Fox Terrier (Wire)
Terrier

Group:

Terrier

Size:

medium

Lifespan:

10-13 years

Exercise:

moderate

Grooming:

moderate

Trainability:

easy

Watchdog ability:

very high

Protection ability:

very low

Area of Origin:

England

Date of Origin:

1800’s

Other Names:

none

Original Function:

vermin hunting, fox bolting

History

In developing the terriers we know today breeders crossed ancient Dachshunds, the English Hound, and later the Fox Hound and Beagle. One of the oldest terriers, the Fox Terrier was used in the 18th century to hunt foxes in England. Its job was to harass the fox out of its hole. The dog would snap and growl and lunge at the hiding fox until it bolted. They were also very useful ratters. Predominantly white dogs were preferred because they could be more easily distinguished from the quarry in dim lighting. The Wire was bred for use in rough country, its coat being less vulnerable to damage than that of the Smooth Fox Terrier. Today the Fox Terrier is primarily a companion dog. The Wirehaired and Smooth Fox Terriers are sometimes regarded as the same breed, although the breed has been separated. Some of the Fox Terrier's talents include: hunting, tracking, watchdogging, agility and performing tricks.

Temperament

This energetic fun loving dog is affectionate and playful. Wire Fox Terriers are courageous and devoted and make excellent watchdogs, though some have been known to bark excessively. The Wire Fox Terrier will instinctively alert its owner of someone approaching. They are easily trained and do well in obedience. Wire Fox Terriers are alert and quick of movement. The Wire Fox Terrier character is imparted by the expression of the eyes and by the carriage of ears and tail. Wire Fox Terriers like to explore so should be kept in a safe enclosed area.

Upkeep

The Fox Terrier must have daily exercise. It will do much to exercise itself given the room, but it profits from a good walk on leash, a vigorous play session or an off-lead outing in a safe area. This breed can live outdoors in a temperate to warm climate, but it does better as an indoor dog with access to a secure yard. The Wire's coat needs combing two or three times weekly, plus shaping every three months. Shaping for pets is by clipping, and for show dogs, by stripping. Some training of the ears may be necessary as puppies for proper adult shape to develop. Wires shed little to no hair and are good for allergy sufferers.

Official Breed Standard

CHARACTERISTICS:
The Terrier should be alert, quick of movement, keen of expression, on the tip-toe of expectation at the slightest provocation. Character is imparted by the expression of the eyes and by the carriage of ears and tail.

GENERAL APPEARANCE:
The dog should be balanced and this may be defined as the correct proportions of a certain point or points, when considered in relation to a certain other point or points. It is the keystone of the Terrier's anatomy. The chief points for consideration are the relative proportions of skull and foreface; head and back; height at withers; and length of body from shoulder-point to buttock - the ideal of proportion being reached when the last two measurements are the same. It should be added that, although the head measurements can be taken with absolute accuracy, the height at withers and length of back are approximate and are inserted for the information of breeders and exhibitors rather than as a hard-and-fast rule. The movement or action is the crucial test of conformation. The Terrier's legs should be carried straight forward while travelling, the forelegs hanging perpendicular and swinging parallel to the sides, like the pendulum of a clock. The principal propulsive power is furnished by the hind legs, perfection of action being found in the Terrier possessing long thighs and muscular second-thighs well bent at the stifles, which admit of a strong forward tust or "snatch" of the hocks. When approaching, the forelegs should form a continuation of the straight of the front, the feet being the same distance apart as the elbows. When stationary it is often difficult to determine whether a dog is slightly out at shoulder but directly he moves the defect - if it exists - becomes more apparent, the fore-feet having a tendency to cross, "weave" or "dish". When, on the contrary, the dog is tied at the shoulder, the tendency of the feet is to move wider apart, with a sort of padding action. When the hocks are turned in - cow-hocks - the stifles and feet are turned outwards, resulting in a serious loss of propulsive power. When the hocks are turned outwards the tendency of the hind feet is to cross, resulting in an ungainly waddle.

Head and Skull:
The top line of the skull should be almost flat, sloping slightly and gradually decreasing in width towards the eyes. In a well-balanced head there should be little apparent difference in length between skull and foreface. If, however, the foreface is noticeably shorter, it amounts to a fault, the head looking "weak and unfinished". On the other hand, when the eyes are set too high up in the skull and too near the ears, it also amounts to a fault, the head being said to have a "foreign appearance." Although the foreface should gradually taper from eye to muzzle and should dip slightly at its juncture with the forehead, it should not "dish" or fall away quickly below the eyes, where it should be full and well made up, but relieved from "wedginess" by a little delicate chiselling. While well-developed jaw bones, armed with a set of strong white teeth, impart that appearance of strength to the foreface which is desirable. An excessive bony or muscular development of the jaws is both unnecessary and unsightly, as it is partly responsible for the full and rounded contour of the cheeks to which the term "cheeky" is applied. Nose should be black.

Eyes:
Should be dark in colour, moderately small and not prominent, full of fire, life and intelligence, as nearly as possible circular in shape and not too far apart. Anything approaching a yellow eye is most objectionable.

