Treeing Tennessee Brindle

Overview

The Treeing Tennessee Brindle was gathered together from brindle curs across the Appalachian region, chosen for an open mouth on the trail and a willingness to stay at the tree. It is a medium, muscular dog with a short brindle coat, often with white on the chest and feet.

Numbers in Britain are tiny, so the dog in front of you may be the only one you ever walk. The useful mental model is a friendly hound with a cur's toughness and a tendency to speak.

Exercise and walking needs

Plan for an hour and a half of real exercise, with scent work woven in. These dogs trail game for hours at home and a short pavement walk leaves them restless.

A hilly route is welcome. The breed was made for rough country and takes slopes and scrambles in its stride.

On the walk

• Voice: The bark is the breed's working tool and it comes out whenever something is found. Expect to be heard, and plan routes with that in mind.
• Trail: The nose goes down and the dog follows. Give it room to work on a long line, and call it off before it commits to a scent you cannot follow.
• Lead: Moderate pulling, worse at the start of a walk. Let the first few minutes be a sniff rather than a march and the lead settles.
• Other dogs: Bred to hunt in packs, so other dogs are rarely a problem. New dogs are usually greeted with interest rather than suspicion.

Tips for professional walkers

1. Take the walk somewhere with hedgerows and wood edges so the nose has honest work.
2. Keep treats handy to reward checking in; a cur that looks back is a cur you can manage off the line.
3. Towel and check the short coat for ticks after undergrowth, as the brindle hides them well.

What to ask the owner

• Has the dog done any hunting, and how does it react to deer, foxes or squirrels?
• What recall cue and reward does the owner use, and how reliable is it in woodland?
• Is the dog happy to be walked with others, or has it mostly been exercised alone?

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