View source for Treeing Feist

{{Use American English|date=August 2020}}
{{Infobox dog breed
| name           = Treeing Feist
| image          = Young's Atomic Flash.jpg
| image_alt      =
| image_caption  =
| image2         =
| image_alt2     =
| image_caption2 =
| altname        = Mountain Treeing Feist<br />American Treeing Feist
| nickname       =
| stock          =
| country        = [[United States]]
<!-----Traits----->
| weight         = {{cvt|12|-|30|lb|kg}}
| maleweight     =
| femaleweight   =
| height         = {{cvt|12|-|18|in|cm}}
| maleheight     =
| femaleheight   =
| coat           = Short
| color          = Any color or color pattern
| litter_size    =
| life_span      =
<!-----Kennel club standards----->
| kc_name        = [[United Kennel Club]]
| kc_std         = https://www.ukcdogs.com/docs/breeds/treeing-feist.pdf
| fcistd         =
| notrecognized  =
| extinct        =
<!-----Notes----->
| note           =
}}
{{Infobox dog breed
| name           = Mountain Feist
| image          = 0809bigun.jpg
| image_alt      =
| image_caption  =
| image2         =
| image_alt2     =
| image_caption2 =
| altname        =
| nickname       =
| stock          =
| country        =
<!-----Traits----->
| weight         =
| maleweight     =
| femaleweight   =
| height         =
| maleheight     =
| femaleheight   =
| coat           =
| color          =
| litter_size    =
| life_span      =
<!-----Kennel club standards----->
| kc_name        = [[United Kennel Club]]
| kc_std         = https://www.ukcdogs.com/docs/breeds/mountain-feist.pdf
| fcistd         =
| notrecognized = 
| extinct        =
<!-----Notes----->
| note           =
}}
The '''Treeing Feist''' is a  [[Dog breed|breed]] of [[Feist (dog)|feist]] from the [[Southeastern United States]]. Originally considered a single breed, Treeing Feist and  '''Mountain Feist''' are now separately recognized by the [[United Kennel Club]]. 
Feist, originally bred to hunt squirrels, were separated into several breeds, often crossed with rat terriers. Several Appalachian breeders chose black Feists and bred smaller to tree, 'ring' and  retrieve squirrels.

==History==
In the 19th century a small type of dog developed in the mountainous regions of the Southeastern United States.  Used to hunt small game, these dogs were bred from [[terrier]]s and [[hound]]s.{{r|Morris|Mehus-Roe}} These dogs became known as the Treeing Feist; feist is a derivation of fist and is a term used in Southern America for a small fierce dog.  The word treeing refers to their hunting style of running game up into trees and indicating to the hunter which tree the game has climbed.{{r|Morris}} Both the Treeing and Mountain Feist breeds are used to hunt small game, particularly [[squirrel]] and rodents, as well as [[raccoon]]s, [[opossum]]s, [[rabbit]]s and for flushing birds.{{r|Mehus-Roe}}

In the 20th century these dogs became increasingly rare and in the early 1980s a group of devotees banded together to prevent their extinction.{{r|Morris}} In 1984 the Mountain Feist Association was formed; in 1985 this was replaced by the American Treeing Feist Association, and this was joined by the Mountain Feist Breeder's Club in 1986, the Mountain Treeing Feist Organization in 1992 and the Traditional Treeing Feist Club in 1999.{{r|Morris}} In 1998 the [[United Kennel Club]] recognized the Treeing Feist as a breed,{{r|UKC-Treeing}} in 2015 they recognized the Mountain Feist as a separate breed.{{r|UKC-Mountain}}

==Description==
Both breeds are described as small, active, alert dogs; they have short, dense coats that can be found in any color, combination of colors or color patterns. They usually have pricked ears although semi-pricked ears are common and their tails can be [[Docking (animal)|docked]] at any length or left intact.{{r|Morris|Mehus-Roe}}

Originally they could be found in a very broad size range, being anywhere between {{convert|10|and|22|in|cm}} in height and {{convert|10|to|35|lb|kg}} in weight.{{r|Morris|Mehus-Roe}} The United Kennel Club [[breed standard]]s for both breeds restricts this somewhat to heights between {{convert|12|and|18|in|cm}} and weights between {{convert|12|and|30|lb|kg}}.{{r|UKC-Treeing|UKC-Mountain}}

==See also==
* [[Portal:Dogs|Dogs portal]]
* [[List of dog breeds]]

==References==
{{reflist|refs=

<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=229–231 |isbn=1-57076-219-8}}</ref>

<ref name=Mehus-Roe>{{cite book |last=Mehus-Roe |first=Kristin |date=2005 |title=The original dog bible: the definitive source for all things dog |location=Irvine, CA |publisher=Bow Tie Press |pages=349–350 |isbn=1-931993-34-3}}</ref>

<ref name=UKC-Mountain>{{cite web |url=https://www.ukcdogs.com/mountain-feist |title=Mountain Feist |author=<!--Not stated--> |date=2015 |website=[[United Kennel Club]] |access-date=19 August 2020 }}</ref>

<ref name=UKC-Treeing>{{cite web |url=https://www.ukcdogs.com/treeing-feist |title=Treeing Feist |author=<!--Not stated--> |date=2020 |website=[[United Kennel Club]] |access-date=20 August 2020 }}</ref>

}}

{{Cur hunting dogs}}
{{American dogs}}
{{Terriers}}
{{Hounds}}

[[Category:Dog breeds originating in the United States]]