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Wire Fox Terrier Dog Breed Introduction
Wire Fox Terrier is a sturdy and short backed terrier dog type from England. It is one of the two types of Fox Terriers along with Smooth Fox Terrier. Initially, they were shown as one breed with two coat variations. However, this changed after AKC listed the two as separate breeds in 1985. Although, in its native Country, Smooth and Wire Fox Terriers have been recognized as separate breeds since the late 19th century.
This breed has boundless energy and endless antics. Wire Fox Terriers also possess the high prey drive and independence of terriers. Therefore, training may be challenging but doable through the use of positive reinforcement methods. From the Fox Terriers( smooth and Wire), several breeds have been descended and recognized as separately including Miniature Fox Terrier, Rat Terrier, and Jack Russell Terrier.
This breed is a companion animal that needs constant attention. Although, often some Wire Fox Terriers are surrendered back to the shelter or abandoned for reasons such as chasing bicycle, cars, and other dogs instead of coming on command or provoking and then being aggressive towards other animals including household cats and other dogs. However, these are considered normal habits for a breed that was created to hunt boars, badgers, and foxes. For this reason, keeping a Wire Fox Terrier as a pet requires firm leadership to redirect the prey instincts by providing enough diversion and exercise.
Wire Fox Terrier Origin | History
The Wire Fox Terriers were developed in England. According to the paintings, Fox Terriers have been in existence since the 18th century. They were created by fox hunting enthusiasts from the now extinct black-and-tan working terrier of Durham, Wales, and Derbyshire. It is believed that Wire Fox Terriers were bred to chase foxes into their burrows. It also has a short docked tail that was used by the hunters as handles to pull them back out. The breed was not popular as a family pet until 1930s after the creation of The Thin Man series of feature films. Unfortunately, the popularity of Wire Fox Terriers almost declined in the late 20th century due to change of lifestyle in the Western World and the difficulty of keeping hunting terriers due to the innate high prey drive.
Wire Fox Terrier Lifespan | Life Span
According to AKC, Wire Fox Terriers have a lifespan of 12 to 15 years.
Wire Fox Terrier Grooming | Grooming A Wire Fox Terrier | Grooming Pattern
A Wire Fox Terrier has a a dense wiry coat that sheds at low levels. Dogs kept for conformation shows should be hand stripped if the hair becomes too long. Hand stripping helps to maintain the hair texture, color, and glossiness of the coat. Although, majority of the Wire Fox Terriers that are kept as pets are clipped by a groomer on a monthly basis. Clipping makes the coat soft, dulls the color, and makes the coat more difficult to keep clean.
Regardless of whether the coat is stripped or clipped, it requires regular brushing to prevent matting. While brushing the coat, move the brush in the direction of hair growth using gentle strokes. In case of matting, use a small pair of scissors to cut out the mats. Use a medium steel comb brush after brushing the coat to comb it. The Wire Fox Coats need a bath every 4 to 6 weeks unless they roll into something stinky. Use a shampoo and conditioner that is formulated for wiry coated terriers to bath and moisturize the coat.
After a bath, thoroughly rinse off the grooming products from the coat using lukewarm water to prevent skin irritation. Use a clean damp washcloth to wipe the eye corners and beard on a regular basis. Trim the nails of Wire Fox Terriers every 3 to 5 weeks using nail clippers and grinders. Brush the teeth of a Wire Fox Terrier at least twice a week if not daily to remove tartar buildup using a dog formulated toothpaste and toothbrush. Clean the ears on a weekly basis using an ear cleanser solution and cotton balls to remove wax or debris buildup. Purpose to look out for signs of ear infection such as redness, dark discharge, or odor.
Wire Fox Terrier Haircut
There is a specific haircut or grooming style for Wire Fox Terriers that participate in conformation shows and dogs that are primarily kept as pets as discussed below:
The Show Look ( Hand-Stripping) – To achieve this haircut, the dead hairs are pulled out from the coat using special grooming knives to promote new hair growth and stimulate oil production. Hand stripping helps to maintain the coat structure and color.
