Smooth Fox Terrier Information

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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.

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Character

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.

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Size

13-16 inches
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Weight

13-20 pounds
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General Health

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.

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History

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.

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Maintenance

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.

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Ideal Environment

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.

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Dog Training!

If you're having problems training your dog or getting control, you should read our review of DogProblems.com. Adam will do whatever it takes to help you whip your dog into shape. I've used them to help with my Great Dane as well as help friends train their dogs. It's the first place I go to help answer users Questions. Many training issues are too extensive to answer in this forum, which is why I refer a lot of the load to his site. Update: I've been using and recommending DogProblems for three years now. I, as well as my users, value the techniques we've learned. I get weekly emails from users who have become better owners from the information they received.

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Smooth Fox Terrier Q&A

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

Yes, mine 'sleeps' a lot, generally. But I think you'll find that if you whisper your dog's name very quietly, or one of her treasured words, like 'goodie' for mine, or 'want to go bye-bye' quietly that she/he wasn't really sleeping. Just truly resting his/her eyes. My Jack Russell/Fox Terrier (very pointy nose, I'm told she's a mix) sleeps when I'm busy and when I'm ready to go she's ready to go. Nice combination. She's probably less than 2 years old. But I'm reminded in my readings to not take advantage of the cat-like nature because I remember once not taking her out for a day and she got a bit unsettled so I try to get her out once or twice a day, even if very late. Then she's incredibly relaxed in the house. By the way, she's not one to bark. A lucky thing for me! I wouldn't worry about the sleep but see that she/he gets good exercise too!

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

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