by Angie Smith

Created on: January 21, 2009

The origin of the black mouth cur is uncertain. Some people believe the black mouth cur originated in the mountians of Tennessee while others believe they originated from Mississippi. They were used by early American settlers as working dogs. Later when the settlers started to move west taking the cur with them,they became hunting dogs. This type of breed is a muscular and rugged breed. The coat comes in a few different shades yellow,fawns, and brindle.The front legs are wide apart and well muscled down to the feet. Some black mouth curs are born with thick coats and some are born with thin coats. Black mouth refers to the dark pigmentation around the lips that also extends into the roof of the mouth, though not the tongue. The ears are medium sized and hanging. The eyes are large and medium brown or darker. The tail can be quite long but most are born with short tails. Up to 10 percent of the coat maybe white on the tail, toes, nose, and chest. Curs normally weigh around 45-95 pounds and in height 16-28 inches. Females are slightly larger then the average male cur. Curs are kind, protective, loyal, and fearless dogs.

They are also known to be good with women and children. Curs need lots of exercise every day if not given will become high strung. They can also become bored quickly and become destructive if not given enough exercise. They are great for herding cattle, baying hogs, hunting squirrel, raccoon, bear, and mountian lions. They have excellent climbing and jumping ability so it would be a good idea to have at least a six foot fence or higher with lots of room to run and play. They also make great deer tracking dogs in the south. They have a very even temperment. The average life span for a cur is 12-16 years. The average liter size is about 4-10 puppies.Curs are also prone to ear infections because of the dropped ears. Best of all they are very smart and not hard to train after bonding with them after a few weeks with the right treatment and training. Their are many training excerises you can do with a dog.They are always hyped and ready to go.

They are easy to groom and not hard to maintane. A brush for loose hair and a bath for the dirt makes a clean dog. A black mouth cur is good with children because they love to play. Over all if you are looking to have a gentle, loyal, and protective dog or a great hunting dog then this is the dog for you.

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