Of the thirty-three major terrier breeds (most of which were first used for hunting of some sort and so came up as aggressive and lively), the Toy Fox Terrier has a positive reputation as being the runt of the Smooth Fox Terrier group. And despite its diminutive size, the Toy Fox Terrier is one of the scrappiest and toughest of terriers.
It started, in the 15th century, with the smooth-haired Fox Terrier being favored by the British to go to ground for small game animals and moved to the 18th century»when the English made fox hunting the ideal sport, the hunt masters (the one assigned to kill the fox) chose terriers to be by their sides. Then, the hunters became dismayed that the terrier»s legs were too short to keep up with the foxhounds and started a plan which generated a great number of hunt kennels, where the smooth-haired Fox Terrier was bred, developed, and improved upon to meet the hunt masters» needs and standards.
In the latter part of the 18th century, terrier owners noticed that the runts of the 18 to 20 pound terriers proved to be what one breeder calls «the scrappiest». It was their laudable temperament that impressed breeders enough to create and develop a smaller version by crossing the prized Smooth Fox Terrier with toy breeds (such as the Manchester Toy and the Chihuahua), establishing by 1876 a standard Toy Fox Terrier that was»by the early 1920»s»the hunter»s cherished foxer. Now down to about seven pounds and measuring about 8 ½ to 11 ½ inches, the tenacious, confrontational, and agile breed was one of the finest and most loyal of the working dogs.
But while today»s Toy Fox Terriers are still determined, undaunted animals that are still considered and used as working terriers, they are also lively and loving and loveable as pets. Also sometimes called the Amertoy (American Toy Fox Terrier), this lively, lithe, pocket-sized pooch is smart (trainable), spunky (entertaining), and easy to spoil (so loveable is it). They fit anywhere, eat very little, and require no special grooming.
The Toy Fox Terrier has few needs, that is. It only needs a weekly brushing (to prevent matting), and needs very little exercising, as it gets much from being active by nature»running about your home and property. But outside conditions are usually not good for the Toy Fox, as it cannot tolerate extreme cold or extreme heat and detests getting wet. In addition, it is not a pet for children, as it is too fragile for typical roughhousing that might have the kids unintentionally injuring it. Still, the stamina and devotion is there, making the Toy Fox Terrier a superb companion.