The Clipped Cut – An electric hair trimmer or scissors is used to cut down the coat to a uniform short length. However, a clipped coat tends to lighten in color over time. A Clipped cut is appropriate for parents that don’t wish to strip the coat out regularly, older dogs that have completed their show career, and puppies that are highly averse to stripping.
Wire Fox Terrier Shedding
A Wire Fox Terrier sheds at low levels all-year round.
Wire Fox Terrier Coat | Coat Type
The Wire Fox Terriers have a double coat. The top coat has a wiry texture while the undercoat is fine, short, and soft.
Wire Fox Terrier Hypoallergenic
The Wire Fox Terrier is considered a hypoallergenic breed. This is because it has a wiry coat with a coconut mating texture that sheds at low levels all-year round. However, experts argue there is no truly 100% hypoallergenic pure breed or crossbreed. Therefore, pet parents should spend lots of time with a particular dog before adopting to ensure it does not trigger their allergies.
Wire Fox Terrier Training
A Wire Fox Terrier is an intelligent and energetic dog. However, it was bred to work independently. Therefore, they may be a bit difficult to train and get bored easily. The training sessions should be kept short and interesting for a span of 5 to 10 minutes distributed throughout the day. Parents should also assume pack leadership for a successful training. A functional pecking order allows the dog to reach its full potential since the pet understands it is under the leadership of a trusted, loving, and respected leader who will make decisions for the well being of the entire pack.
This breed also requires a consistent, patience, and gentle training. Parents should also use positive reinforcements methods such as use of treats, toys, verbal praise, petting, and playtime to encourage positive results. Avoid using negative training methods such as yelling, shoving, kicking, beating, and use of choke or prong collars. This methods are counterproductive and makes the dog to shut down during training. To raise a friendly, well-adjusted, and well-mannered Wire Fox Terrier, start socialization training from an early age.
Normally, this training starts from an early age of 3 weeks while the pup is with the breeder until the age of 16 weeks after the dog has already settled in its new home. However, it may be a life long process to ensure the dog matures to have a well-rounded personality and temperament. To socialize Wire Fox Terriers, expose them to a wide variety of people, animals, moving objects like cars and bicycles, situations, smell, sight, places, surfaces, and sounds such as baby crying sounds, lawn mowers, vacuum cleaners, washing machine, whistles, door bells, and sirens.
Enrolling a Wire Fox Terrier in a puppy class also serves as a form of socialization. These classes create an enabling environment where puppies interact with each other. A puppy class is also beneficial to pooch owners. It allows the parent to not only identify and correct bad habits but also have access to training information and assistance. Parents should start training their puppies immediately they join them home before they get inclined towards poor habits.
Furthermore, the owners should not allow youngsters to do some of the habits they will not like once the dog matures. Start teaching basic commands words such as come, sit, wait, heel, leave it, lie down, etc. one at a time to avoid overwhelming the dog. Effectively housebreak Wire Fox Terriers by creating a feeding schedule, potty training, and crate training.
Wire Fox Terrier Temperament | Personality
- Intelligent.
- Alert.
- Quick.
- Independent.
- Energetic.
- Confident.
- Fearless.
- Keen.
- Friendly.
- Cheerful.
- Playful.
Wire Fox Terrier Exercise
The Wire Fox Terriers are energetic dogs that require daily exercise in form of chasing a tennis ball in the backyard, long walks with the owner, or playing in a securely fenced yard. However, parents should never walk Wire Fox Terriers off lead due to their high prey drive. They will forget all the training and ignore your recall commands to chase after the small animals they perceive as prey.
Wire Fox Terrier Barking
A Wire Fox terrier is a vocal breed that makes an excellent watchdog. The bark of this breed tends to be high-pitched.
Wire Fox Terrier Height
The Wire Fox Terriers have a height of 15.5 inches ( approx. 39 cm ).
Wire Fox Terrier Weight
Female Wire Fox Terriers have a weight of 15 to 17 pounds ( approx. 6.8 to 7.7 kg ) while their male counterparts have a weight of 18 pounds ( approx. 8.2 kg ).
