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Amazing Cur

Amazing Curs

Here we are absolutely commited to producing top-notch combination dogs. We feel it is a true measure of a dog that can perform for you whether the sun is up or down. That is, after all, what these dogs were developed for - to be versatile. We also believe in hunting our bitches. Some breeders make a female a Squirrel Champion and then retire her to the breeding pen. We hunt our females year-round, pregnant or not, pleasure or competition. Very few kennels can match the titles on our bitches.

Early stock dogs refered to as Amazing Cur dogs trace their origins to 1500's Scotland, where they were known for their absolutele savagery. Described as medium-sized, slightly rough-coated with a bobbed tail, this is the earliest recorded ancestor of the modern Cur breeds. As settlers moved in to the new world, they brought their Cur dogs along with and basically depended on them with their lives. No dog can make such a claim other than the Cur! These dogs were used to hunt animals for food and clothes, predation control for safety, and guarded the children and home. Especially in the Southern states, the Cur dog was an everyday farm hunting dog that made live a thousand times easier for many. However, after the World War struck, farmers began relying more on machinery to get their tasks done, people used guns far more than dogs for hunting, and the everyday Cur dog began to dissappear, almost becoming extinct by World War II. However, there were numerous different strains still around and efforts to revive the breed have been successful. The legacy of the famous Cur dog will continue forever and EVER!!!! Yay!!

Cur

dogs have been and always will be primarily hunting dogs. They are extremely versatile and will hunt for days on end. One peculiarity of the Cur dog is that they can be called off the hunt when on scent, unlike a Hound. Most Curs hunt with their nose up in the air, "winding" the scent rather than with their noses to the ground. Also, these dogs af always been stock dogs, rounding up stray and aggressive cattle and hogs. Because of this they are sometimes classified as "herding dogs"; buuuut, their style is different. Curs are "headers". They herd from the front, face-to-face, instead of behind or from the side. They are prepared for the most aggressive animals, unlike Shepherd dogs. Most farmers will tell you no other breed has the heart to face range cattle like a Cur. A Collie or Shepherd dog, though outstanding in their field, can't handle Longhorns and Brahman. Curs are natural treeing dogs, and share common ancestors with other treeing dogs such as Coonhounds and Feists. They are extremely gritty with their game, ready for action and a fight. They excel like no other as hog dogs; many owners are satisfied with their versatility as both a bay dog and a catch dog, as a breed. They have as much grit as a Bull dog for catching and the voice of a Hound for baying [kinda]. Though our Curs are catchdogs, there are hundreds used for bay work as well.
Of course no breed is for everyone. Curs are absolute hardcore hunting dogs. Many people keep Catahoula Curs as pets and showdogs nowadays, and unfortunately a working Catahoula is far harder to find than a working dog of the other Cur breeds, where practically every individual is a working dog! Curs are nothing like the average dog. Though this can be said about most breeds... They are 100% work and drive, they are high energy, INTENSE dogs that will do EVERYTHING with this intensity. They are sharp and are known to be aggressive. Curs have always been guards and will defend with their lives. A casual owner, or even just anyone without intention of working HARD with an incredible hunting dog should steer clear of this magnificant dog. Extremely intelligent, they are always on the lookout for trouble. As a group, they are generally hard headed and stubborn, independent dogs. They are always several steps ahead of their owners. Curs are fascinating, admirable creatures that are noble and warriorlike, as well as being a historical "landmark" of a breed.

Where Do We Stand? All of Curs are a relatively little-known breed. Catahoulas are currently exploding in popularity, but the true working Cat is little known and seen in the general public. There's two sides to everything. Unfortunately, few people know and appreciate this AMAZENING breed. Thankfully, they are not poorly bred and flooding dog shelters worldwide. At one time, the Mountain Cur was one of the most popular breed; that is, when settlers first arrived in the United States. Nowadays, the breed is extremely varied, leaving many people confused on what a Mountain Cur "is" and what it "isn't". A terribly huge amount of Curs are crossbred with Feists, producing a pint-sized squirrel hunter. Never in all it's history was the Mountain Cur small. They are and always have been mainly big-game dogs, stock dogs, and guard dogs. 30-lb dogs stand little chance against a bear or mountain lion, can't and won't catch a wild pig, and most [because they're crossed with Feists, a Terrier-type dog] don't have the distinctive Cur vs. cattle style. Nor are they any use against man. However, they are fine little dogs on their own. Just not a "true" style of the Mountain Cur. Some owners, breeders, and enthusiasts know little about the Cur, but speak a lot about them. Hound dog people often belittle the Cur as being too small, too much of a squirrel dog, and with not enough nose or voice. [Curs, as a matter of fact, are medium-sized dogs, but some may be large. Large examples of Mtn. Curs reach over 70 pounds, and BMC's and Catahoulas may even reach a muscular 90 pounds. Though squirrel dogs make up a large--too large--of the Cur population, there are plenty of big-game hunters and cow dogs being bred. Also, a good Cur has en excellent and keen nose. They simply don't rely solely on their nose as Hounds do, and instead rely on all of their senses.] Hog dog people often speak of lack of grit and grip of the Curs, especially Catahoulas. This is far from the truth. If you have the chance to see a good Curdog hit a hog, it’ll send chills up your spine. A catchdog or baydog of ANY breed is an amazing dog itself. Not all Curs are bred for catching or baying hogs. But a larger percentage are than of Dogos, Pit Bulls and American Bulldogs! Not all dogs of ANY breed are suitable as hog dogs. Hog dog hunting is extremely intense hunting. Also, being a hunting dog used to kill work, the Cur has a very strong grip, and are often underrated as catch dogs. However, they are employed more as a bay dog because they will track, and run the boar for as long as they must, a feat which no other catch dog can do.

