The breeds · small game · feist
UKC Terrier
Treeing Feist.
Small tree dog; "an agile, active, small tree dog" (UKC), evaluated as a working dog. Developed in the rural South to hunt small game and eliminate vermin..
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.
The body
What the breed is built like. Registry standards give an ideal, not a range.
Height at the shoulder
Center is the midpoint of the standard range; the standard names no ideal height. Dogs under 12 or over 18 are an eliminating fault, penalized only to the degree size affects ability to work.
Weight
Center is the midpoint of the standard range; the standard gives no ideal weight. DISAGREES with UKC (12 to 30 lb; UKC value kept). Outdoor Life lists a "FEIST" under the Treeing Feist Breeders Association (National Cur and Feist Breeders Association); mapping that listing to the UKC Treeing Feist is an inference, and it may describe a different registry. Editorial views are shown beside the standard, labelled; where they disagree both stand (Chad, Oct 8 2026).
Coat
Feists in general, not breed-specific. Says AKC finds the type too diverse for recognition. Coat length not stated; UKC coat value stands. Editorial views are shown beside the standard, labelled; where they disagree both stand (Chad, Oct 8 2026).
Heat tolerance
Derived from the UKC coat description (short, dense, smooth = 4 on the ruled scale). No measured data.
The work
What it was built to do in the field, and what a test or trial asks of it.
Role
Primary game
Agrees with UKC. ATFA home page; the page does not state a standard. Garden & Gun writes about feists in general (East Tennessee Squirrel Hunters' Association), not the UKC Treeing Feist specifically. Editorial views are shown beside the standard, labelled; where they disagree both stand (Chad, Oct 8 2026).
Also used on
UKC history: "also used to hunt raccoon, rabbits and flushing game birds"; Characteristics: "squirrel, raccoon, and opossum."
Search pattern
The standard says "virtually silent" on track; it does not say whether the treed dog gives chop or bawl mouth. The UKC hunt rules require only that a dog bark to be declared treed. Treeing voice style is not sourced here. Mouth on the trail is "bark only when treed", consistent with UKC "virtually silent" on track; still no chop or bawl style stated. Listing is for "FEIST", see weight note. Editorial views are shown beside the standard, labelled; where they disagree both stand (Chad, Oct 8 2026).
Field trial standard
Rules are written for feists in general (combined-entry hunts); not specific to this breed. Text from the UKC Feist Squirrel Hunt Honor Rules (rev. Sept 1 2022) and UKC Cur/Feist Hunt Test Evaluation Rules (FO30SQ 1-18).
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
- American Treeing Feist
Every breed, read the same way.
The breed index grows as entries clear the standard. Gun dogs first.
All published breedsYour treeing feist, on the record.
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