# Cur > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Cur > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Cur.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cur > Source revision: 1321241879 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) {{short description|Dog type}} {{for multi|the Swiss city and canton named Cur in German|Chur|the filename extension ".cur"|ICO (icon image file format)|other uses|CUR (disambiguation)}} {{Use British English|date=June 2020}} {{Use dmy dates|date=August 2024}} {{Infobox dog breed | name = Cur | image = The Cur, Cynographia Britannica.jpg | image_alt = | image_caption =Painting by [Sydenham Edwards](/source/Sydenham_Edwards), 1800 | image2 = Cur dog, A general history of quadrupeds.jpg | image_alt2 = | image_caption2 = Engraving by [Thomas Bewick](/source/Thomas_Bewick), 1791 | altname = Cur dog, drover's dog | nickname = | stock = | country = [England](/source/England) | weight = | maleweight = | femaleweight = | height = | maleheight = | femaleheight = | coat = Short and rough, feathered on legs | colour = Generally black, brindled or grizzled with white neck, legs and occasionally face | litter_size = | life_span = | landrace = | extinct = yes | note = }} A '''cur''' was a dog breed used by cattle drovers in England. In the United States, a short-haired dog used in hunting and herding is called "cur-tailed", or "cur" for short. In modern speech, the term ''cur'' is usually used to describe a [mongrel dog](/source/mongrel_dog), particularly if its temperament is unfriendly or aggressive.{{r|Oxford|Collins|Webster}} The term is believed to be derived from the [Old Norse](/source/Old_Norse) ''{{lang|non|kurra}}'', meaning 'to grumble or growl'.{{r|Oxford|Collins|Webster}} In Victorian speech, ''cur'' could be used as an insult.{{Cite book |last=Conrad |first=Joeseph |title=Lord Jim |date=November 1900 |publisher=Blackwood's Magazine |pages=Chapter 6}} ==English cur== In [England](/source/England), the cur, also called the drover's dog, was a distinct [breed](/source/Dog_breed) of [dog](/source/dog) used by cattle [drovers](/source/Droving); they are now extinct.{{r|Morris|Hancock2}} The cur was described by [Ralph Beilby](/source/Ralph_Beilby) and [Thomas Bewick](/source/Thomas_Bewick) in their 1790 work ''A general history of quadrupeds'', as well as by [Sydenham Edwards](/source/Sydenham_Edwards) in his 1800 ''Cynographia Britannica'', as dogs principally used by drovers to drive cattle.{{r|Morris|Bewick|Edwards}} Curs were described as heelers, nipping the heels of cattle to make them move and ducking below the subsequent kick. They were said to be common in England, particularly the [North of England](/source/North_of_England), but were virtually unknown in the rest of the United Kingdom.{{r|Morris|Bewick|Edwards}} The cur was described as being larger, stronger and longer legged than shepherds' [collie](/source/collie)s with shorter and smoother coats; in colour they were generally black, [brindle](/source/brindle)d, or {{linktext|grizzled}} with a white neck and legs and occasionally a white face, they had some feathering on their legs and [half-pricked ears](/source/Prick_ear).{{r|Morris|Bewick|Edwards}} A defining characteristic of the cur was that many were born with short, stumpy tails, which gave the appearance of their having been [docked](/source/Docking_(animal)).{{r|Morris|Bewick|Edwards}} Edwards described the breed's ancestry as likely a mixture of collie, [lurcher](/source/lurcher), [English mastiff](/source/English_mastiff), or [Great Dane](/source/Great_Dane).{{r|Edwards}} Their character was described as cunning, clever, ever busy and restless; it was said they could differentiate their master's cattle from those of strangers, and they would separate the strange cattle from their master's herds.{{r|Morris|Bewick|Edwards}} Although it is uncertain when or why the breed became extinct, it likely disappeared in the mid-19th century.{{r|Morris}} Some modern writers believe it was the cur, not the collie, that was crossed with the [dingo](/source/dingo) to create the now-extinct [Halls Heeler](/source/Halls_Heeler) in Australia. This would make the cur an ancestor of both the [Australian cattle dog](/source/Australian_cattle_dog) and the [Australian stumpy tail cattle dog](/source/Australian_stumpy_tail_cattle_dog), the latter inheriting the cur's bobtail.{{r|Horter|Lee}} ==American curs== [[File:1. Catahoula Leopard Dog, Buck.jpg|thumb|200px|The [Catahoula Leopard Dog](/source/Catahoula_Leopard_Dog), a recognized cur breed]] In the [United States](/source/United_States), the term cur is also used to describe a distinctive [type](/source/Dog_type) of short-haired dog that is used for both hunting and herding that was developed in the [Southern United States](/source/Southern_United_States).{{r|Webster}} When describing these dogs, the term is actually an abbreviation of cur-tailed, as in a dog with a [naturally occurring bobtail](/source/Natural_bobtail) like that of the extinct English cur; many of the earlier examples of this type had a bobtail and some still do.