Any one had any experiences with fox terriers.

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vikkibeth

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I am looking to persuade my husband to get a wired haired fox terrier, he has almost agreed but he wants a little more information on their personality and ease to train, and behavior towards children and other dogs as all of this is important.

Also if anyone has or knows of anyone who has pups now or soon please let me know.....
 
I know someone who had one - all I can say they are a typical terrier but with attitude!!! They have a VERY high prey drive, useless at recall so never let off the lead unless in an enclosed area, serious high energy dog and very destructive if left alone or if bored, they can get obsessive over things, and they always want to be top dog so often scraps with other dogs regardless of size - they have no idea they are small!! My friends dogs is a bit better now though as she is 10yrs old but still terrible at recall and still can't be left off the lead and still wants to be top dog!!!
So serious amounts of training and socialising with other dogs from a puppy, no small furry pet animals, like rabbits, a very high energy dog that can get nippy around children so children need to be well trained too!!!! - not a breed for the faint hearted, although they look cute!!!:D
 
There is a lot of Fox Terrier in a Parsons JRT, my Parsons was the most loving girl you could ever meet, gentle, great with kids but had bags and bags of energy, she was walked twice a day for 1 hr at a time and would still be bouncing off the walls when we got home.
 
I have the privilege of owning a wire fox terrier! She is a brilliant dog! I can't reccomend them enough. Her temperament is amazing and she is VERY good with other dogs - so good that she has been used for socialising other nervous dogs. She loves everyone but children in particular, she is exactly the sort of dog that enjoys joining in any game - perfect culprit for dressing up etc! Although she is the ultimate lap dog who is fond of her comforts - she is always the one hogging the fire! Don't be fooled though she is also the most unbelievably tough little dog! Most of all though she is a character, a clown who manages to do something totally ridiculous with the most serious look on her face! When she is around you can never be lonely or bored.

Her one fault is that she wont come back when she is called so I rarely let her off the lead although we still do agility! From talking to people who are involved with the breed (chairman of WFTA etc) the image of the terrier that is feisty, tempremental and fights with other dogs couldn't be more wrong they love everyone, dogs and people, but their biggest fault is coming back when they are called... With regards to training mine is trained in obedience to a reasonably high level (sit, stand, down , stay, heelwork, distance control, retrieve, send away etc) and does agility so they are trainable but no they aren't as easy to train as let say a collie... Also in reference to what friesian 80 said I don't find that mine is high energy at all.

As you can probably tell though I adore mine!
 
Thank you guys for your experiences..
Full of energy I can cope with as dog will be down at the yard at least 2h a day, 1h morning and 1h eve :), has anyone had problems with having to keep theirs on a lead or had better experiences.

Alexart... they are cute looking arent they, proper little boys dog, you can see them getting into trouble with my little boys lol
 
Smooth fox terriers are much nicer and so easy to keep clean ,if you know your Beartrix Potter books it was a SFT who ran the Post Office. It was the picture of it behind the counter wearing half-glasses on it`s long long nose that made me get one,she was adorable and called Lupin.
 
EAST KENT said:
Smooth fox terriers are much nicer and so easy to keep clean ,if you know your Beartrix Potter books it was a SFT who ran the Post Office. It was the picture of it behind the counter wearing half-glasses on it`s long long nose that made me get one,she was adorable and called Lupin.
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My grandfather had SFT's and they were fantastic dogs. We had a friend who bred them for 50 yrs and from being a small child my memories of them were that though typical in a terriers they also were very loving. WFT's the ones I have known have been more of a fiesty character than the SFT. Have a trip to Crufts if you can next week and go to the Discover Dogs section and meet both types.
 
I have a WFT x JRT but he is very much a WFT by looks at least.
He is 17 months now and has struggled to get out of his bed this morn! He is at the stables every afternoon with me (off lead), and i walk him everyday at Pitsford reservoir, Sywell reservoir, Harlestone Firs, Salcey Forest etc. (OP, i see your from Northamptonshire so will prob know those areas :-)...). All of that he is off lead, yes he does sometimes have to fully investigate the rabbit hole before he comes back, but i don't think he is any worse than any other terrier, or most other dogs!
He is boisterous when playing with other dogs but the second he gets told off by them he runs a mile!
My sister often looks after him for the weekend and Bob is best friend to my 5 yr old nephew, she also has a 5 month old baby that he is fine with.
As another poster put, i am clearly in love with the little fellow!
I would strongly recommend puppy training followed by training classes (as i would with any dog), Bob has been since a pup and we are hoping to start agility soon.
Here is a pic of the little fellow,
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I've had several and bred a few litters. They are a bit like Shetland ponies - great if they are used for their purpose (working) but they have serious attitude and quite often do not make great, sociable family pets :)

