Common features of the dog, its ancestors: distribution, period and area of origin of the Blackmouth Hound, entering the world arena, current situation. Black Mouth Cur, short hair, coarse or fine in structure, or a combination of the two, which occurs in one dog. The main color is different. It shows all shades: red, yellow and fawn, as well as black; brown and deer color. Breed representatives are brindle, with or without a black muzzle or mask.
The eyes are green, yellow or light brown. The muzzle is square. They may have a mask, which is often black. Masked dogs are allowed but not preferred. The name Black Mouth refers to the dark pigmentation around the lips that also spreads to the inside of the mouth, including the palate, gums, and cheeks, excluding the tongue.
It is a sturdy dog with an athletic build. The ears are medium in size, drooping and can be dyed in the color of the muzzle or body coat. The tail of the Blackmouth Hound comes in any length. There are individuals who are born with little or no tail. Some owners dock their pets' tail. Feet of moderate size, compact with webbed toes. The legs can have single or double toes.
Ancestors of the blackmouth hound: distribution, application and meaning of the name
In truth, no one knows with any certainty where and how the Blackmouth Hound or Black Mouth Cur evolved. All that is known for certain is that these canines were bred in the southern United States of America. Blackmouth hounds have been widespread and well known in this region since at least the 19th century. They were used as farm dogs and performed a wide range of tasks. Blackmouth hounds are one of the most widespread and well-known breeds, referred to as "cur".
Many people think that the term "cur" refers to a mixed breed dog, such as a mongrel. This designation is used and will be correct in relation to certain canines in the territory of modern Britain, but does not apply in the United States, where the Black Mouth Cur (and some other Cur species) are in fact purebred dogs. In America, Cur is a member of a specific group of general agricultural canine workers.
In many ways, the term "cur" refers to a terrier or hound, as it refers to a whole group of mixed breed dogs. Despite the fact that representatives of this group are of great diversity, they usually have certain common features. Dogs are medium in size or slightly larger, with drooping ears, and an athletic build. They are energetic and intelligent defenders. The main parameters of the structure of their bodies allow them to show strong hunting and herding instincts.
The Cur, the ancestors of the Blackmouth Hounds, were bred almost exclusively as working dogs, and until recently were considered non-pedigree. In addition, they have traditionally been kept in rural areas and have always belonged to farmers and hunters. As a result, their breeding records were not kept as carefully as most other modern breeds. Therefore, their origin is a complete mystery. Because of the great similarity between Curs and European breeds, researchers almost universally conclude that they are descendants of European canines. These dogs arrived in America with the earliest colonists and then began to interbreed with each other and possibly Native American dogs.
It is possible that the American Cur breeds, the ancestors of the Blackmouth Hounds, are descended from the now extinct British Cur breeds. The first surviving written use of the term dates back to the 1200s, and is a derivative of the term "curdogge". The word cur is believed to be derived from the Germanic curren, which means growl, or the Celtic cu, which translates to dog. At one time, there were several varieties of "Cur" in the British Isles, usually subdivided into species that were used for protection, hunting and grazing.
Most accounts of these dogs report that they were most common in areas with the highest levels of Celtic influence, such as Wales, Scotland, Ireland and Northern England. This Celtic connection has been noted by several researchers on the topic and may indicate that the original Curs were Celtic canines. If so, it makes it much more likely that the word "cur" is of Celtic origin. The Cur, the ancestors of the Blackmouth Hounds, were renowned for their ability to herd, hunt, and defend against predators such as wolves.
Possible canines involved in the selection of the Blackmouth Hound
Europeans first began bringing their dogs with them to North America in the earliest exploration of new lands. Columbus himself took military and hunting dogs with him to the Caribbean. In the days when wooden sailing ships were used, it was too expensive to transport a dog across the Atlantic. The trip itself was taxed heavily, and many dogs could not survive it, as there was not enough money to support them. This meant that very few individual dogs made the journey.
In those days, in their new homeland, the pioneering dogs, the ancestors of the Blackmouth Hounds, had to adapt to different weather and landscape factors. Climatic conditions were particularly difficult for British canines imported to the American South, which is much hotter than Britain and has a much more challenging topography. Also, this area is home to dangerous wildlife, a wide variety of populations of parasites and infectious diseases.
Only those dogs that were able to survive in their "new home" could pass on their genes to the next generations. And only those dogs were given such an opportunity, if they could be useful in work under such difficult conditions. This meant that very few individual individuals were suitable for breeding and therefore they were bred together. American Curs evolved from hunting, herding and guard Curs and became more versatile than their British brothers.
The American Cur, the ancestors of the Blackmouth Hounds, probably mostly descended from the British Cur canine, but of course dozens of other dogs almost certainly entered their pedigree. Among the many breeds believed to have influenced the breeding of the Cur are the English and American Foxhounds, Coonhounds, Harriers, Terrier varieties, English Mastiffs, Old English Bulldogs, Pit Bulls and Pit Bulls. -Bull). Plus Bloodhounds, Greyhounds, Collies, Celtic Hunting Dogs, German Shepherds, Pinschers, Spanish Mastiffs, Spanish Alano, Spanish Hounds, French Hounds, Beauceron and Native American Canines.
Because Cur dogs were most in demand among certain subsets of the British population, they became more popular in parts of America preferred by the settlers of these groups. For example, such dogs have become most common in the highlands of South America, a region with a significant Scottish-Irish (Celtic) population.