{{r|Alderton}} A number of cur [breeds](/source/Dog_breed) have been [standardised](/source/Breed_standard) within the United States, some have been recognised by the [United Kennel Club](/source/United_Kennel_Club); these breeds include the [Black Mouth Cur](/source/Black_Mouth_Cur), the [Blue Lacy](/source/Blue_Lacy), the [Catahoula Leopard dog](/source/Catahoula_Leopard_dog), the [Mountain Cur](/source/Mountain_Cur), the [Stephens Cur](/source/Stephens_Cur), the [Treeing Cur](/source/Treeing_Cur), and the [Treeing Tennessee Brindle](/source/Treeing_Tennessee_Brindle).{{r|Alderton}} These versatile dogs are used in a number of roles: for herding livestock, as well as trailing and locating lost livestock in thick scrubland; and in hunting a variety of game, including [squirrel](/source/squirrel)s, [opossum](/source/opossum)s, [raccoon](/source/raccoon)s, [feral pig](/source/feral_pig)s, [cougar](/source/cougar)s, and [American black bear](/source/American_black_bear)s, locating game both by sight and scent.{{r|Alderton|Hancock}} While distinctive, American curs vary greatly in size; the various breeds and strains can be from {{convert|12|to|25|in|cm}} in height, and {{convert|40|to|95|lb|kg}} in weight.{{r|Alderton}} ==See also== * [List of dog breeds](/source/List_of_dog_breeds) * [List of extinct dog breeds](/source/List_of_extinct_dog_breeds) ==References== {{Reflist|refs= {{cite book |last=Alderton |first=David |author-link=David Alderton |date=2000 |title=Hounds of the World |location=Shrewsbury |publisher=[Swan Hill Press](/source/Swan_Hill_Press) |pages=129–134 |isbn=1-85310-912-6}} {{cite book |last1=Beilby |first1=Ralph |author-link1=Ralph Beilby |last2=Bewick |first2=Thomas |author-link2=Thomas Berwick|date=1790 |title=A general history of quadrupeds |location=Newcastle upon Tyne |publisher=[S. Hodgson, R. Beilby & T. Berwick](/source/S._Hodgson%2C_R._Beilby_%26_T._Berwick) |pages=301–302 }} {{cite book |last=Edwards |first=Sydenham |author-link=Sydenham Edwards|date=1800 |title=Cynographia Britannica |location=London |publisher=[C. Whittingham](/source/C._Whittingham) }} {{cite book |last=Hancock |first=David |date=2014 |title=Hounds: Hunting by scent |location=Ramsbury, Marlborough |publisher=[The Crowood Press](/source/The_Crowood_Press) |pages=162–163 |isbn=978-1-84797-601-7 }} {{cite book |last=Hancock |first=David |date=1984 |title=Old working dogs |location=Botley, Oxfordshire |publisher=[Shire Publications Ltd](/source/Shire_Books) |pages=21–25 |isbn=0852636784 }} {{cite web |author=HarperCollins |url=https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/cur |title=Cur |date=2020 |website=Collins Dictionary |publisher=[HarperCollins Publishers L.L.C.](/source/HarperCollins) |access-date=9 June 2020 }} {{cite magazine |last=Hörter |first=Rea |date=October 2014 |title=Australian Stumpy Tailed Cattle Dog |url=https://riahorter.com/index_htm_files/e%20Australian%20Stumpy%20Tail%20Cattle%20Dog.pdf |magazine=[Canine Chronicle](/source/Canine_Chronicle) |location=Ocala, FL |publisher=[Endeavor Publications](/source/Endeavor_Business_Media) |pages=276–283|access-date=9 June 2020}} {{cite news |last=Lee |first=Tim |date=25 October 2018 |title=The true blue: Book reveals the real origins of Australia's famous cattle dog |url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-10-25/history-of-the-australian-cattle-dog/10390626 |work=ABC Online |publisher=[Australian Broadcasting Corporation](/source/Australian_Broadcasting_Corporation) |access-date=9 June 2020 }} {{cite web |author=Merriam-Webster |url=https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cur |title=Cur |date=2020 |website=Merriam-Webster |publisher=[Merriam-Webster, Inc](/source/Merriam-Webster) |access-date=9 June 2020 }} {{cite book |last=Morris |first=Desmond |author-link=Desmond Morris |date=2001 |title=Dogs: the ultimate dictionary of over 1,000 dog breeds |location=North Pomfret, VT|publisher=[Trafalgar Square Publishing](/source/Trafalgar_Square_Publishing) |pages=459–460 |isbn=1-57076-219-8}} {{cite web |author=[Oxford University Press](/source/Oxford_University_Press) |url=https://www.lexico.com/definition/cur |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200609095250/https://www.lexico.com/definition/cur |url-status=dead |archive-date=9 June 2020 |title=Cur|date=2019 |website=Oxford Dictionary |publisher=Lexico.com |access-date=9 June 2020 }} }} ==External links== {{wiktionary}} {{Commons category|Curs}} {{British dogs}} {{American dogs}} {{Cur hunting dogs}} {{Hounds}} {{Terriers}} {{Extinct dog varieties}} {{Domestic dog}} {{Auth}} Category:Curs Category:Herding dogs Category:Hunting dogs Category:Dog breeds originating in England Category:Culture of the Southern United States Category:Mixed-breed dogs Category:Extinct dog breeds --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Cur](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cur) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cur?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.