Mountain Cur Care

The Mountain Cur: medium-sized, athletic, task-oriented, and protective. These dogs were developed to be working dogs with excellent hunting and guardian skills, so they make great companions for active families, preferably those living in rural areas. And one of the breed's greatest attributes is that, aside from some pretty high exercise requirements, Mountain Cur care doesn't require too much effort.

Below you'll find details on caring for a Mountain Cur including puppy development, exercise needs, and shedding/drooling tendencies. For answers to your questions about owning this active, devoted breed, read on!

As an athletic, muscular, task-oriented working breed, Mountain Cur exercise requirements are pretty high. With centuries spent as hunting and guard dogs, these Curs need activities that stimulate them mentally as well as physically. They also make excellent jogging companions.

And specifically how much exercise does a Mountain Cur need each day? The typical adult Cur, depending on its age and overall activity level, will need 60-75 minutes of exercise per day at the very least. You can start exercising your Cur puppy at three months old by taking it on short (10-minute) leashed walks, then increasing the walks' length and frequency as the puppy grows. And walking your Cur pup is a good opportunity to start teaching obedience: you should make the leashed puppy heel--have it walk beside or behind you, in other words, instead of being allowed to lead. This will begin establishing you, the owner, as the pup's leader.

There are also a few precautions to be observed when exercising your Mountain Cur. First, puppies younger than nine months old shouldn't participate in activities that include a lot of jumping, running, and navigating of stairs, as doing so can injure their still-developing joints and bones. And as previously mentioned, your Cur should always be leashed when in public. They not only learn to obey you as the leader, but these dogs are very protective--so they might be aggressive towards strangers or other animals they consider threats. They also have high prey drives, so they may chase interesting looking critters like birds, squirrels, and even small dogs if given the chance. A leash will help you control your Cur in these situations. Even when exercising your Mountain Cur in your own yard, the area will need to be securely fenced to keep the dog from chasing animals for miles.

Safeguards aside, exercising your Mountain Cur every single day is a must. These dogs are task-oriented, and if bored or restless they'll become frustrated, disobedient, and are liable to create their own "tasks"--namely, tearing everything around to shreds. Consistent exercise will be great for your Cur's peace of mind, and for your own sanity as well. A few exercise ideas:

• Walking/Jogging: Two 30-minute walks (or 20-minute jogs) per day is a good target
• Fetch: A Mountain Cur will chase a ball or stick for hours
• Tug-of-War: Great indoor, rainy-day activity; use a rope or old towel
• Swimming: These dogs love the water
• Canine Sports: Mountain Curs excel at agility trials, flyball, and other competitions
• Hiking: Excellent bonding activity; bonus if you can find a remote area where the dog can be off-leash

If your Mountain Cur spends time indoors with you, it's a good idea to give the dog access to one or more balls or chew-toys that will allow it to burn excess energy. It's also recommended that you try and exercise the dog at the same time every day, such as walks or jogs after breakfast and dinner and a play period in the afternoon.

In terms of shedding and drooling, these dogs need low to moderate care. Mountain Cur shedding is light, and seasonal; drooling isn't much of an issue.

Mountain Curs have short-haired double coats that shed lightly for most of the year, and a bit more heavily during the spring and fall shedding seasons. Owner say brushing these dogs once or twice a week (and more frequently during shedding season) will minimize the shedding pretty well. If your Mountain Cur spends a lot of time indoors, vacuuming the floors and using lint rollers on clothes and furniture will be necessary on occasion, but it won't be a constant need.

And Mountain Curs may drool a little in anticipation of food, after drinking water, or when especially excited or nervous, but not much otherwise. If your Mountain Cur is drooling excessively, it may be a sign of a medical issue, in which case a veterinarian's care is necessary.

The Mountain Cur diet will need to include animal proteins, healthy carbs, vitamins, minerals, and omega fatty acids--nutrients every dog needs to maintain its health in the long term. This means the best dog food for Mountain Cur dogs is premium dry kibble, as it has balanced portions of the above-listed ingredients. Cheap, generic food is not recommended for these dogs, because it usually contains mostly empty "filler" ingredients that simply don't meet a dog's daily dietary needs.

Blue Buffalo, Royal Canin, and Taste of the wild are three recommended brands that carry excellent lines of premium dry food.