squirrelslayer, I can bet you what you are looking for is an Original Mountain Cur. I'm telling you, these are a natural tree dog and easy to break off any trash. Squirrel are their specialty, but guys use them on coons, hogs, and even bears. Basically, anything that will climb a tree, a cur will put it there and tell the world about it. They get to be 40-50 pounds, but double the grit. I've posted this pic of my cur pup before, but this is my Original Mountain Cur at less than 7 months of age, already got him in the woods and expecting him to start himself on squirrel this fall...just have to give him an honest chance and woods time. You should visit www.sqdog.com and go to the forums section to learn all about them from knowlegable guys over there.