What Exactly is a Cur?

[HoosierGunNut]

This may seem like a dumb question to some but outside of this forum and other Hog Dog sites, I don't think I've ever heard of or seen this breed of dog before up in Indiana. Can anyone tell me the history and details of this breed?

[KevinN]

There is more than one "Cur".

Catahoula
Black Mouth
Florida
Mountain

And specific developed lines, kind of like sub-species, under some of those.

[rdjustham]

There is more than one "Cur".

Catahoula
Black Mouth
Florida
Mountain

And specific developed lines, kind of like sub-species, under some of those.

To add to Kevin's i would also add USUALLY (i said usually so no one jump on me) they are hot nosed stock dogs which the original dogs used to create are unknown

[floridahogdoghunter]

hound/pit is what i always was told

[reatj81]

Stock dogs
Helped original settlers feed family.

[T-Bob Parker]

First and foremost a cur is NOT a mix or a mutt.


The truest definition of cur that I can come up with is that individual types of cur dogs are simply dogs with common ancestry stemming from the needs of the local population from which they originated.

Meaning...

People in the Texas behind the pine curtain had to scratch out a livin off the land and employed the use of dogs as rugged, determined and mean as the early pioneers themselves. In the big thicket, alot of these folks were of peasant decent from the working class of scots, Irish and English ancestry. They would have brought with them several dogs from the old world such as lurchers, collies, shepards, some running and treeing hounds and game dogs among others. As with every area in America, this section of the country provided it's own blessings and challenges to every day life and since these folks weren't in the habit of feeding dogs just for the sake of benevolence, the best of the best (as it pertained to helping the family survive and thrive) were the ones that lived to breed. Over the course of time a specific "type" developed and as time moved on the traits became more ingrained in the "look" of the dogs.

All that being said, you can see many similarities in the curs from the carolinas all the way the cues of west Texas, but, when you single them out individually, you begin to see the subtle differences that suit them to the local areas they traditionally occupy.

IE;
Southern Louisiana curs retained camouflage or dark colors and more specifically, webbed feet.

Working Texas curs often yellow for heat resistance and becuase it's the color of supremacy. Lol

On and on and on...

[charles]

 there are numerous definitions of CURS. I read on a site that claimed to have the "history" of the cur dogs. it originated in the European area, where only the lords of the land could afford pure blooded dogs. the commoner couldn't afford or own them and the dogs they did own had to have a piece of wood tied around their neck with the owners name and the tails had to be curtailed or "cut off/bobbed" to show the dogs were not of pure blood. if the dog/s were caught with out their name tag and the owner was found, they would be imprisoned for a set determined amount of time specified by the king or local magistrate. as the people traveled the lands and spanned the oceans, the needs of their dogs changed, if the people came across a dog of a specific need, the wanting would try and buy or barter the dog from their owner or ask to breed to the dog with acquiring traits.

here is another definition of cur:

The derivation of the word "cur" dates from the 13th century. It is thought to be short for the Middle English "curdogge", which derives from the word "curren", meaning "to growl".[1] According to the Dictionary of True Etymologies the original root of the word may be Germanic, possibly from the Old Norse "kurra" meaning "to grumble".[2] If so, the word may be onomatopoeic. Cur and the word "mutt" mean almost the same thing. A mutt is also a mixed breed or stray dog. 

here is the link, im not copying and pasting the stuff, yaw can look it up urself. 

[Reuben]

The pen is mightier than the sword... 

[charles]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cur

dang thing didn't take. here is the link bout the curs. now yaw can look for urself and make ur own determinations

[djhogdogger]

A cur dog is a working class dog. They are bred to work cattle, hunt feral hogs, protect its master, family and property. Very independent dogs. They are happiest when worked hard. They will go nuts if left in a back yard with no purpose in life. There are many fine examples of cur dogs on this site.

[Muddogkennels]

It was a family tradition to use the dogs to Helped Louisiana settlers to retrieve there released wild hogs in Winn field, Louisiana . Many farmers let their hogs range freely over the country side where they found their own forage. When it was time to slaughter or sell the hogs, the animals were usually gathered with the aid of curr dogs.



 

[Easttex91]

Here's a question I been tossin around in my head kinda relevant...do y'all think types like Parker Ladner and Kemmer are their own breed by now or still just lines? And when does a line become it's own breed?

[justincorbell]

It was a families necessity to use the dogs to Help Louisiana settlers to retrieve there released hogs that had been turned out to graze in Winn field, Louisiana . Many farmers let their hogs range freely over the country side where they found their own forage. When it was time to slaughter or sell the hogs, the animals were usually gathered with the use of curr dogs.

