We are in the midst of our first 'official' squirrel dog (cur) and beginning the training process. This lil guy is now 8 months old and seemingly coming along although I'm new to it as well. Enter the new twist: my wife nonchalantly entered a contest for the kids and they won a Mountain Feist pup that we plan on picking up this weekend. Talk about when it rains, it pours right? Has anyone had both breeds at the same time, let alone gone through the training process at the same time? Just looking for anything to look out for. Maybe I'm just looking into it too much?

I have a mix of a mnt.cur and a fiest. I hunt with a buddy that just have curs. Difference curs more track dogsuse those noses tree and don't timber from my experience real well. Fiest more hearing, sight will use their noses just not as much, timber real well. So if you can get them both hunt together you will have both of best world's. As far as training get them in the woods! I made a feeder with PVC pipe and put in in the open where the squirrels have to be on the ground when. The dogs come up on them and have to run to the surround trees to take one. This helps pups get excited for the chase and start using their nose when they lose sight. Also cur dogs are better tree dogs unless the squirrel is timbering. Then fiest shine in my opinion

One of mine chases them up the tree. the other follows them and chases them back down again ... really wears them out .

Here's mine about 8-9 months old,
She will start her woods time as soon as the rains return for mushroom hunting.
Right now she is snake hunting under my deck. lol



This is her Daddy.

2019 UKC State Champion Fiest SQCH Oak Creek Iceman (500+ 300 circle 1 hr cast) l to r judge Charlie Hackworth handler Joush Thompson and guide Jake Miller

I saw pups for sale out of Iceman on the Feist Facebook group last night.

I want a feist myself. I had to put mine down the Winter before last after 15 1/2 years. I want another mostly white one like her, but really want her back, more than about anything else I own.

Keith

He also has an incredible female cur dog .
She is World champion dog.
Calls her Velvet.
Tri colored looks like a lot of walker in her.

Dill those are good looking dogs. That Cur is real pretty

what is your fav firearm for squirrel hunting with dogs?

I'm big on shot guns when they are starting and need squirrels dropped to the ground. But usually .22 most the time when they are started

Love the pics and info on this thread. We are planning on getting our first feist in November so hopefully we can have the basic commands down by spring and go from there.

Anybody know of any reputable cur breeders in Michigan ....Ive been searching and coming up empty..?

Feist guy personally. Size suits my family better. Mine uses his nose quite well and timber’s with the best of them. Great dog. Turned down some insane money on him last fall. He’s a squirrel machine.

My feist is really coming around. He is coming 18 months and trees quite well. He is slowly learning to use his nose more, but he is mostly sight, sound hunting. he goes ape crazy when he knows he has one up a tree. When they start toppin he goes absolutely crazy.
our season is now open, but I am waiting for the leaves to start dropping before I take him out a lot. hopefully a lot of the bugs will be gone by then.

We went the other day came back loaded with seed ticks, so the wait in on for 1st frost a leaves to fall... I hate leaves!

[video:google]https://photos.app.goo.gl/z9VUnvSs8JbjiiFR9[/video]. Couple videos

[video:google]https://photos.app.goo.gl/Luq88mbEwCv3MC5n7[/video]. Notice he is always looking up for the timbering out

Any reason we don't see more feist cur mixes?


I had a pit bull about 20 years ago that acted/hunted just like a feist. Best squirrel dog ever but was heavy enough (50lbs) for our weather.

I'm pretty sure my cur has the nose he needs but not really sure what to do with it yet. I do have him looking up and checking the tree tops now. I can watch him hit a trail and follow it right to the tree, sniff and look up the tree but doesn't seem to hold much interest after that. I suppose he just needs to actually see a real squirrel do the thing. I'm working on that part too but I don't do well with heat and mountains! Heading for the feist tomorrow morning, should be an interesting weekend.

Dan he will get there, if he is tracking but you think needs to see the squirrel, take him to an open park, or start baiting the squirrel with feeders. That helped mine out alot seeing them run off helped his nose when they hit the woods he lost sight and started using his nose. He is still more sight and sound dig, however his nose is coming around.

When they starting seeing them run up trees and they start treeing, and they get taste of fur it starts coming around pretty quickly in my experience