What’s It Really Like to Own an Estrela Mountain Dog?

“I’m exploring the Estrela Mountain Dog breed for the future. I’ve had many dogs over my life, and I know there’s no such thing as a perfect breed. Each has its pros and cons. But what can you really tell me about the breed? Breed info pages tend to emphasize the positives, but I’m interested in the quirks or difficulties that experienced owners wish they had known beforehand—even if the good outweighs the bad. So far, I’m seeing mentions of independence and strong-willed behavior as possible red flags. Is this accurate, and are there other traits to consider? Thank you in advance for your insight!”

This is a great question, and we thought it would be answered best by polling Estrela Mountain Dog owners around the world, and compiling the good, bad, and quirky. Remember that some of these dogs have been rescued, some have had varied life experiences, and just like in any breed, dogs will vary based on their genes and their environment.

David T.

If you have a farm, estate, or need a Livestock Guardian Dog, you can’t go wrong with a good Estrela Mountain Dog. These dogs are the real deal. They are big, but not too big, calm as adults, very weather durable, and honestly not as hard as I thought they would be.

You read all these horror stories of LGDs online, being aggressive, hard to manage, roaming, even eating stock etc. These dogs are pretty stable. Yes they need guidance and training just like any pup, but they are easier then we expected. They are smart, and catch on quick, and honestly don’t want to be problematic.

Good fencing is important, they are strong and know it. But mine are in a 4 ft mesh fence with electric top and bottom and seem fine with it. I’ve trained them to electro net as well, and they do well with it unless it goes down.

They are more energetic as pups. As adults they do their patrols, and sleep with one eye open, but they seem more lazy then they are. They love the snow, and don’t mind getting wet.

They haven’t been liabilities to farm visitors, but you wouldn’t want to surprise them when we aren’t home. We have never seen them growl at us or my kids. Very tolerant. Great companions for rural properties. They thrive here.

Alessandra G.

Get a wolf they said…it will be fun they said. And she is honestly the best, but so smart. OMG she is like a shot of Espresso, when you were used to watered down coffee they give you at a car dealership.

• She has climbed out of our 6 foot fence, went up over it like a squirrel one day, so we have cameras in our back yard.
• She runs so fast, but comes back to us. We are paranoid about her escaping, so we use a GPS tracker on her collar. We have had multiple people ask during our walks “how much did that dog cost and what is she?” or something to that effect, so we are doubtful if she ever got away we would get her back, so I’m paranoid about her escaping from her leash or yard.
• She can chew through a regular leash like its made of string.
• She is super smart and can open the front door, so we started locking it and going out the side sliding door, so she learned to unlock the door so we had to install a child safety mechanism on the lock so she can’t let herself out.
• She is very vocal. She whines when she wants something, she barks and it means something.
• She hated the car unless we sat with her or let her in the front seat as a puppy.
• She’s extremely strong and will throw her weight around, especially on walks. We had to work on that. She learned that she cannot pull, or I will not go. And that fixed that.
• She won’t allow strangers to pet her if she doesn’t want. She will move right out of their reach, and Noooo we never hit her. She just doesn’t like you.

We never regret her and we are Estrela owners for life. I don’t think I could get another breed of dog in the future. I’ve had many different breeds over the years too. She is very aloof to strangers and doesn’t like certain ones for one reason or another, especially if they are over friendly to her. I tell people to ignore her until she warms up to you, because she has to get to know you on her own terms. She is more fond of children, she tries to meet them out in public.

She is unique and she knows it.

Gorge M.

Finding a vet who has experience and relevant knowledge can be hard depending on where you are. The breed can have vaccine reactions, reactions to flea and tick meds, joint issues etc. And many vets will lack context of breed genetics or peculiarities.

Training. Like other ancient breeds you don’t so much train them as much as you come to an understanding. They understand you, but also think their own thoughts. Those are my chickens, and she needs to treat them as such. We took a bit to come to that understanding.

They are more athletic then you would think. Also, not a great idea to have them off-leash around cars in public ever or in an expansive forest. If anything interesting catches their attention, they will go check it out. And the aloofness is problematic here too because it makes building a proven recall harder.

Truly not a great dog for people who require a high sense of biddability, or want a dog that grovels for them. They are loving but not pick me dogs. But time, training (of the dog AND you), and patience make the life with this breed highly rewarding and keep things very interesting.

• (Depending on where you live) Be prepared to explain what your dog is to everyone you meet. My vet put her in as a Bernese Mountain Dog.
• EMD pups are unique/not cheap. Good breeders are scarce. And if the dogs they have produced in the past don’t look like EMDs, you should steer clear.
• Abduction/theft is a real thing, especially as a puppy. Watch leaving them outside, someone will think they found a little floofy wolf pup.

All of the quirks aside, I will never seek another breed. Hands down the best companion and such an important part of my life and adventure.

Nancy D.

Our Estrela is awesome, and we love her to bits, but here are a couple of things that require some attention:

• definite guardian drive
• gets reactive on a leash around dogs she doesn’t like in public
• very protective against strangers at home
• digger (dog sized holes in the back yard)
• not a big fan of fireworks.