Fify

[Reuben]

there are lots of hearsay's and lots of articles written...and of course the writer will be prejudiced in favoring his people and giving credit in that direction...that is why I always throw in this old saying "THE PEN IS MIGHTIER THAN THE SWORD" ...I say this because oftentimes it is the common man that has the innovation but the one who documents will be who gets the credit...and as the years go by it becomes common knowledge...

but as kid in my neck of the woods a cur was a mutt or mongrel but today it is a breed of dog...in the 1950's some old timers came together and created the OMCBA (original mountain cur association) to preserve a type of dog that was used in Tennessee...in 1990 or so Robert Kemmer broke off of that group and started his line of mt cur and they are now a separate breed of mt cur (kemmer mt cur)...we also have the ledbetter cur, stephens cur, Canadian cur, Tennessee cur and all these are mt curs...the plott hound used to be a cur in some circles but are now known as the plott hound...

most any crossed up dog will hunt if hungry and make good all around ranch farm dogs... but the mt cur dogs were recognized as more of a specialty type dog that could do it all from herding to tracking and treeing and guarding...other breeds of curs were mainly stock dogs but were all around farm and ranch dogs...

I suspect that most of the dogs from back in the old days were crossed up dogs that were bred according to performance and as a result they have become what they are today because of the registries that have evolved around said dogs and developed standards for working and physical appearance...

The way I see it is that the cur breeds are still evolving as the environment changes and as the hogs adapt to their surroundings...

[Cajun]

  One of the things I always wondered about. I have always believed that the Catahoula cur & the Leopard cur had common ancestors but were bred for different purposes.
  Richard McDuffie & a few others collected up a bunch of  curs that would tree & begin linebreeding them for coon hunting. They called them Leopard curs.(now know as leopard hounds)
  Down in the deep south people bred their dogs to work livestock & a couple of different breeds evolved. The Catahoula & the Blackmouth. The old Howard Carnathon blackmouths looked to me like they had bulldog in them. The old time Catahoulas that were working dogs were real leggy. Not  the heavy headed bulldog looking Catahoulas that I see alot of today.
  Mostly over in Texas the working blackmouths are leggy built dogs that can cover ground & not wear out.
  All three of these breeds probably had common ancestors, they were just bred for different purposes.
Just speculation on my part & worth what you paid for it. 

[charles]

Im with u reuben. Growing up n even still today, a cur is a mut, a crossed out breed of several dogs, a lil this n a lil that with a dadh of another mut created mut or cur.

[Shotgun wg]

In my mind a cur is a mutt also. With that being said I see catahoula , black mouth, mountain, and other cur dogs bread to a standard of look temperament and ability are indeed just another breed.

All these 1/4 this half that mixed up mess are cur dogs or mutts. I own some of these dogs and they get the job done but in my mind they are still mutts.

[KevinN]

In my mind a cur is a mutt also. With that being said I see catahoula , black mouth, mountain, and other cur dogs bread to a standard of look temperament and ability are indeed just another breed.

All these 1/4 this half that mixed up mess are cur dogs or mutts. I own some of these dogs and they get the job done but in my mind they are still mutts.

Until they are reproduced....exactly....10 generations.....to where every litter comes out near exact in confirmation and color.......are they still just mutts then?

[charles]

 every dog, no matter what breed is mutt. numerous individual breeds, bred out from another breed, bred out from another breed, bred together to make the mutts of today. even though the dogs are "purebred" they are mutts, which are made of mutts and so on. its basically a flip of the coin and a roll of the dice as to what a persons thoughts or believes are on a purebred or a mutt.

[Shotgun wg]

In my mind a cur is a mutt also. With that being said I see catahoula , black mouth, mountain, and other cur dogs bread to a standard of look temperament and ability are indeed just another breed.

All these 1/4 this half that mixed up mess are cur dogs or mutts. I own some of these dogs and they get the job done but in my mind they are still mutts.

Until they are reproduced....exactly....10 generations.....to where every litter comes out near exact in confirmation and color.......are they still just mutts then?

I think it would take more than 10 generations. To me it would need to be able to take 2 dogs of same "breed" off different yards that would not be considered line bred to produce a consistent standard.

For example I have a red catahoula if u had a catahoula we should be able to breed these dogs and produce pups that are unmistakably catahoula. Same goes for black mouth or mountain or any other breed.

Until this point to me they are just mutts. They may be ur line or mine but they are a line at best not a breed.

I'm not trying to be confusing or insulting to anyone but this is the way I see it. Without a standerd adhered to by multiple lines of dogs that consistently produce the same standard they are line bred mutts or curs