History, period and location of the appearance of the blackmouth hound
Since the Curs have crossed too often, there are almost no records and it is impossible to trace the exact origins of most of the individual species, which include the Blackmouth Hounds. To this day, there is serious debate among Black Mouth Cur fans as to whether the breed was first developed in Tennessee or Mississippi. According to many researchers, the black color of the muzzle and lips, because of which this variety is named so, along with the general color of the head and coat, testifies to a common pedigree with the English mastiff.
English mastiffs have been circulating in America since Mayflower brought one to Plymouth in 1621. Therefore, this woman can be considered to have contributed to the early development of the Blackmouth Hounds. It is unclear when exactly the Black Mouth Cur appeared. There is some documentation and family histories that provide strong evidence that the breed already existed by the mid-1800s. But at that time, it was not called as it is now. Preferably it was called simply "Cur" or "Dog".
According to L. Kh. Ladner, the most famous and respected breeder of the Blackmouth Hounds, has been named so in recent years because it has a black lip coloration that sometimes extends to the mouth and muzzle. Black Mouth Curs and other related breeds were the main canines in the western United States. These versatile farm dogs grazed farmers' livestock in the border areas, and also provided them with the opportunity to earn a good income from the hides and meat obtained during the hunt. They also guarded farms and livestock from dangerous animals such as bear, cougar and lynx.
During the 20th century, numerous varieties of Blackmouth Hounds were developed. Many of these species form a single family with characteristics selected for a particular region. Perhaps the most famous of all Black Mouth Curs is the Ladner line. The Ladner family of Southern Mississippi has been breeding Blackmouth Hounds for over 100 years and continues to do so to this day. Among the most famous regional varieties are the Alabama Black Mouth Cur and Florida Black Mouth Cur, each of which is known for its distinctive bright colors of red and yellow, respectively.
The entrance of the blackmouth hound to the world stage
Over the past few decades, numerous breed registries have been created, most of which have been designed to register specimens of a particular breed line. However, most of the Black Mouth Curs remain off the rosters and are therefore not officially considered purebred. Despite the fact that breeders try to keep the variety pure (Blackmouth Hounds are usually only bred with the same breed specimen), many members of the breed are not recognized as purebred in the modern sense, as they do not have registration documents.
Because of this, until recently, no major kennel clubs were interested in registering them. This began to change in the late 1990s when the United Kennel Club (UKC) began to take an interest in Cur. Since then, the UKC has registered several species of these hounds, including the Blackmouth, in 1998. Black Mouth Curs are now regular members of the show ring. Breeders and hobbyists alike try to maintain the purity of the first recorded breed specimens.
However, United Kennel Club registered Blackmouth Hounds remain a minority of the species' diversity, and most members of the breed lines are either unregistered or are registered in separate Black Mouth Cur registries. Currently, the Blackmouth Hound remains unrecognized by the American Kennel Club (AKC), and it seems that neither the AKC nor Black Mouth Cur fans are interested in changing this situation.
The fame of the blackmouth hound in literature and cinema
These dogs are best known for the book "Old Lies", written by Fred Gipson in 1956. Although Gipson never specifically mentions the name of the Blackmouth Hound, he often, thanks to the descriptions of the protagonist, a lop-eared nosy dog named "Old Liar", draws the reader's attention to the dog's belonging to this particular breed. The author quite accurately describes the appearance of the breed, temperament, many areas in which it was applied and the value for families living in border areas.
Disney Studios, in 1957, released a film of the same name based on this work. The film has become one of the oldest classic films of world cinema. The dog that was filmed in the picture was called a Labrador Retriever or a mestizo mastiff, but many assumed that among the ancestors of the dog were precisely the Blackmouth Hounds. The continued popularity of the film "Old Lies" has made the Black Mouth Cur perhaps the most famous of any cur breed, with the possible exception of the Louisiana Catahula Leopard Dog.
The position of representatives of the blackmouth hound in the modern world
Over the past 150 years, there have been major changes in the way of dog breeding and keeping dogs. In the process of its development, the world becomes more and more urbanized, as a result of which, more and more traditional rural working breeds and species are disappearing. Those species that do not lose their population often transform from a working breed to a companion animal. Such representatives are also extremely important for standardizing the appearance.
A similar transformation has not yet occurred with the Blackmouth Hound and most breeders of these dogs believe that this transformation will not happen. Black Mouth Curs continue to be bred almost entirely for work purposes and each individual breeder develops the breed line to best suit his personal needs and preferences.
As a result, the blackmouth hound changes its appearance quite intensively and retains some features that have largely disappeared in other dogs. For example, Black Mouth Curs are usually born with tails set high. For a time, most European herding dogs were often born with such tails, but this feature was eliminated with the course of breed standardization.
Unlike most modern dog breeds, the Blackmouth Hound remains primarily a working dog. The vast majority of breed members are full-time or part-time dogs. This breed is very often used as a hunting dog, almost throughout South America and can hunt animals of a wide variety of sizes, ranging from squirrels to feral pigs. Black Mouth Cur is regularly used in cattle breeding as a herding dog, mainly for cattle and pigs, as well as sheep and other animals.
In recent years, the breed has been gaining an excellent reputation as a search and rescue dog and interceptor dog to aid law enforcement. A growing number of breed enthusiasts are adopting Blackmouth Hounds primarily as companion dogs - a task that some breed members do better than others because of their quality performance and high energy levels. Although the variety has proven itself well in certain parts of South America, the Black Mouth Cur is virtually unknown outside its home country and is considered very rare throughout the world.
