Fox Terrier

The fox terrier started to be raised in the 14th century to accompany the pack of dogs, that ran at fox hunt and to hunt in the burrows. The oldest type is the straight-haired fox. The hard haired– fox was born later in 1814, thanks to the English breeder Jack Russel that worked for the breeding of different hard-haired fox terriers. But the Club Fox Terrier founded in 1875 in England did not recognize the hard-haired fox terrier until the creation of the Wire Fox Terrier Association and the legislation on "trimming" that gave outstanding boost to the breeding. A little after, the hard-haired fox displaced the straight-haired fox to second place when you groom the hair, it gives it a nice aspect and it is useful to protect the dog against bad weather and predator teeth. The fox terrier is an extraordinary hunter. It is not only a good dog to work underground and on the surface too, as chaser or hunting in a pack. It also likes to work in water. In Continental Europe the dogs that kill the prey are preferred while in England a pointer is preferred in other words that make the animals leave from their burrows, so the chasing can continue.

If the fox terrier receives a good education, it is obedient and easy to dominate. It is a very lively and ardent dog therefore it is not recommended to make it live in an apartment.

In the male, the size should never exceed 39.5 cm; the female is smaller. Weight: for the exhibitions 6, 7-8, 15 kg. In the hair the white must be the dominant color. The other colors are not important but the reddish brown or blue are not allowed.

The fur of the straight-haired fox terrier (2) is straight, very close to the body and thick. The hard-haired fox is very matted and tends to get curly. So that the skin cannot be seen when passing the fingers between the hairs, it must be thick and straight at the same time. The lower layer is shorter, softer and finer than the internal layer.

The hard-haired fox fur is cut and trimmed (3). In general the hair on the legs and beard are simply groomed. The hair of the back must be 3-3.5 cm, considering that the hair of the sides and the neck can have a length of 1-1.5 cm and that of the head and ears has a few millimeters. The transition between different haircuts must not be noticed. The hair does not grow at the same speed in all the parts of the body so the hairdressing and cutting should be selective and should be done frequently.