Overview
The Denmark Feist is one of several regional feist strains from the southern United States, named for the Denmark area of Tennessee rather than the country. Feists are small, short-coated hunting dogs that locate squirrels and other small game, chase them up a tree and bark until the hunter arrives.
You are highly unlikely to find one in Britain, and anyone who has will be an enthusiast. Expect a lively, athletic little dog with terrier-like keenness, a strong nose and a loud voice when it finds something. Indoors they are affectionate and usually easy; outdoors they are working dogs.
Exercise and walking needs
An hour a day with plenty of sniffing and some running in a secure space is a reasonable baseline. Feists are built for bursts of speed and long periods of searching rather than steady mileage.
Woodland walks are heaven and torment in equal measure: full of squirrels and full of chances to lose the dog. Keep the lead on.
On the walk
- Squirrels: The dog will find them before you do and will try to chase them up a tree. Keep it on a lead in parks and woods.
- Barking: Treeing dogs bark at what they find, loudly and for a long time. Plan routes away from gardens if the dog finds something.
- Recall: Workable with food and training but unreliable with game in view. Use a long line.
- Other dogs: Usually sociable; feists often hunted alongside other dogs and are not typically quarrelsome.
Tips for professional walkers
- Give the dog scent games and a chance to search; it needs the hunting outlet more than distance.
- A harness with a secure fit matters; a feist mid-chase will slip a collar.
- Keep a coat handy in winter for a short-coated small dog that stands still watching trees.
What to ask the owner
- Has the dog ever hunted, and how does it react to squirrels, cats and birds on a walk?
- What does the owner do about the barking, and is there a cue that stops it?
- Is there anywhere secure where the dog can run off lead?