

These dogs are calm, self confident, and highly independent. They are affectionate with their family and will bravely protect the people, households, sheep, and cattle they perceive to be under their protection. They’re not aggressive, but protective, and they are particularly watchful during nighttime.

Puppies mature slowly and need to be watched when young; they don’t realize their limits and tend to overexert themselves with running, jumping, and climbing stairs. The breed is known to be suspicious against strangers, and it is wise to subject the puppies to many different environments and people.

Being independent and bred to make decisions on their own, training a Rafeiro do Alentejo requires consistency and patience. They love affection and are eager to receive it, but won’t submit to a human’s every whim. They don’t see the point in sitting, standing, sitting, lying down, sitting, high-fiving, and so on, and they prefer to save their energy for real work.

Besides the seasonal shedding period they require a minimum of grooming. They are generally calm indoors and don’t require excessive amounts of exercise, but should get a longer walk or a jog every day.

The PlexiDor Extra Large is the right size dog door for a Rafeiro do Alentejo.

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