I socialized her from the start (3 months), but she still has her own way of interacting. She is very specific about the dogs she likes and plays with, very selective. When in public, I need to position my body between her and another dog that gives her bad vibes. Then she relaxes right away. I also trained her to be alone from day one. I would leave her for 10 minutes at first, gradually increasing the time, so she doesn’t have separation anxiety. She LOVES my cat and doesn’t like hawks or birds that fly low overhead. I can not go to the bathroom or take a shower alone lol.

James C.

Mine is very alert. Doesn’t like strangers in the house. He’s not aggressive, but get very excited, rushes full speed at them, stops and sniffs.

It can be pretty intimidating and if you don’t like dogs, it looks like he’s coming for you. But he has never bit anyone. Or even wanted to. It never gets that far. He is a real sweetheart, but you wouldn’t want to try and break into my house at 3 am.

Sandra N.

Nothing at all. I know we were supposed to have this super hard puppy stage and all the hard big dog primitive breed stuff, but ours are sweethearts. And we didn’t expect them to be what they are not.

I have two. One long haired and one short. The shorthaired one is bulletproof, his only fault is that he likes to take himself for walks (I wouldn’t mind, but cars…) He is a badass and he knows it. He is very discerning. The best guard dog I could ever have. Needed zero training to protect the house, and is not aggressive. He just stands his ground and looks very intimidating.

My other one is reactive to some dogs in public and has a shorter fuse. He is more modern. But probably didn’t get the best upbringing as a pup. He’s very sweet otherwise though. People think he is prettier. But he is not as tolerant as the shorthair.

Bad points – both have been chewy, destructive adolescents. I wouldn’t change anything though. At all.

Dogs are more than their breed. But the original shorthaired Estrelas are one of the most exceptional temperaments you could ever own.

Richard P.

First and foremost, I love my Estrela Mountain Dog, and would do anything for her! She is a perfect dog for me and my wife.

Here are some negatives that I have noticed in my dog and in the breed in general. These are just generalizations, of course—every dog is different.

• They are so loving but have criminal minds. They are skilled at manipulation as well.
• Regular grooming is essential to keep their coat healthy and mat-free. Not all products work for every Estrela. You will have to experiment to find what’s best for your dog.
• Separation anxiety for many Estrelas if they are not taught to be alone from small. They are pack animals. If you only have one, you need to teach them to spend time alone.
• They can jump and scale very high fences if they want. Our dog is smaller for the breed and jumped onto our kitchen counter to get some chicken.
• Potty training is either easy or difficult. We had one that insisted on peeing on an attic carpet. But never anywhere else in the house. Getting them to pee around the perimeter will definitely help.
• Protest very loud. They can sound like a husky puppy when you first start crate training.
• Can be destructive if left alone in your house all day.
• Most are super cuddly; ours is very strong-willed and independent. She will come to us when she is ready to be loved.

But again, I would not trade my Estrela for anything in this world!

Sue W.

The manipulation is real, omg. Mine are so sneaky and steal anything out of the kitchen, it’s ridiculous. I love them dearly, but I can’t find half my kitchen towels. They have their own stash of HV items, and I never know what they will add next.

You will have to explain to everyone you meet what breed they are, and explain to strangers that they don’t always want to be pet by people they don’t know. Common dog sense really, but I am introverted and the Estrela’s have me talking to everyone in public.

Luis P.

Estrela Mountain Dogs are the smartest dog you’ll ever live with. By far.

And their smartness can look like stubbornness. I think that throws people for a loop. Smart does not mean “easily trained to do tricks.” It’s usually the opposite because they are thinking, “This trick seems stupid. Not doing it.”

• They are trainable, they can be taught a food drive and learn very quickly to work for their food. I think most people run into trouble with them, by not setting boundaries with them from small.
• They are smart enough that if you let them jump all over you and run the show when puppies that they won’t take you serious as adults.
• They will love you a lot, and protect everything you own. Because they think you belong to them to.
• They thrive on structure. They run their own packs, very structured, similar to wolves.

Megan W.

My girl is 3. We live on 20 acres, but we do not let her roam.

• She is content in our fenced area.
• She is not aggressive, but she does not like strange men and will bark ferocious when they come into our space.
• She will go after strange animals; they are absolutely not allowed in or near her space.
• She is extremely intelligent, does listen except when she is overstimulated about something, was the easiest dog to housebreak I’ve ever had, and learned basic commands easily.

Fantastic with our other pets and absolutely loves children.

C. Harris:

Mine has only ever been aggressive toward someone on my property who shouldn’t have been there. He loves and protects my barn cats and my Aussies, who have no sense of self-protection from coyotes. I live in New Mexico on the edge of an ag town. We DO get coyotes and mountain lions around, and I have a little over an acre in a neighborhood. He keeps it predator-free, but he DOES bark. I bring him in at night. He’s also great with my dad, who has dementia. And he’s not dog-aggressive on walks. Best dog I’ve ever had.

Want to Add Your Review?

Do you have an Estrela Mountain Dog story to share? Whether it’s funny, sad, or something you’ve learned from living with this incredible breed, I’d love to hear from you! Please reach out and share your experience—you can help others get to know this amazing breed even better.