Black Mouth Cur – A Southern US Breed


Black Mouth Cur
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Black Mouth Cur is a hunting and cattle dog that has its origins in the Southern Eastern United States of America.

Description[edit]

The Black Mouth Cur is a well-muscled rugged hunting, herding, and all around utility dog whose coat comes in a number of colors and shades, generally red, yellow, fawn, or buckskin. Solid White and/or Piebald color do occur in Black Mouth Curs, on rare occasion appear in a breeding. According to the United Kennel Club Standard, up to ten percent of the coat may be white with the amounts of white on the toes, tail, nose and chest considered acceptable. None of the Cur breeds are currently recognized breeds of the American Kennel Club (AKC).

Aficionados describe the breed as "a dog that is multitalented. Primarily BMCs are herding dogs able to hunt big or small game, and still be loving, gentle family dogs willing to protect the home."[1]

The breed has a litter of 3-9, and a lifespan of 12–16 years.

Appearance[edit]

Black Mouth Curs have short coats,[2] either coarse or fine, and a combination of the two types may appear in the same litter. They can be a light solid color or a darker brindle.

Head: The muzzle is square-shaped. It may have a melanistic mask, which is most often black. Maskless dogs are allowed but not preferred. The name 'Black Mouth' refers to the dark pigmentation around the lips that also extends into the interior of the mouth including the roof of the mouth, gums, and cheeks, excluding the tongue. The ears are medium-sized and hanging and may either be melanistic like the muzzle or the same color as the coat. The rarer dogs of hunting bloodlines tend to have the ears cropped soon after birth.

Tail: The tail of a Black Mouth Cur is of medium length and is generally left natural, although it may also be docked.

Feet: The feet are large and webbed, similar to a Catahoula Leopard Dog.

Size: The adult weight ranges from 50-100 pounds, and 16-25 inches tall, with males being larger than females. The wide range in size is due to different types within the breed.[2]

Temperament

Black Mouth Curs are great family dogs. They are great social dogs if trained properly. The BMC is a "very smart"[1]breed who "by nature need to bond a few weeks"[1] with their owner/trainer before training can begin. The breed shows great loyalty and may even die for their owner.[citation needed] Great around children if introduced correctly[citation needed], they have great potential to "make wonderful family dogs."[1] As they grow older they become very laid back.[citation needed] "The BMC was bred as a homestead dog that would protect its family and home against intruders. This means that a well-bred BMC is territorial. Most BMCs off their 'turf' work well with other dogs, hunting or herding stock, but on their family property will chase the same dog away. Their turf can be viewed by the dog as the family’s home, land, truck, or sometimes proximity to 'their person'."[3]

Black Mouth Curs have varied historical documentation dependent upon region. Among them are the Ladner Yellow Black Mouth Cur from Mississippi, Southern Black Mouth Cur from Alabama, Weatherford's Ben Black Mouth Cur fromTexas, and the Florida Black Mouth Cur.

The first Black Mouth Curs registered with a national kennel registry, were Ladner Black Mouth Curs through theNational Kennel Club in April 1964. (Although, Southern Black Mouth Curs were already on file in Howardtown, Alabama. This was the first kennel registry for the Black Mouth Cur.) Mr L.H. Ladner had such extensive written documentation of his family's breeding that the NKC recognized the breed.All cur lines are used to tree squirrel,raccoon, bobcat, mountain lion, and bear. They are used for hunting hogs and feral cattle. They also are distinguished by being used by the search and rescue.

The Weatherford's Ben Texas Black Mouth Cur comes from a line of curs well-documented in the book Big Thicket Legacy.[5][page needed] They are used primarily for herding cattle.

The Florida Black Mouth Cur, used for herding cattle, are featured in old paintings hanging in local barber shops and homes, so their existence and history in Florida is documented.

The Southern Black Mouth Cur, is believed to have originated in Alabama, though there are Southern Black Mouth Cur in Florida and Tennessee. The Southern Black Mouth Curs were registered as property in the courthouses around Howardtown, Alabama about 40 miles north of Mobile and nearby Tibbie in the 1940s. These dogs were bred for many years prior to registration with the courthouse. Believed to be descendants of Old European Hounds, and Molloser breeds, which are now extinct. They were used as multipurpose pioneer dogs that would hunt, protect the home, and gather in the cattle and pigs at slaughter time. Several breeders through the South continue to work toward retaining and improving the Southern Black Mouth Cur.

Through the efforts of several Black Mouth Cur breeders, the United Kennel Club later recognized the breed, featuring Howard Carnathan's Bruno, a Southern Black Mouth Cur. Mr. Carnathan used several lines to develop his own line. Some of the first dogs originate with the Howard family. Mr. JD Howard can be found as being a descendant of Howardtown, and the Southern Black Mouth Cur heritage.. Mr. JD Howard carried on the long family tradition for many years. He is preceded by family member Steve Howard. Who is still actively improving and breeding the Southern Black Mouth Cur.

Black Mouth Curs now range from the east to the west coast, and as far north as Canada. Black Mouth Curs are also known to be in Mexico, Argentina, Haiti, Russia, India, and throughout Europe.

Also very closely related to the Black Mouth Cur is the Mountain Cur. (More so the Ladner line of BMC) The Mountain Cur dogs are slowly being sorted into individual types.



This is a dog type that I've seen several times in the South in farm settings, but I just thought they were a mixed breed hound. I also thought they were probably vicious, but according to this article you can use them for hunting and herding. They also make good family pets and will guard the home. As members of the Molloser group of dogs, which includes some of the breeds that are most often involved in attacks on humans, I would think they should be gently and carefully trained, including dealing with children. German shepherds are also mollosers, so they aren't all blindly vicious, and these dogs weren't bred to fight like pit bulls. It is a surprisingly handsome dog, with a square black muzzle and a body build similar to a boxer. The article doesn't say how intelligent they are, but usually herding dogs are bright and trainable. This may be a dog that would make a good guard dog for the home, with plenty of courage and without being vicious. The news this morning called a puppy up for adoption a black mouth cur and I was curious, because the name was new to me.