The photos are Black Mouth Curs owned by me or my Dad (Shawnee Don) and are from the Howard Line of Cur.

   Black Mouth Curs (BMC) are very social. They are energetic during the puppy stage, calming down nicely by 2 years of age. A fenced yard is fine for a BMC, although several owners keep their BMC as indoor pets. They seem to really enjoy Kennel Training and I encourage this training by the owner. They are extremely loyal and easily trained. In my opinion, discipline and training should be limited to harsh voice tones, whistles, etc. Spanking such an easy-to-train dog can have the adverse effect of making them extremely shy. All potential owners will be screened. These dogs are tough in the woods (bred for protecting against hogs, mountain lion, and bear), yet gentle on the family and extremely loving.

   WHAT ABOUT COLOR: "Why are there so many color variations in one breed of dog? I occasionally see black, yellow, brindle, red, white and cream colors in one breeder’s single litter."
The color variations within the breed are acceptable, just as in other breeds of dogs. If you see all these variations in just one litter, then I suggest researching the breeding history. That particular litter might be an outcross in an attempt to improve the line. My Dad and I don’t have this type of color variation in a single litter. As Dad puts it, "It is my opinion that if a dog breeds true, you will not see color variations in their litter." Our line is buckskin to a reddish bay, as seen in our photos. This is what we work towards: good personality, great hunting ability, buckskin to red color, and good conformation.

 Kassie loves her puppies and is making sure we all know it! My Kassie is 7/8 Howard. The sire of the pups pictured here was used as an outcross that looks like Kassie and has great abilities (3/4 Ladner - Rambo and Silver are in the pedigree). By outcrossing, then line-breeding, I am hoping to retain, if not improve, Kassie's characteristics to ensure that I have a dog like her for the next generation of Murphys.

  If you are researching Black Mouth Curs as a prospective owner, you should be able to find exactly what you want among the several outstanding lines available, such as the Howard Line.