There will be exceptions to the rule of course (just as there are with Shetlands in that some do make good kids' ponies) but I wouldn't recommend them in general as a good family dog. I had mine before I had children. My bitch was incredibly loyal and was with me all the time round the yard and in the car and mostly socialised with adults and other animals. She was ok with the children except when they were at the crawling, irritating (to dogs!) stage, when we had to be very careful to keep them separate. When the children were older, I got another WFT and it was a huge mistake. Sadly due to ill health I had him pts when he was only 4, but in a way it was a huge weight off my mind, and I swore I'd never have another WFT :(
 
I have one parsons x wire, one full bred smooth and one full bred wire............I would not own any other breed, great with children,love cuddles on the sofa, very playful, clean in the house ( left for hours whilst we are at work ) and good with the horses.
Just to add I generally don't have an issue with recall but they are very lively with other dogs so not everyone will appriciate such 'hyper' playing, so out of courtesy I usually put them on leads - this is when they bark alot!!
 
Meandtheboys said:
I have one parsons x wire, one full bred smooth and one full bred wire............I would not own any other breed, great with children,love cuddles on the sofa, very playful, clean in the house ( left for hours whilst we are at work ) and good with the horses.
Just to add I generally don't have an issue with recall but they are very lively with other dogs so not everyone will appriciate such 'hyper' playing, so out of courtesy I usually put them on leads - this is when they bark alot!!
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Do you have any pictures of your parson x WFT? This is what my girl was. I sadly lost her last year in an accident.
 
They are natural born killers, so not with cats, birds or other small pets. Do not let them loose anywhere near a road, the urge to chase/kill far outweighs anything else. Do not let them loose in woods or you may never see them again. If I had a pound for every OAP who said 'I used to have one many years ago, but it ran away'.

I've found that some of them pretty much ignore other dogs, otherwise they just want to dominate or kill them. They are very exciteable and can play very rough, which can scare younger children/those not used to boisterous dog play. Not all of them like children, we had one that went out of her way to avoid them. They can also be pretty noisy out of doors guarding against anything breathing/flying/swimming etc.

Unless you plan to do the grooming yourself factor in say five haircuts a year at say £40 a go. That would just be to maintain a manageable pet standard

If this hasn't put you off though, they are fantastic fun dogs, but only if you have tons of energy and lots and lots of tolerance. Make sure both parents have been eye tested.

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Got to say i am really suprised at amount of negative comments about them, if i didn't already have Bob i don't think i would even consider a Fox terrier after reading this thread!
Are they really that bad and i just lucky to get a dud (although he is a cross).

Just to add to my previous post, i have cats, that he is fine with, but he does chase most furry things out and about but if they stop he doesn't know what to do or after a short burst he gives up and trots back to me. (i am working on stopping the chase altogether).

I have been very firm and consistent with his training and i think having everyone involved with him working from the same set of rules has helped.
 
Aw, I've always liked the look of fox terriers but they certainly sound like a handful! I think our mongrel is some sort of terrier x and i often considered he may be crossed with a FT as he is medium sized and obviously has collie there somewhere as well due to his colour/markings. He is very terrier like in his behaviour though (too clever for his own good as well) and has ALWAYS had selective hearing! Lol
 
I may be a little biased as I have bred 17 litters of WFT over the years and now just have the 2 spayed bitches. They are wonderful intelligent exuberant dogs that love life and people. They are strong willed and dominant but that makes them more fun. They stay active all their long life. They are perfectly trainable if you are consistent patient and fair - but which dogs are not? Ours are rarely on the lead - they run ahead but don't run away. If they do give chase to something, they're very efficient at finding their way back to you. They are real dogs that still have a lot of proper dog instincts so don't get one if you want an ornament or a robot. And yes - no other dog is as smart, elegant and cute at the same time!
 
