Leopard Cur. American Leopard Hound. Leopard Hound. American Leopard. American Leopard Cur. Catahoula Leopard Dog. Are these different breeds?

Yes and no.

The Leopard Cur was recognized by the United kennel Club in 1998, but changed the breed name to the American Leopard Hound in 2008.

The American Leopard was officially organized and named the American Leopard Cur in 1960, but again, breed club members changed the name to the American Leopard Hound on 2008, so yes, the Leopard Cur, American Leopard Cur, Leopard Hound, and the American Leopard Hound are the same breed, and only the word, “leopard,” has remained consistent. When it gains full acceptance by the AKC (it’s currently an FSS breed), it will be known as the American Leopard Hound.

The Catahoula Leopard Hound (also currently an FSS breed with the AKC) and the American Leopard Hound are two very different breeds. The Catahoula, while a multi-purpose working dog, will take its place in the Herding Group when it gains full AKC acceptance, while the American Leopard Hound will be part of the Hound Group.

American Leopard Hounds are one of the oldest of the tree dog breeds in the Americas, a dog with such strong fore and hind legs and tough, round, cat-like feet that an ALH easily climbs trees like a cat.  A very rugged dog, Leopard Hounds are open trailers that can cope with extremes of temperature. Their “duck-and-dodge” ability serves well them when hunting bears, boars, and cougars, and they are able to handle a cold track with the best of cold nosed hounds. Most American Leopard Hounds have “chop mouths,” though a few yodel, squall and even bawl.  Observers swear that the voice of American Leopard Hounds can be heard farther than the voice of any other hound.

Photo by Peggi Poyser Benson

American Leopard Hounds are thought to be descendants of dogs brought to the new world by Spanish conquistadors, then crossed with native Mexican dogs, though that view is challenged by those of the opinion that the breed’s entire development occurred in the southern United States, along with a smattering of herding and hound dogs owned by French, Scotch, Irish and English settlers who migrated to the new world. Early American settlers brought the dogs from Mexico to hunt bear, and by the early 18th century, the breed had become established in eastern North Carolina. It was from there that the dogs made their way west into Tennessee and Kentucky and, later, south into Texas and Oklahoma.

Photo by Julie Adkins

Because the dogs had been allowed to crossbreed with other breeds, and because lifestyles changed, the dog’s popularity began to wane,  and the American Leopard Hound began to become diluted as a purebred dog; by the 1950s, few purebreds were left. In 1960, Leroy E. Smith, J. Richard McDuffie, and A.W. Carter met to establish the American Leopard Cur Breeders Association after realizing that their breed was at risk of vanishing. Through their efforts to register only those dogs tracing back to original North Carolina pedigrees on both sides, the breed was saved.

Photo by Niki Elburn

Thumbnail image by Niki Elburn