General Description

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(Smooths, Fox Terrier Smooth Coat)The Smooth Fox Terrier is a cheerful breed. They have a small wedge shaped head with an equally petite, but surprisingly long, muzzle.  At the tip of the muzzle is a black nose once used to hunt down foxes and other game. Like the rest of its face, the breed’s eyes are dark-colored. Their ears sit high and cress well above the topline of the skull.Their ears are triangular and fold over themselves. The Smooth Fox Terrier’s body is small, but sturdy.  Their legs are solid with good bone and lead down to oval-shaped feet with thick pads. The breed’s tail is normally docked and stands up straight on their back. Their coat lies flat and sleek and can come in four color variations: all white, white with black markings, white with brown markings, or white with both black and brown markings, with all white being the most popular variation.

Character

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The Smooth Fox Terrier is a loving, yet often dominant dog. They love their family and children. However, they are extremely aggressive towards dogs and small animals. The breed is playful and friendly with their family and with very well known dogs, but they should not be trusted in off-leash areas.  Without sufficient exercise, Smooth Fox Terriers can become destructive.  They also have a propensity for being dominant and will sometimes bark constantly.  Because the dog is protective of its property, it makes a good guard or watch dog, but this same trait can cause the dog to become snappy with its owners.

General Health

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The Smooth Fox Terrier is a healthy breed with only a few minor concerns, such as cataracts, distichiasis, Legg-Perthes, lens luxation, and shoulder dislocation.  Smooth Fox Terriers have an average life expectancy of more than 15 years.

History

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Smooth Fox Terriers are actually a combination of many older hunting dogs, including the Beagle, Dachshund, and the English Hound.  Originally, the Smooth and Wirehaired versions of this breed were simply grouped together as Fox Terriers who shared the same job: tracking down foxes and forcing them out of their holes for the hunters.  In 1876 when the standard for the Fox Terrier was created, both coats were still being lumped together.  In fact, they wouldn’t be separated for another 100 years.  They became two distinct breeds in 1984.

Maintenance

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The breed does not require much grooming. They should be brushed once a week at least and bathed when needed. However, they do need plenty of exercise. Smooth Fox Terriers enjoy running in a yard or being walked once a day. They like off leash areas but cannot be trusted around any other animals. If not properly socialized, they may become uncontrollable. The breed also requires obedience training at a young age to prevent some of these problems.

When training a Smooth Coat, keep in mind that ultimately, this breed loves praise and wants to make their owners happy. A propensity towards hunting will require added vigilance on the part of the owner when a Smooth Coat is close to smaller animals, including cats and other, smaller dogs. Smooth Coats tend to be more accepting of larger animals, especially those larger than a fox.

Ideal Environment

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The Smooth Fox Terrier is a sweet, loving dog, but it has its problems. The breed does love its family, especially the children. However, they do not love other animals and will often attack other dogs or small animals. They can live in a house or an apartment but do need plenty of exercise, such as regular walks or time to romp in a roomy yard. They are often too lively and strong willed for older or disabled individuals and need a strong leader to help them through obedience training and socialization. Without such a leader, the breed will become dominant and may guard their possessions from the owners aggressively. They can often bother neighbors because of their constant high pitched barking, so they do best in rural areas where neighbors are far apart.

Smooth Fox Terriers tend to bark to protect their yards, homes and people. With proper attention and training by their owners, this tendency can be turned into a great benefit for city-dwellers looking for a small, loyal guard dog full of heart. Like all dogs, the more time and interest the owner puts into the relationship, the better behaved a Smooth Coat will be.

Smooth Fox Terrier Q&AAsk a Question

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  MY fox sleeps so much she's more like a cat. Is this normal?

  MY fox sleeps so much she's more like a cat. Is this normal?

  Asked by Anonymous - 2 answers
• 
  my fox is 64 days of pregnancy and still nothing, how long should I wait?

  my fox is 64 days of pregnancy and still nothing, how long should I wait?

  Asked by Anonymous - 0 answers

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