KENAI
Black Mouth Cur

The breeds · tree dog · cur

UKC Scenthound

Black Mouth Cur.

UKC: Powerful, agile tree dog of medium size; a hunting dog and family guardian. blackmouthcur.com (breed-information site): Described as primarily a herding dog able to hunt big or small game and protect the home as a family dog..

Breed sets the odds. The parents set the dog. Every number here shows its source, its spread and how sure we are. Nothing on this page is a prediction about one dog.

0INHeightdogs null, bitches null. An ideal from the standard, not a range.
35–-InfinityLBWeight, all linesbreed dogs 40 lb; breed 35 to 40 pounds or heavier; breed bitches 35 lb.

The body

What the breed is built like. Registry standards give an ideal, not a range.

Height at the shoulder

dogs 18 in · bitches 16 in

Breed clubUnited Kennel Club

UKC states a minimum only, no maximum.

Weight

35 to 40 pounds or heavier

EditorialKeith Sutton, 2003

Consistent with the UKC minimums (35 lb female, 40 lb male); no maximum. Single editorial source on this value.

dogs 40 lb · bitches 35 lb

Breed clubUnited Kennel Club

UKC states a minimum only, no maximum.

Coat

UKC: Short, dense, close lying; texture coarse to rough to very fine. Wiry or long coat is a serious fault. Outdoor Life (2003, squirrel-dog sidebar): Typically yellow with black around the mouth.

Breed clubUnited Kennel Club

UKC Coat. Colors: red, yellow, fawn, black, brown, buckskin or brindle, with or without black muzzle or mask. Color only; UKC coat description stands. Editorial views are shown beside the standard, labelled; where they disagree both stand (Chad, Oct 8 2026).

Heat tolerance

4 of 5 · Short, dense, close-lying single-layer coat described; no undercoat mentioned

DerivedUnited Kennel Club

Derived from the UKC coat description (short dense = 4). No measured data.

The work

What it was built to do in the field, and what a test or trial asks of it.

Role

UKC: Powerful, agile tree dog of medium size; a hunting dog and family guardian. blackmouthcur.com (breed-information site): Described as primarily a herding dog able to hunt big or small game and protect the home as a family dog.

Breed clubUnited Kennel Club

UKC General Appearance and History. The standard says the dog 'should be evaluated as a working dog'. UKC places the breed in its Scenthound Group. DISAGREES in emphasis with UKC, which calls it a tree dog and hunting dog/family guardian; UKC kept. Breed-information and kennel-directory website, not a registry. Editorial views are shown beside the standard, labelled; where they disagree both stand (Chad, Oct 8 2026).

Primary game

UKC: Tree game; bays and trees (standard: 'loud, deep chop on bay or tree'). Outdoor Life (2003, squirrel-dog sidebar): Squirrel (listed among breeds favored by squirrel hunters).

Breed clubUnited Kennel Club

The UKC standard calls the breed a 'tree dog' and names no specific quarry. UKC cur events are scored on squirrel (Squirrel Events) and raccoon (Nite Hunts) per the honor rules; the honor rules do not name the Black Mouth Cur. Specific game for this breed is an open gap. Outdoor Life lists the breed in a squirrel-dog guide; it states no other quarry. Editorial views are shown beside the standard, labelled; where they disagree both stand (Chad, Oct 8 2026).

Also used on

UKC: All-round working dog of early American settlers; hunting dog and family guardian. blackmouthcur.com (breed-information site): Big or small game.

Breed clubUnited Kennel Club

UKC History: 'widely used by early American settlers as all-round working dogs'. The standard does not list hog, bear or other big game; bay work is implied only by 'chop on bay'. One source. Site gives no species. Editorial views are shown beside the standard, labelled; where they disagree both stand (Chad, Oct 8 2026).

Search pattern

UKC: Fast, hard hunter that finds game using its eyes, ears and nose. Silent trailers preferred; slightly semi-open on a very hot track allowed; never open like a hound. Outdoor Life (2003, squirrel-dog sidebar): More "open-mouthed" on track, similar to hounds, and barks while tracking a squirrel; longer ears than the mountain cur, attributed to hound ancestry.

Breed clubUnited Kennel Club

UKC Characteristics, quoted closely. Mouth on bay or tree: loud, deep chop, ringing cry or slight yodel allowed; never full-blown bawl mouthed. Treeing style is stated by the registry standard; no breed association text was reachable. DISAGREES with UKC, which prefers silent trailers and says never open like a hound. UKC kept. Editorial views are shown beside the standard, labelled; where they disagree both stand (Chad, Oct 8 2026).

No KENAI kennel lists the Black Mouth Cur yet. If you breed them, list your kennel free: it shows on this page and in the hunting dog breed finder, under every handler whose answers land on the breed.

How to read this page

Every value carries a label. Measured means peer-reviewed data on many dogs. Studied means peer-reviewed, smaller or indirect. Breed club means a club or registry states it. Editorial means expert opinion with no measurement behind it. Where two good sources disagree, both are shown and neither is averaged.

Published when the entry rests on the best information available from no fewer than three independent sources, checked by a second pass that did not write it. 2 sources on this page. Found something wrong? Tell us and the correction is logged with its date.

Also called
BMC, Blackmouth Cur

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