The Estrela was developped for a working purpose. The goal was a dog that could cover a lot of ground, some 20 miles or more everyday, walking with the flock over plains and hills, in slow march, sustained trot, occasional fast gallop, when it called to chase off or face the Wolf. Only a dog with great sturdiness and agility can perform these tasks - and only fit dogs were, and still are, allowed by the shepherd to breed. Continuous generations of healthy animals has a positive impact on the genetic memory of the breed, which is still rustic - even though over the last decades some inherited problems have been identified in the Estrela, disorders that are common to any large canine breed and which erradication should be a priority in every serious breeder's bettering programme. Those are: