Family-friendly: | 4/5 |
Exercise needs: | 4/5 |
Easy to train: | 4/5 |
Tolerates being alone: | 2/5 |
Likes other pets: | 2/5 |
Energy level: | 3/5 |
Grooming needs: | 3/5 |
Shedding: | 3/5 |
- Dog suitable for owners with some experience
- Extra training required
- Generally healthy breed
- Enjoys active walks
- Enjoys one to two hours of walking a day
- Small dog
- Minimum drool
- Requires grooming every other day
- Chatty and vocal dog
- Barks, alerts and may be physically protective/suspicious of visitors
- Might not like other dogs
- May need additional training to live with other pets
- May need additional supervision to live with children
- Needs a small garden
- Can live in semi-rural areas
- Can be left occasionally with training
The Wire Fox Terrier breed can suffer from:
- Patellar luxation
- Legg-Perthes disease
- Lens luxation which is a condition where the lens moves from it's normal position in the eye which will result in vision loss and can cause pain.
- Atopy¹ where the skin reacts to allergens in the environment and becomes sore and itchy.
Priority Kennel Club health schemes and testing:
- Eye screening scheme
¹ K. Jaeger et al, 'Breed and site predispositions of dogs with atopic dermatitis: a comparison of five locations in three continents', 2010, Veterinary Dermatology.
Personality
Sharp, independent minded and clever, the quick little Wire Fox Terrier is a formidable foe should you happen to be a rat, mouse or fox. Typical of the terrier type, the Wire Fox is inclined to kill first, ask questions later, and so owners should be aware of their high prey drive and desire to behave like a terrier! Around the house, Wire Fox Terriers are good and amusing companions, if given sufficient training and solid socialisation and habituation to family life – however a bored or under-stimulated Fox Terrier is likely to be loud and destructive.
Did You Know?
The name ‘terrier’ derives from the Latin ‘terra’ meaning earth. Small terriers like the Wire Fox Terrier were original bred to go to ground, down into the holes that foxes and badgers live in. This means being small enough to fit into those holes, brave enough to face a frightened fox or badger head on, and nimble enough to drive them out of their den. It is therefore not a surprise that many terriers believe themselves to be far bigger and more fearsome than their actual size suggests.
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