The Rafeiro do Alentejo is not a dog for anyone as they need excellent handling from someone who is experienced and confident. They are quite suspicious of strangers which on the one hand makes them excellent guard dogs, but on the other hand makes them quite difficult as ordinary house pets. They are very large dogs that enjoy being put to work. They are very gentle and docile with children, but not with strangers, especially after dark. They have a low but unmistakable bark that can be heard for miles around.
Appearance
These are large dogs, with broad rounded heads and deep muscular chests. Females are slightly smaller with smaller heads, but both have large and meaty bodies. They have dark eyes and medium sized ears that are set quite high on their heads. The ears are triangular in shape and bet at the base. Necks are quite short but very strong, just like the rest of the body. Their coats are medium in length, completely straight and very dense. They only need grooming during the shedding season to remove excess hair, but otherwise can be left. They are usually dark in colour, often black although they can also be fairer and have a striped or spotted pattern.
Temperament
These dogs are watchful and very self-confident. They are particularly alert after dark, and can be quite suspicious of strangers. These are attributes that make them good watchdogs and guard dogs. They are very loving towards their own family, and protective but they do require more work than your average pet does with consistent training and plenty of exercise. They don’t tend to attack, but they are very good defending dogs with low, throaty barks. They will happily get along with other dogs and animals, although socialising them in this way is a good idea from an early age in order to guarantee this.
Working and Tasks
Training should be given to Rafeiro do Alentejos in a calm, consistent and brave way. Aggression should not be used in the training process as they do not respond well to this. They can be stubborn and quite dominant so motivational training methods should be used, and preferably from as early on in their life as possible. Due to their size, it can be difficult to train this breed as fully grown adults. They work very well as guard dogs for livestock but herding is not something they excel at. They don’t enjoy learning useless tricks but want instead to be trained for “real” work which they enjoy, are good at and learn quickly