View source for Cur

{{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]], 1800
| image2    = Cur dog, A general history of quadrupeds.jpg
| image_alt2 =
| image_caption2 = Engraving by [[Thomas Bewick]], 1791
| altname  = Cur dog, drover's dog
| nickname =
| stock =
| country  = [[England]]
<!-----Traits----->
| 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    =
<!-----Classification and standards----->
| landrace   =
| extinct    = yes
<!-----Notes----->
| 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]], particularly if its temperament is unfriendly or aggressive.{{r|Oxford|Collins|Webster}} The term is believed to be derived from the [[Old Norse]] ''{{lang|non|kurra}}'', meaning 'to grumble or growl'.{{r|Oxford|Collins|Webster}} In Victorian speech, ''cur'' could be used as an insult.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Conrad |first=Joeseph |title=Lord Jim |date=November 1900 |publisher=Blackwood's Magazine |pages=Chapter 6}}</ref>

==English cur==
In [[England]], the cur, also called the drover's dog, was a distinct [[Dog breed|breed]] of [[dog]] used by cattle [[Droving|drovers]]; they are now extinct.{{r|Morris|Hancock2}} The cur was described by [[Ralph Beilby]] and [[Thomas Bewick]] in their 1790 work ''A general history of quadrupeds'', as well as by [[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]], 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]]s with shorter and smoother coats; in colour they were generally black, [[brindle]]d, or {{linktext|grizzled}} with a white neck and legs and occasionally a white face, they had some feathering on their legs and [[Prick ear|half-pricked ears]].{{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 [[Docking (animal)|docked]].{{r|Morris|Bewick|Edwards}} Edwards described the breed's ancestry as likely a mixture of collie, [[lurcher]], [[English mastiff]], or [[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]] to create the now-extinct [[Halls Heeler]] in Australia. This would make the cur an ancestor of both the [[Australian cattle dog]] and the [[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]], a recognized cur breed]]
In the [[United States]], the term cur is also used to describe a distinctive [[Dog type|type]] of short-haired dog that is used for both hunting and herding that was developed in the [[Southern United States]].{{r|Webster}} When describing these dogs, the term is actually an abbreviation of cur-tailed, as in a dog with a [[Natural bobtail|naturally occurring 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 [[Dog breed|breeds]] have been [[Breed standard|standardised]] within the United States, some have been recognised by the [[United Kennel Club]]; these breeds include the [[Black Mouth Cur]], the [[Blue Lacy]], the [[Catahoula Leopard dog]], the [[Mountain Cur]], the [[Stephens Cur]], the [[Treeing Cur]], and the [[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]]s, [[opossum]]s, [[raccoon]]s, [[feral pig]]s, [[cougar]]s, and [[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]]
* [[List of extinct dog breeds]]

==References==
{{Reflist|refs=

<ref name=Alderton>{{cite book |last=Alderton |first=David |author-link=David Alderton |date=2000 |title=Hounds of the World |location=Shrewsbury |publisher=[[Swan Hill Press]] |pages=129–134 |isbn=1-85310-912-6}}</ref>

<ref name=Bewick>{{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]] |pages=301–302 }}</ref>

<ref name=Edwards>{{cite book |last=Edwards  |first=Sydenham |author-link=Sydenham Edwards|date=1800 |title=Cynographia Britannica |location=London |publisher=[[C. Whittingham]] }}</ref>

<ref name=Hancock>{{cite book |last=Hancock |first=David |date=2014 |title=Hounds: Hunting by scent |location=Ramsbury, Marlborough |publisher=[[The Crowood Press]] |pages=162–163 |isbn=978-1-84797-601-7 }}</ref>

<ref name=Hancock2>{{cite book |last=Hancock |first=David |date=1984 |title=Old working dogs |location=Botley, Oxfordshire |publisher=[[Shire Books|Shire Publications Ltd]] |pages=21–25 |isbn=0852636784 }}</ref>

<ref name=Collins>{{cite web |author=HarperCollins  |url=https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/cur |title=Cur |date=2020 |website=Collins Dictionary |publisher=[[HarperCollins|HarperCollins Publishers L.L.C.]] |access-date=9 June 2020 }}</ref>

<ref name=Horter>{{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]] |location=Ocala, FL |publisher=[[Endeavor Business Media|Endeavor Publications]] |pages=276–283|access-date=9 June 2020}}</ref>

<ref name=Lee>{{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]] |access-date=9 June 2020 }}</ref>

<ref name=Webster>{{cite web |author=Merriam-Webster |url=https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cur |title=Cur |date=2020 |website=Merriam-Webster |publisher=[[Merriam-Webster|Merriam-Webster, Inc]] |access-date=9 June 2020 }}</ref>

<ref name=Morris>{{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]] |pages=459–460 |isbn=1-57076-219-8}}</ref>

<ref name=Oxford>{{cite web |author=[[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 }}</ref>

}}

==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]]<!--Because this article covers both meanings.-->
[[Category:Extinct dog breeds]]