The word "cur" is over-used IMO ... and is now almost invariably used in a pejorative/derogatory fashion. If we want to pull out the ol' microscope and discuss some basic definitions (in a cool and reasonable manner), that is fine and I am happy to do so.Originally Posted by puma
That said, in my judgment a "cur" is a dog that acts cowardly at some point. What I mean by this is not every dog who stops is a "cur." For example, if a bulldog fights his heart out for 1:20, but is really getting beat badly and stands the line, yeah he is definitely not "dead game," but IMO he is not a "cur" (coward) either ... unless he screams or tries to jump.
What I am getting at is, while I agree quitting is never good, I don't think every quitter is a "cur." A dog that quits on top is a cur. A dog that screams and jumps the pit is a cur (rank cur). A dog that is frustrated for :30 and stands there, basically unhurt, is a cur.
But a bulldog who stands the line after giving it his all, in a life-and-death struggle, all broken- and chopped-up to pieces is no "cur" in my opinion. He may not be "dead game," but by God he is no punk or coward either.
To me, "gameness" is simply the will to win, and it is present (or absent) to varying degrees among individual dogs. A "dead game" dog is simply a dog that "wants to win" all the way up to the last breath of life leaves his body. Most true bulldogs are reasonably game (meaning, they have enough gameness to compete), but are not DEAD game. At some point, most dogs will "stop," but IMO this doesn't necessarily make them curs (cowards). They're fairly game dogs, just not DEAD game.
I agree with you.
It is a matter of simple logic: dead game means the dog will continue to "try to win" until he is dead. If you can't kill him, you will lose to him eventually on the scratch line (unless you have a DG dog too).
A "fairly" game dog simply means an animal will really try his ass off to win in a good effort ... but, if he's busted up too bad, or gets too tired, at some point his "gameness" (will to win) will cease and he'll stand there, but he is more than willing to try his best ... until his life or energy level reaches a critical point. Meanwhile, a "cur" (a coward) will either quit in some disgraceful/cowardly way ... or will simply quit while he's ahead, showing absolutely no resolve or "gameness" whatsoever.
Too many people confuse the word "gameness" with "dead gameness." The word "game" or "gameness" is actually useless by itself. It's like the word "tall." If I say so-and-so is "tall," what does that mean really? Tall in comparison to what? Very tall, fairly tall, etc. Therefore, when a man says a dog is "game," he really hasn't defined anything exactly ... but, for the most part, he essentially means the animal has shown a good desire to win without making a bad move ... but that does not mean the dog is DEAD game. It only means the animal has displayed a reasonable degree of gameness (will to win) to put him at a competitive level. When a man says a dog is DEEP game, he's basically saying this dog was taken pretty close to the "death" mark ... without ever making a bad move and still expressing the "will to win" regardless of his nearly-fatal injuries/fatigue.
Hope this clarifies!
Jack
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