talk to me about Cur Dogs (Mountain and Black Mouth)

[greytmommy]

We have been lightly talking about getting another dog. We don't have one currently and we love dogs. We live in a remote area. We want a good family dog, but would love a double duty dog that could be trained to help protect our flock of chickens during the day.

We saw a Mountain Cur puppy at an adoption day. I had never considered one, but really liked this pup so started reading. It sounds like it might be an good match. I don't think I want a 4mth old puppy....but wondering if I should consider this breed more seriously.

Anyone have experience with them and can talk about temperament and how they are in the family?

For the record, I am very good at training and dog behaviour, pack leader ect. I am a very experienced dog owner, but just not familiar with this breed.

Thanks in advance!

 

[trailchick]

Hi!!

I have a pair of 6 yr old original mountain curs, had 'em since they were pups.
I love these dogs. I have posted about my male Jack with pics
as he alerts to prairie rattlesnakes that we have.

I didnt get chickens until they about 3 yrs old.
The female is very protective of chicks, & it didnt take much training
for the male to accept the other birds.

Great great choice, & have you been to the squirrel dog central (sqdog.com) website?
Alot of resources there. I have a lot of other sites bookmarked
trainingthetreedog.com etc.
They are more common around the southeast, ark, mo, la, & appalachia.

I could talk all day about curs!!!!!

 

[greytmommy]

Please give me more! I am in MO. I will check out the website you gave me. I would love some breeder or rescue recommendations.

We have no interest in hunting or breeding, but I love training! I have had whippets and Italian greyhounds in the past along with different working breeds. My whippet was deaf and was a certified therapy dog. My Iggy was working on her Rally and obedience titles when she died suddenly.

Some day we would like whippet again, but I am loving what I keep reading about the mountain curs. We were thinking about a dog in the next 6-12mths.

 

[punk-a-doodle]

I really have loved what I've seen of the curs. The Blue Lacy and Catahoula are my personal favorites. Good luck with your search!

Edit: Your dogs are beautiful Trailchick!

 

[greytmommy]

Ok, I am checking out that website.
I LOVE the look of the Mountain Curs, but also love the look of the BMC. What do you think are the difference between the 2?

we have no interest in hunting....will that be a problem??

what is the best way to find a breeder?? I dont care about a "started" dog or a dog from a super fancy hunting line.

I am pretty convinced we would love this type of dog, and this is exactly what we are looking for.

My friend has a Catahoula, and we love him, BUT he is not friendly w/ other dogs and people he doesnt know. It seems that you have to really make it a point to socialize these dogs so they dont become overly protective. I want a social dog....

 

[trailchick]

I think it just depends on the individual dog.
My male is very friendly, but my female is very protective
& Very bonded to me.... That could just be a male -female
thing. You might check out their breeders associations - I am not sure
about the BMC - if they have a separate assoc.
The BMC is a little bigger?

The omcba.org (?) i think has a forum, & you can search for others
to get more resources.....

thanks, punk!!!

 

[cuppycake]

We have a catahoula puppy (well, he's 10 months old, a big puppy, haha) and he's pretty great. I suspect he might have some pit in him) He learned basic commands really quickly and he has never strayed from the yard, even when the gate has been left open by accident. He isn't interested in the chickens at all. One night I found he'd gotten into the mudroom where the brooder is (door wasn't latched) and he wasn't interested in the chicks at all. He's a little more interested in our large animals (goats, horse, donkey), I think he wants to play. He doesn't chase though, and he keeps his distance and has quick enough reflexes to keep from getting kicked or butted.

He plays a little rough with small kids and smaller dogs. He's a champion counter surfer and its been really hard to keep him out of the trash can. He's very strong willed and has a dominant nature. I would only recommend you get a cur type dog if you've got experience training headstrong dogs and have lots of time and space to make sure it gets enough exercise. A tired dog is a good dog

 

[trailchick]

oh, yeah,
I forgot to add:

Ol' Yeller Was A Cur!!!!


I don't know about the BMC, but many original mountain curs are born with
short tails, or curtailed,
& that is where the name came from,
which means "cut off". But, again,
many are naturally born that way.

 

[greytmommy]

i am VERY familiar with training dogs. I worked for about 5 years as a professional dog trainer (it was my hobby job...I went through an apprenticeship, ect). I stopped training after I had my second child and she had a lot of health issues. (she is now 5yo, and in perfect health).

I used to work with a rescue group as well and we fostered quiet a few different dogs. My dogs before was a deaf whippet that was a certified therapy dog and I had an Italian greyhound that was working on an obedience and rally title when she died suddenly.

We had a standard poodle we rescued, but ended up rehoming him after a year. He was abused in a puppy mill, and we worked VERY hard with him, but could not get him over his fear of men. Living in the same house with my husband (who is a VERY tall and large man) was just too stressful for him.

I am comfortable in my and my husbands ability to be a pack leader.

I worry that we wont be able to fit in enough exercise during the week.... we both work full time and have a long commute since we live in the country. We have room for him to hang out outside and run during the day, but I dint know if that will be enough. This is why we are not jumping into anything yet! We are still settling into our new routine since I went back to work.

 

[cuppycake]

I'm home most days but between DD, our other animals, chores and running errands I'd might as well not be here as far as Charlie is concerned. We have a large fenced backyard that he hangs out in when I'm busy or away from the house. When we're outside working he's allowed to run around freely. This usually means he eats some goat poop and then runs a few laps around the pond. If the weather is decent DH will skip the gym and run with Charlie instead. He's also starting to work with him to hunt raccoon.

He was really crazy when we first got him. He was a "free to good home" dog off craigslist. They hadn't worked with him at all, he knew nothing, not even his name. He's settled down a lot and is becoming a really great farm dog. He barks when someone pulls into the driveway but quiets down when we tell him to. One day he also alerted us to a large stray German Shepherd wandering around the pasture fence. Before I really had a chance to think about what to do about a stray dog our Donkey chased it away though. haha. I can imagine that an angry charging donkey is probably pretty frightening for a dog.