Let me start this article by saying thank you all for your patience for my missing submission of my last article, and your well wishes for my recovery from the automobile accident.

CUR Dogs—Part 2

AMERICAN LEOPARD HOUND (Leopard Cur):  This breed is believed to come from dogs that were brought by the Spanish and then crossed with native dogs in what is now the Southern United State and Mexico.  The breed migrated north with the settlers and initially used to hunt bear.  On November 1, 1998 the United Kennel Club recognized the breed and on May 1, 2008 was officially renamed the American Leopard Hound.

This breed is larger than most Cur dogs.  The body should be longer than tall, the long legs allow the dogs to move quickly, over all types of terrain.  Their heads should be broad with a heavy muzzle of medium length.  Their ears should be set high on their head and drop in a “hound” style.  The tail should be straight and set low.  The coat is thick but not long and should be close to the body.  This Cur, like most others, is an all-purpose hunter and is bred to tolerate the elements.  These dogs are driven to please and are known to be easy to train.  Their sense of smell is also said to be the most acute of the Cur varieties.  They are quick in their reaction time and have an uncanny ability to keep dangerous game at bay, without getting injured.  Although the Leopard Hound has been trained for all aspects of hunting game they excel at big dangerous game such as bear, cougar and wild boar

The Leopard Hound should have a spotted (marled) coat and can range from yellow, black, brindle, red and mouse colors.  They may also carry white points and have a white collar.  No more than 1/3rd of their body can be white.  The breed can range in size from 21 to 27 inches at the shoulder and weigh from 50 to 75 pounds

TREEING CUR:  This Cur is a powerful, agile tree dog of small to medium size.  As in most cur breeds the body should be longer than it is tall.  The head should be broad and the muzzle slightly shorter than the head.  The ears should drop from the side of the head and not be of excessive length.  This Cur breed is the one most likely to have a bob tail but is not necessary.  Their coats are short and fit tight to the skin.  This Cur might be small but it is fast.  It is a hard hunter using scent and sight to locate game.  Most Treeing Curs do not bark on a track but only when the quarry has been located and “treed”.  This breed can start out a little stubborn but is easily trained once an “understanding” has been arrived at.  These small dogs can be aggressive and can make good watch dogs.

This cur can be any color or any color pattern.  It should stand between 18 and 22 inches tall and weigh between 30 and 50 pounds.  Most Treeing Cur’s are very heavily muscled.

There are as many Cur breeds as there are uses for them.  I have only touched on five in these articles.  To name just a few others there are the Camus Cur, Canadian Cur, Catahoula Cur, Florida/Cracker Cur, Henderson Cur, Kemmer Stock Cur, Parnell’s Carolina Cur, and Tennessee Treeing Brindle Cur.

NOW, there is the Feist…these breeds are just a plentiful as the Cur’s, there is one difference between a Cur and a Feist.  The Feist is a direct descendant of predominantly terrier/small hound cross breeds.  To give you an idea the following is one type of Feist:

TREEING FEIST:  The word “Feist” is an ancient one referring to a Small, often noisy, dog.  The Treeing Feist is a small, highly active dog.  The body should be blocky from head to tail and down its legs.  The coat should be tight, short and smooth.  The build makes this a powerful dog regardless of its smaller size.  It is thought that the original Treeing Feists were bred in the South and were the result of crossing rat terriers and beagles.  This breed is most often used to hunt squirrels, raccoon and opossum.  They hunt using sight and scent and do not open until the game has been “treed” or “holed”.

This Breed should have a bobbed or docked tail and they can be any color or color pattern.  The Treeing Feist should be between 10 and 17 inches tall and weigh between 12 and 30 pounds.  They gained their name because they are truly feisty little dogs.

There are as many different types of Feist breeds as there are Curs and as many different uses, one thing that is common among all Feists, they are heavy with terrier traits. American Leopard Hound, Treeing Cur, Treeing Feist...

This article was researched from the breed web sites and the UKC standards.

By Luanne Bragg

TalkHunting Pro Staffer, Luanne "Beaglepup" Bragg, started hunting (going hunting) with her Grandfather in the fall of 1965.  He loved to squirrel Hunt and would carry her into the woods sit her on a rock and let her hold his prizes.  He took Luanne on her first Pheasant and Rabbit hunts when she was 7.  Shortly after that he had a massive stroke and was never able to return to the woods again.  When Luanne was 9 her Father, who was about to retire from the Marine Corps after 20 years active duty, and Uncle decided that since she could shoot she could remove the ground hogs and crows from the farm fields.  Luanne spent the next few years watching all the wildlife and removing varmints from the farm.  She took herself deer hunting for the first time when she was 15 and took her first deer at 17.  There was a long time between Luanne's first deer and her next deer due to college and work and general life.  She did a lot of small game hunting with her boyfriend and now Husband starting in 1985 and killed her next deer in 1988.  She has not missed a deer or turkey season since.  When not hunting they are fishing (when they are not WORKING...)

Luanne and her Husband have been raising, training and field trialing Beagles in the UKC and ARHA formates for 20 years and have produced several Field and Show Champions and Grand Field and Show Champions.  They usually only breed one litter of puppies a year.

Her work consists of being a licensed Real Estate Agent in Virginia, a mortgage professional and Owner of a Dog Boarding Kennel.  Her Husband and a partner just opened a new Restaurant in Ashland Virginia on January 16th of 2010 and she seems to have inherited many different hats for their business venture too.  Luanne belongs to the Richmond Virginia Association of Realtors, Big Buck Hunt Club, Central Virginia Beaglers, NRA, NWTF and Buckmasters.  She was the Pennsylvania Appaloosa Queen in 1980 and runner up to the National Queen Title the same year.  She graduated from Kent State University in Kent Ohio in 1982 with a degree in Applied Science.