01/10/2023
Mountain Feist Dog Breed Information
Today’s Mountain Feist is the result of decades of breeding for performance and they are still primarily used to hunt Squirrels in the South. These dogs are tough and thrive with owners who have an active lifestyle, their natural hunting ability, intelligence and loving loyal disposition make them a well-rounded companion dog and their popularity is growing as more people meet and fall in love with this delightful little breed.
Appearance, Size and Lifespan
They are a slender sturdy muscular dog with long legs, upright ears, dark eyes, medium length muzzle. They can have Natural or Docked Tails, I am choosing to leave my puppies with their natural tails like their father since I see no real reason to do otherwise, and it is one of his cutest features in my opinion. The breed comes in all colors and combinations of colors and patterns.
The Mountain Feist is considered a Small to Medium Sized Breed, they range in weight from 15-30 pounds depending on the bloodline. They average 12-20 inches tall at the withers. Our Male is 20lbs, 15.5” tall and our Female 18.5lbs, 14” tall.
I have seen a wide range listed online from 10-18 years as an average lifespan for this breed.
Maintenance and Grooming
The Mountain Feist was bred to be a minimal maintenance breed, they have a short sleek coat of hair that does not require haircuts or trips to the groomer, they do shed an average amount year-round. You can use a bristle or slicker brush to remove loose hairs occasionally. They are clean dogs who only need a bath on occasion if they become very dirty. You will need to clip they nails regularly as they are not big diggers, also check their teeth and ears to make sure they are staying nice and clean, we have had no issues with our two dog’s teeth or ears to date but do offer plenty of sticks and raw bones for them to chew on to help keep their teeth clean naturally.
Temperament/Personality
Mountain Feist are a hunting breed of terrier so are highly active dogs, they are Curious, Alert, Affectionate, Friendly, Fun, Playful, Intelligent, High Spirited yet very Lovable. They are devoted and loving towards their families and make wonderful companion dogs, they love to cuddle up on the couch or in the bed with their people. They are people pleasers and will always try to make their people happy. Our male will pout if he is yelled at for doing something wrong and will then do everything possible to kiss up to make you happy with him again. They do like to be underfoot in the house and will follow you from room to room and sleep under your chair while you work (our male) or on the desk/ in your lap (my female).
They can be wary of strangers, our male is cautious until we tell him the stranger is okay, my female loves EVERYONE but will not accept treats from strangers, when offered a treat she looks to me and I must accept the treat and then give it to her.
Mountain Feist are calm when they are not out hunting and they seem to do really well around small children gently moving in for attention from the child, ours seem to know what level of energy to use in that situation to not scare the child, they of course should still be supervised at all times and the child needs to be taught to respect the dogs space and not to lay on them or tug their ears.
They make a good pet for children as they are a tough sturdy breed that is a good size, small but not too small. They are not a nippy breed. They love to run and play with people of all ages.
They are not aggressive like some other terrier breeds and have a weaker pray drive then our Jack Russel’s do. I have seen some breed articles that mention they have a high pray drive and should never be trusted with small pets, we have NOT found that to be true at all, each of our dogs has a Cat best Friend they play and snuggle with, both ignore the free-range chickens and other livestock, and my female is friends with my Ferret. They are both submissive to our other older dogs. I think if they are properly introduced that they can get along well with all pets and livestock unless you have a pet squirrel, that maybe an issue lol.
Exercise
These dogs LOVE to run and they are good at it, they have a smooth flowing gait and are very agile, they are capable of great burst of speeds, I have heard they do very well at AKC Fast Cat Trials. They should also be good for Agility competitions since they are good jumpers, my female likes to jump up and sit on the porch rails, ours are rarely penned up but when they are they do not climb or jump out of the fences. They climb up leaning trees in the woods when out hunting or hiking.
As is true of all Hunting and Terrier Breeds these dogs need exercise daily so they do not get board, I have heard that they can become destructive if not properly exercised. They need room to run in a fenced in yard or large acreage or an owner who is active and likes to go on long walks or runs. These dogs live for the outdoors and the woods. They are ideal for active people or hunters, farmers who are outdoors daily, they enjoy watersports like boating, kayaking, paddle boarding and they just adore Hiking, Hunting and Biking. They love to play fetch or chase a ball thrown by their owners indoors or outdoors, they also play well with other dogs and friendly cats. My female also likes to play in water, Our Male not so much.
A well exercised Mountain Feist will be the calmest most mellow dog indoors and in the car. They are always ready to go for a car ride and ours do very well in stores and at outdoor public events.
Hunting
The Mountain Feist was originally bred in the Southern United States to be a minimal maintenance hunting breed of small vermin, they are specifically a “treeing dog” which means they chase game above ground rather than digging like other terriers. Feist are considered the very best when it comes to Squirrel hunting, they can also be trained to hunt Rabbits, Birds and Rodents. They hunt using sight, sound, and scent. They hunt by running through the woods in circles always coming back to check in with their owner before making another circle. They bark once they have a squirrel treed. They love to hunt but can be easily called off the trail by their owner unlike other terrier breeds that must be physically stopped from hunting at the end of the day.
History
Feist (also spelled Fice or Fyce) were developed as a landrace breed without a written breed standard by breeders who wanted a small easy to handle and maintain dog to hunt small vermin and game. They are believed to be a very old breed dating back to the 17th and 18th centuries and were here decades before the Rat Terriers that they are often mistaken for were even brought to this country. There is not a lot of written history about this breed, but they were believed to be quite popular and very well loved, George Washington talked about Fice dogs in his Diary and Abraham Lincoln wrote a poem before the Civil War that mentioned Fice Dog’s hunting prowess.
During our Founding Fathers times they probably looked different then todays Feist but over time the breed has been refined and the UKC recognized and issued an official Breed Standard in 2015.
Environment
Due to their short coat they are not suited to live outdoors year round so will need a warm home or insulated heated dog house for the winter at the very least. They need a fenced in yard or large acreage, or a owner willing to take them on long daily walks/runs. This is not a breed that would be happy in a crate all day. Our dogs live in our home and are very spoiled and allowed to run to their hearts content outside to meet their exercise needs. I have no intentions of ever letting any of my puppies go to a home where they would have to live outside as I do not feel that they are properly equipped to deal with winter temperatures.
Training
They are a highly intelligent breed and with a gentle yet firm and consistent owner in our experience were easy to train. My female learned to sit and lay in a few days and give me your paw in a matter of minutes. They are treat and praise motivated. I recommend early obedience training and socialization. The only failure we have is trying to stop them from eating the canned cat food, they just can’t help their selves lol.
