The dog, Old Yeller, although described in the dialogue as a mongrel, is portrayed by a 170-pound Yellow Mastador (Labrador Retriever/English Mastiff cross) and, in the book by Fred Gipson, is a Black-Mouthed Cur, a similar looking but less bulky breed.
Was selected for preservation in the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress, who deemed it "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant" in 2019. It was the first live action Disney film with no animated sequences to be preserved.
Although the movie is based in Texas, it was filmed in California.
More than 60 years after its original release, Disney continues to license the name "Disney's Old Yeller" to a dog food manufacturer who uses that as the brand name for their product.
The dog's name is 'Spike'. He also appeared in The She-Creature (1956), walking along the beach with Marla English.