![]() Jack Russell traits often remain visible despite this crossbreeding. Some Mountain Feist bloodlines were indeed bred down from Jack Russell Terriers, crossing most likely with treeing dogs, such as Treeing Walker hounds. Finally, while active, most Mountain Feists do not generally exhibit the frenetic energy of Jack Russells. Jack Russells also tend to be more combative. Most feists are fairly quiet dogs, and lack the tendency toward excessive barking demonstrated by some Jack Russells and other hunting dogs. Its legs are longer and the tail of a Mountain Feist is usually shorter than that of a Jack Russell.ĭespite some physical similarities, however, the behavior and temperament of a Mountain Feist and a Jack Russell are often quite different. The coat of a feist is generally softer and smoother than that of a rough-coated Jack Russell. However, certain physical characteristics separate the two, and can be easy to identify to the trained eye. Mountain Feist and Jack Russell Terriersīecause of similarities in appearance, Mt Feists are sometimes mistaken for Jack Russell Terriers, particularly in shelters and dog pounds. ![]() The original fox terrier type was documented in England in the 18th century. ![]() There are many other variants of this type, such as the Parson Russell Terrier and Rat Terrier, and many locally developed purebred breeds. Fox terriers and feists are often predominantly white so as to be visible to hunters. Similar dogs are the Smooth Fox Terrier, developed to flush out foxes for hunters in England (but now primarily kept for conformation showing and as a pet), and the Jack Russell Terrier, used for ratting. Claude Shumate, who wrote about the feist for Full Cry magazine, believed that the feist was descended from Native American dogs, mixed with small terriers from Britain, and was kept as early as the 17th century ( Full Cry, December, 1987). In her 1938 novel The Yearling, author Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings uses the spelling of feist to refer to this dog. William Faulkner mentions the "fice dog" in The Sound and the Fury, but uses the spelling "fyce" in the stories "Was" and "The Bear" from the collection Go Down, Moses: "a brave fyce dog is killed by a bear". George Washington referred to them in his diary in 1770 when describing a dog as "a small feist looking yellow cur." Abraham Lincoln wrote about the "fice" dog in his poem, "The Bear Hunt". Written accounts of the dogs go back centuries, with several spelling variations seen. Both the National Kennel Club and the United Kennel Club recognize the Feist breed. The Treeing Feist includes the Atomic Feist, Barger Feist, Boggs Creek, Cajun Squirrel Dog, Charlie Feist, Fleming Creek Squirrel Dog, Hickory Grounds Feist, Horse Creek Feist, Hurley Comb's bred Feist, Mullins Feist, Riverun Feist, Shaderidge, and the Rat Terrier. Various named varieties within the feist type umbrella have been developed, including the Mountain Feist which includes the Baldwin Feist, Buckley Feist, Denmark Feist, Galla Creek Feist, Kemmer Feist, Lost Creek Feist, Sport bred Feist, and the Thornburg Feist. It is a good idea to leash the dog in the presence of a squirrel.Īlthough they put up a furious chase, feists rarely catch squirrels, expecting their owners to shoot them. During the chase they will wade through streams, leap over logs, and dash across roads to get to their prey. When they have treed a squirrel, they will chase the squirrel until it leaves their sight. They locate squirrels using their eyes, ears, and nose then tree them barking loudly and circling the tree, in the same manner that a coonhound trees raccoons. When hunting, feists, unlike hounds, most are silent on track until they tree a squirrel. Most feists have an extreme drive to chase rabbits, squirrels, and all rodents. This contrasts with terriers or Dachshunds, earthdogs that go to ground to kill or drive out the prey, usually rodents, European rabbits, foxes, or badgers. Individual dogs can hunt in more than one way, but in general, feists work above ground to chase small prey, especially squirrels. They are identified more by the way they hunt and their size than by their appearance. As Feists are bred for hunting, not as show dogs, there is little to no consistency in appearance (breed type), and they may be purebred, crossbred, or mixed breed dogs. The ears are set high on the head and are button, erect, or short hang. Feists are small to medium sized dogs 10 inches to 18 inches/45 cm tall, and weigh anywhere from 15 - 30 lbs, short-coated dogs with long legs.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |