Mountain Curs have been described as the pioneer dogs of the Southern Mountains, but “mountain” in the Mountain Cur’s name is a bit misleading since the breed is very comfortable working in swamps and deserts, as well. This a hard and fast hunter that tracks with her head in the air. She can be open, somewhat open, or quiet on a track, but when she uses her bark, it can be heard a long way. On a cold track, she’ll circle and drift to and fro until she find a hot track. She’s also a very strong treeing dog, but that said, Mountain Curs are said to be less “houndy” than some other curs because their ancestry is believed to include a pariah type of Indian dog.

At one time, the name “mountain cur” was used to describe any dog bred specifically to tree and trail small game, but many of these dogs have been breeding true for some time and have a set phenotype to the extent that they’re regarded as individual breeds, the Treeing Tennessee Brindle as an example.

The Original Mountain Cur Breeders Association was the breed’s first registry, and the United Kennel Club recognized it in 2001, but the Mountain Cur is now listed on the AKC’s Foundation Stock Service.

Image from the AKC’s website with consent