Treeing Tennessee Brindle Dog Breed

Below are the general characteristics of the Treeing Tennessee Brindle:

Treeing Tennessee Brindles are highly skilled hunting dogs. Their exceptional scenting skills and high intelligence makes them an ideal hunting companion for any owner in need of a locating, trailing, and treeing dog.

The breed is is very courageous and will attempt to tree any animal without retreat. They have a strong character always giving the job their very best. Part of the breed standard of Treeing Tennessee Brindles is they way they "sing" while on the trail. During the hunt the breed has a unique bark which sounds similar to a mix between singing and crying.

Despite the word "Brindle" being in the breed's name, it is of more importance for the dog to show the breed's hunting skills than meet the coloring standard. Because of this it is not uncommon to see black Treeing Tennessee Brindles with tan/brindle markings.

Treeing Tennessee Brindles originated from a Cur breed called "Brindle Curs" (also called "Old Brindle Curs"). The original Brindle Curs were treeing dogs with a tiger-striped and black coat found throughout the Appalachian Mountain and Ozark regions. They were highly favored by their owners for their incredible hunting and treeing skills.

The breed didn't gain public interest until the 1960's when Rev. Earl Phillips came across the breed and decided to start an organization to "preserve and promote" the breed. Rev. Phillips later founded the Treeing Tennessee Brindle Breeders Association in 1967 and created a breeding stock and breed standards to preserve the breed. The original breeding stock used by the Treeing Tennessee Brindle Breeders Association came from Brindle Curs from across the country, but mostly from the Ozarks and Appalachian Mountains.

Treeing Tennessee Brindles are medium sized dogs with a soft short brindle coat. It is not uncommon for the coat coloring to be a tiger striped pattern. They are smaller than other treeing hounds and are muscular and appear well built for speed.

The Treeing Tennessee Brindle has a strong hunting instinct and is very intelligent and fast. They can be laid back, but are very energetic so they will need frequent exercise if kept indoors.

The breed is very loyal and obedient, but can be particularly sensitive to neglect or abuse. Because of this they should be trained with a firm yet gentle hand as too much neglect will cause the dog to permanently lose his/her hunting spirit.

They are people friendly, however their high energy can make them challenging for the elderly and young children.

As hunting dogs, they are very alert and will bark to alert their family of strangers which makes them a good watch dog.

Due to the breed's Cur past, there are no known health issues associated with Treeing Tennessee Brindles.