For consistency in squirrel dogs, I don't think you can beat curs and feists. But a good, trained squirrel dog is NOT cheap. I think they cost a lot because people often know what a commodity they have in a finished squirrel dog.Dogs bredfor squirrel hunting are a dime a dozen but good dogscan be a differentstory. You don'twant to end up with somebody's junk. At the same time, there are plenty of nice dogs you can find.You can pay $300 for an adult dog and you can pay $8,000 for an adult dog. I have seen it all and everywhere between. Maybe try a started dog because they can often be had at puppy price or a little more, yet the "raising" is already done and you can just start hunting and working the dog. If it doesn't make a dog, you may have less money in it. I got one of my mountain curs with her littermate for $200 for the pair. In a few months I was killing game. I probably got lucky, but it can happen. Good luck!