Ears:
Should be small and V-shaped and of moderate thickness, the flaps neatly folded over and drooping forward close to the cheeks. The top line of the folded ear should be well above the level of the skull. A pendulous ear hanging dead by the side of the head like a hound's is uncharacteristic of the Terrier, while an ear which is semi-erect is still more undesirable.

Mouth:
Both upper and lower jaws should be strong and muscular, the teeth as nearly as possible level and capable of closing together like a vice _ the lower canines locking in front of the upper and the points of the upper incisors slightly overlapping the lower.

Neck:
Should be clean, muscular, of fair length, free from toatiness and presenting a graceful curve when viewed from the side.

Forequarters:
Shoulders when viewed from the front, should slope steeply downwards from their juncture, with the neck towards the points, which should be fine. When viewed from the side they should be long, well laid back and should slope obliquely backwards from points to withers, which should always be clean cut. A shoulder well-laid back gives the long fore-hand, which in combination with a short back, is so desirable in Terrier or Hunter. Chest deep and not broad, a too narrow chest being almost as undesirable as a very broad one. Excessive depth of chest and brisket is an impediment to a Terrier when going to ground. Viewed from any direction the legs should be straight, the bone of the forelegs strong right down to the feet. The elbows should hang perpendicular to the body, working free of the sides, carried straight tough in travelling.

Body:
The back should be short and level, with no appearance of slackness - the loins muscular and very slightly arched. The brisket should be deep, the front ribs moderately arched and the back ribs deep and well sprung. The term "slackness" is applied both to the portion of the back immediately behind the withers when it shows any tendency to dip and also the flanks when there is too much space between the back-ribs and hip-bone. When there is little space between the ribs and hips, the dog is said to be "short in couplings", "short-coupled" or "well-ribbed up". A Terrier can scarcely be too short in back, provided he has sufficient length of neck and liberty of movement. The bitch may be slightly longer in couplings than the dog.

Hindquarters:
Should be strong and muscular, quite free from droop or crouch; the thighs long and powerful: the stifles well curved and turned neither in nor out; the hockjoints well bent and near the ground: the hocks perfectly upright and parallel with each other when viewed from behind. The worst possible form of hindquarters consists of a short second-thigh and a straight stifle, a combination which causes the hind-legs to act as props rather than instruments of propulsion. The hind-legs should be carried straight tough in travelling.

Feet:
Should be round, compact and not large - the pads tough and well-cushioned and the toes moderately arched and neither turned in nor out. A Terrier with good-shaped fore-legs and feet will wear his nails down short by contact with the road surface, the weight of the body being evenly distributed between the toe-pads and the heels.

Tail:
Should be set on rather high and carried gaily but not curled. It should be of good strength and substance and of fair length - a tee-quarters dock is about right - since it affords the only safe grip when handling working Terriers. A very short tail is suitable neither for work nor show.

Coat:
The principal difference between that of the Smooth and Wire variety is that, whereas the former is straight and flat, that of the latter appears to be broken - the hairs having a tendency to twist. The best coats are of a dense, wiry texture - like coconut matting - the hairs growing so closely and strongly together that when parted with the fingers the skin cannot be seen. At the base of these stiff hairs is a shorter growth of finer and softer hair - termed the undercoat. The coat on the sides is never quite so hard as that on the back and quarters. Some of the hardest coats are "crinkly'' or slightly waved, but a curly coat is very objectionable. The hair on the upper and lower jaws should be crisp and only sufficiently long to impart an appearance of strength to the fore-face, thus effectually differentiating them from the Smooth variety. The hair on the fore-legs should also be dense and crisp. The coat should average in length from 1.90 to 2.54 cm (.75 to 1 in) on shoulders and neck, lengthening to 3.81 cm (1.5 in) on withers, backs, ribs and quarters. These measurements are given rather as a guide to exhibitors than as an infallible rule, since the length of coat varies in different specimens and seasons. The judge must form his own opinion as to what constitutes a "sufficient" coat.

Colour:
White should predominate; brindle, red, liver or slate blue are objectionable. Otherwise colour is of little or no importance.

Weight and Size:
Bone and strength in a small compass are essential, but this must not be taken to mean that a Terrier should be "cloddy", or in any way coarse - speed and endurance being requisite as well as power. The Terrier must on no account be leggy, nor must he be too short on the leg. He should stand like a cleverly-made, short-backed Hunter covering a lot of ground. According to present-day requirements, a full-sized, well-balanced dog should not exceed 39.3 cm (15.5 in) at the withers - the bitch being proportionately lower - nor should the length of back from withers to root of tail exceed 30.4 cm (12 in), while to maintain the relative proportions the head - as before mentioned - should not exceed 18.4 cm (7.2 in) or be less than 17.7 cm (7 in). A dog with these measurements should scale 8.1 kg (18 lb) in show condition - a bitch weighing some 0.9 kg (2 lb) less - with a margin of 0.4 kg (1 lb) either way.

Faults:
Nose: white, cherry or spotted to a considerable extent with either of these colours. Ears: prick, tulip or rose. Mouth: much undershot or much overshot.

NB:
Old scars or injuries, the result of work or accident, should not be allowed to prejudice a Terrier's chance in the show-ring, unless they interfere with its movement or with its utility for work or stud.

Note:
Male animals should have two apparently normal testicles fully descended into the scrotum.