What I am truly looking for if a proper dog, one that wants to run round have fun with my 5 year old, can come out with us to the yard with my husky cross who is a bit of a lazy sod. My little boy wants a dog that will be his buddy, have same amount of energy as he does,wants to plat catch and fetch, go have an adventure but would also be happy to curl up on the bed with him when he goes to bed and be a dog I can trust as far as you can trust any dog... I know it sounds a lot and I was very lucky I had such a dog when I was little but he was a total mongrel and was just such a lucky find just would love that for him.
 
I have to add the ones I have met, 1, was very placid but buggered off and loved to kill and did bot all it was told. 1, was a radge back and was full on, she had such a temper on her, she hated other dogs with a vengance and would not even stand when in season for them to mate her (of course she should never have been bred from) and she never was (she made sure of that):D she had little patience for the kids in the household and bit them often (they where brats) and was never allowed off lead as had no recall. Althought she liked a fuss on her terms she would growl the whole time your where stroking her (she was alot more respectful and well mannered when she boarded with me) but still she was an aggressive little sod and very hyper.
The last one groomed for years and again it was a bad tempered little git, if would bite the owner frequently and try and savage me during grooming:D, she also beggered off on walks, she was always covered in tics:D.
I dont think it helps when they are not trained properly but there is no denying they are of the most strong willed of the terriers and certianly have the stubborn/dominant streak as suggested.
 
vikkibeth said:
What I am truly looking for if a proper dog, one that wants to run round have fun with my 5 year old, can come out with us to the yard with my husky cross who is a bit of a lazy sod. My little boy wants a dog that will be his buddy, have same amount of energy as he does,wants to plat catch and fetch, go have an adventure but would also be happy to curl up on the bed with him when he goes to bed and be a dog I can trust as far as you can trust any dog... I know it sounds a lot and I was very lucky I had such a dog when I was little but he was a total mongrel and was just such a lucky find just would love that for him.
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Then you would be wanting a fox terrier. Sounds like an ideal home for one. Get in touch with the Wire fox terrier assocn. -they have a puppy list.
 
curran said:
Then you would be wanting a fox terrier. Sounds like an ideal home for one. Get in touch with the Wire fox terrier assocn. -they have a puppy list.
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A Smooth then..or of course one of my little working Lakies,ginger wire coated little jobs just like tiny Airedales :D
 
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This is our smooth fox terrier puppy - Dexter, he happily lives with our cat (she isn't too impressed though) our lurcher who he wears out on walks and our very ancient English bull terrier who has had a new lease of life since he arrived. He loves all the dogs and people he meets including the vet. He isn't too hot on behaving around the chickens but leaves all the other live stock alone and lives in fear of the geese. He is OK off the lead if he is with the lurcher or you have a favourite ball -we are hoping his recall will develop in time He has been very easy to house train and in someways is very smart. In others I am afraid he is pretty dim. He is easy to keep clean -he likes the hose pipeI have wanted one of these for years but my OH always considered them small dogs - he has changed his mind - you wouldn't want it bigger!
 
Darli you FT looks so lovely, it's lovely to see I am not the only mad one with a handful of dogs! Not that you could call my little two dogs I guess more like lazy rat/cats lol.
 
Thank you both for the compliments - not often Poppy AKA as Pig 2 gets told she looks fit! She was four when we got her from a breed rescue eleven years ago - the vet thinks she has a fair few years in front of her yet. She is deaf and we were her fifth home but we had had another deaf one before so she soon settled in. The most exercise she does now is avoiding Dexter's amourous advances - well your not going to make a fifteen year old EBT walk if it doesn't want to.

Here she is:
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With regard to the best type of dog for your son how about a lurcher - come in all shapes and sizes, will go out all day but just as happy asleep on the sofa and make great hot water bottles. and you can do lots with them. There are, unfortunately, usually puppies at the rescues. My daughter grew up with one it went everywhere but school with her even out hacking with the ponies.
 
Fox terriers, like all terriers are high octane, but with intelligent upbringing and a bit of hard work - well they make fantastic dogs.
 
My husband had a smooth fox terrier when he was a small child. Unlike the family Rough Collie (golden dog!), Basset and Cocker Spaniel, nobody has a good word to say about Samantha the terrier. Maybe she was under-exercised or something, but she was always tearing things to shreds, and nipping and/or growling at my husband (a gentle boy, apparently). She was good with the family cats, though.
 
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