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...
HoosierGunNut......this is your best answer in my opinion.
Very well said T-bob.
A Cur is most definitely not a cross. All dogs started out as mixes at one point, as did Curs, but they like other dogs have moved well past that point in their existence. The kind of dogs from which curs originated is virtually non-documented. Most of the internet literature you will read is not a good resource. It is very speculative, romanticized and not plausible. One thing is for certain Cur dogs were developed by working class people for a real working purpose. The dogs that were the foundation of the Cur breeds were most certainly dogs which were commonly available to those that lived in the region where cur dogs developed (Texas and through the south east including Florida). Those dogs were also dogs that had a working function in their current existence. Herding, Hunting, Home protection. ect. I've posted my opinions on what those dogs might have been you can search past posts if you are interested in that.
I would like to add that a Cur is a type of dog like a hound is a type of dog. There are different breeds of curs like their are different breeds of hounds. Black Mouth Cur, Catahoula, Florida Cur, Lacy. But a cur is defined by function more than it is defined by form. At its root, it is a livestock working dog, that also has strong hunting instincts. The hunting instincts making them unique from other breeds of livestock working dogs. The hunting instinct makes cur dogs a valuable tool in areas where livestock has thick cover to hide in. The hunting instinct also makes Cur dogs a versatile tool for hunting other non-livestock animals. Such as bears, cougars, raccoons ect. As pointed out, it is the livestock working instinct that sets Curs apart from hounds. Just like the presence of strong hunting instinct sets them apart from other livestock working breeds. The way they hunt is also a function of the livestock aspect. The best way to describe it is that a good Cur dog will hunt for you. As opposed to hunting for its self. Where as a hound may cast off in a random direction searching for the scent of its target, regardless of where his handler goes or what he does. A cur dog will travel with its handler while searching for the scent of its target, making loops and checking back in to keep up with them. A cur dog can be trained to hold behind a horse when working cattle, and will only begin hunting once sent by the handler. This makes working cattle much easier because the handler chooses what pastures are worked and which cattle are gathered. Hounds are much less receptive to this kind of training. My cur dogs stand around the truck looking at me while I get organized for the hunt as if they are clueless to their job. However once I set off and we get to hunting they go to work. Good Cur dogs have an instinct to gather livestock. Since hogs are nothing more than wild livestock it is something they bring to the hog hunting game. They understand their job is to hold the animal at bay. Hounds run to catch and kill and if the animal fights them off or excludes them by going up a tree they will bay. In my opinion a Cur dog does not run to catch and kill. They can be conditioned to catch or have other dogs bred into them which will bring along the tendency to catch but a Cur dog has its roots in livestock work and its true function is to control the animal and at the same time keep the animal alive and intact, and marketable. Many cur dogs are naturally gentle with young livestock. It only makes sense because you don't want your stock dogs harming the future of your industry. It is not uncommon for well disciplined Cur dogs, used on cattle, to be put in the same trailer compartment with calves and they will not harm them. They very frequently lay sleeping in the front section of a cattle trailer with the remained of the trailer loaded down with cattle. Many people have seen their Cur dogs bring them live baby pigs. Its just another aspect of their livestock working nature.
Hope that helps you understand Cur dogs.
Waylon
