They are said to be crosses of terriers (presumably European) and hounds (presumably the Native American Dogs) used for hunting and are appreciated for being active, extremely alert little dogs that track soundlessly using sight, scent. The Mountain Feist was bred in the southern United States for the purposes of hunting small animals, such as squirrel, and ridding properties of varmint such as raccoons, groundhogs, opossum and rabbits. This sturdy and hardy breed will typically live 10-15 years with few health concerns. Mountain Feists are very low maintenance in regards to grooming but do need quite a bit of outdoor exercise daily to burn off all their curious energy. Members of this breed are adaptable to both indoor and outdoor living (although a fenced yard is ideal), provided they get enough exercise-and love! They are a breed eager to please that bonds closely with the owner they are said to make especially good companions for children and the elderly, and are not difficult to train. They are natural hunters and, besides treeing, have long used their keen senses of vision, smell and hearing to hunt and rid properties of opossum, rabbits, groundhogs, raccoons and other varmint. Owners and experts agree that this breed may be the premier squirrel treeing breed. The Mountain Feist is also known as the (American) Treeing Feist and is thought to have originated in the Southeastern United States a few hundred years ago.

Feist mix dog breed