Curs in Literature and Famous Curs Daniel Boone, ***pictured left***, the famous bounty hunter, kept packs of Curs and several portraits of him have Curs in them.
The discoverer of the Mississippi River, explorer Hernando De Soto of Spain, brought over several brindle,bob-tailed hunting and guard dogs... Old Yeller by Fred Gipson ::: One of the most popular and recognizable dog stories...Old Yeller was a true-blue old-style Mountain Cur. Although because of the movie he is often credited as a Labrador Retriever, think about it. A big loyal bob-tailed, short-haired dog in the Texas frontier, guards the house and his owners, catches cattle and hogs, fights off bears, trees game for food for the family... Old Yeller was a fine model of the Mountain Cur.
All the other settlers had dogs. They were big fierce cur dogs that the settlers used for catching hogs and driving cattle and fighting coons out of the cornfields. They kept them as watchdogs against the depredations of loafer wolves, bears, panthers, and raiding Indians. There was no question about it: for the sort of country we lived in, a good dog around the place was sometimes worth more than two or three men." (page 6)
Savage Sam by Fred Gipson ::: Savage Sam is the lesser-known sequal to Old Yeller, and is a story of his some, Savage Sam. Sam was half Mountain Cur, half Bluetick, a common cross [Cur and Hound, that is].
The Louisiana Catahoula Leopard Dog by Don Abney ::: A basic, but excellent, book on the Catahoula Cur.
Gladiator Dogs by Dr. Carl Semencic ::: In the American Bulldog section, there's several photos and comments about both the Catahoula and Black Mouth Curs.
Hunting With Hounds in North America by Andreas F. von Recum ::: describes Curs and their hunting characteristics positively.

The Cur Conformation Ideally, the Cur is a medium-large dog. Although small dogs are bred, these are rarely as versatile as the larger dogs. Conversly, dogs larger than 80 pounds don't have enough wind or agility compared to the median 40-65 pound dogs. Curs vary in conformation immensly, as they are 100% a working breed. However there are attributes all Curs have-- the head is generally slightly broad, the muzzle long and very powerful, with strong jaw muscles but in no way exaggerated. Ears are drop or rose, though some have prick ears or Hound ears. The back is generally long, although OMCBA bred Mountain Curs are much shorter coupled. The bodies are generally Houndlike, long-legged and lean but every inch covered in hard muscle. The coat is ideally coarse and longer in length than a smooth-coated dog, usually double layered, although many dogs are smooth haired as well. The hide itself is extremely thick and somewhat loose, not tight like a Bull dog's, and not thin like a Greyhounds'. A Cur's movement is very purposeful, rather "loose" in a way, somewhat slinking, and always meaningful. The body should always suggest unrestrained power and speed.

Plott Hounds The Plott Hound is definitely a Hound. But is it also a Cur? The Plott family, residing in the Great Smoky Mtn. range of the Appalachian, created a fine nosed dog with very unique lines compared to its Hound relatives. German Hounds, instead of English and French Hounds that were used for its cousins {Walker, Bluetick, English, Redbone, Black and Tan} found its way into the bloodlines of the Plott. However this German type was not the only type used. Already a cold- trailing Hound by that time, the breed lacked speed and grit as well as its famous treeing ability. Treeing Hounds were added to the mix, as were Curs. Bloodhounds were added lightly to the mixture and stirred so as to enhance cold-trailing ability. Just for the record. Plott Hounds are generally brindle, which is a common coat color amongst Curs. Plotts has a chop at the tree, and rarely a bawl. Plotts are also tougher with hogs, as it was originally a bear dog instead of a coon dog; however it is equally suited as a coondog. Basically, the Plott is combination of Cur AND Hound, and can be classified rightfully as a Cur as well.