The word "feist" is an ancient one referring to a small, often noisy, dog. Like the Cur breeds, the Feist breeds were developed in the rural South by breeders who needed low-maintenance dogs to hunt small game and to eliminate vermin.

Feists were often the result of crosses between hunting hounds and terriers. Today's Treeing Feist is the result of generations of breeding for performance and it is still primarily used to hunt squirrel, although they are also used to hunt raccoon, rabbits and flushing game birds.

(credit: United Kennel Club)