Wire Fox Terrier Size
The Wire Fox Terriers are small-sized dogs that have a height of 15.5 inches ( approx. 39 cm ) and a weight of 15 to 18 pounds ( approx. 6.8 to 8.2 kg ).
Wire Fox Terrier Health Issues
A Wire Fox Terrier is a robust and healthy breed that has a lifespan of 12 to 15 years. However, it is affected by certain health issues including allergies, megaesophagus, eye disorders like cataracts, and glaucoma, hip and elbow dysplasia, luxating patella, and wobbler’s gait.
Apart from Wire Fox Terriers, other dog breeds include:
Wire Fox Terrier Names
The Wire Fox Terriers parents may decide to get a name for the pets before they join them from the breeder or days after the pets join them home to understand more about their personalities. Owners may get name inspirations from the England heritage, coat color and texture, personality, celebrity Fox Terriers, books, movies, television shows, songs, nature, and historical figures.
Regardless of where you source your name, ensure the name chosen freely rolls off your tongue without making you embarrassed once it is uttered out loud in the public places such parks and malls. Wire Fox Terriers and other dog breeds better understand names that have vowels. Avoid giving your pet a name that rhymes with the command word to prevent confusion.
If a Fox Terrier owner settles with a long name, he or she should find a cute nickname for the dog. If this pooch shares a name with any family member or guests who frequent your home, it may cause chaos. Some of the names that Wire Fox Terriers owners give to their pets include:
- Penny.
- Cleo.
- Asta.
- Apollo.
- Ruby.
- Zoe.
- Lady.
- Cassie.
- Leah.
- Coco.
- Pluto.
- Emma.
- Buddy.
- Tasha.
- Misty.
- Archie, etc.
Wire Fox Terrier Litter Size
After conception, most Wire Fox Terriers have a gestation period of 63 days before whelping a litter size of 3 to 6 puppies.
Wire Fox Terrier Food
The amount of food that a Wire Fox Terrier feeds on depends on its age, activity level, metabolism, size, and body build. Puppies tend to eat small portions of food 3 or 4 times a day due to high metabolism rates from when they start weaning until the age of 6 months. From the age of 6 months, Wire Fox Terrier should feed on a total two meals a day. Look out for the weight level and calorie consumption to avoid overfeeding especially with treats.
Wire Fox Terriers may feed on dry food, wet food, home made, or a raw diet depending on the budget and time of the pet parent. Regardless of the food type, parents should ensure that a Fox Terrier feeds on a balanced diet to maintain a good health eventually allowing it to develop cognitively and physically. If a Fox Terrier parent decides to feed the pet with the commercial dry or wet food, he or she should ensure the first three ingredients are proteins from a known source.
The commercial pooch food should neither contain preservatives, chemicals, additives, Meat by-products, generic meat products, nor fillers. The same goes to the snacks. Dry or wet food should also be formulated for small-sized, puppies, adults, and senior depending on the age of your Wire Fox Terrier . Check the physique of your fur baby to tell whether it is overweight or underweight.
If you can see the ribs, chances are the pet is underweight. However, if the ribs are not visible but can be felt without pressing hard, a Fox Terrier has an ideal weight. If the ribs can’t be felt, the pet is overweight and should be exercised. Pet owners who want to switch to another quality food should gradually do this over a period of one month by mixing both new food and old food. As the weeks progresses, the amount of old food reduces as the new food increases until the Wire Fox Terrier is only feeding on new food during the fourth week.
Wire Fox Terrier White | Colors
The Wire Fox Terriers have a predominantly white base color with brown markings on the ears, face, back, or tail. Normally, some dogs have a black saddle or a large splotch of color on the body.
Wire Fox Terrier Ears | Ears Up
The Wire Fox Terriers have small V-shaped ears with flaps that neatly fold over and drop forward close to the cheeks.
Wire Fox Terrier Head
The head of a Wire Fox Terrier should be 7 to 7.25 inches when measured from the back of the occipital bone to the nostrils.
Wire Fox Terrier Tail
The Wire Fox Terriers have a straight tail that is normally docked to about a length of a three-quarters dock.
Do Wire Fox Terriers Shed
Yes. Wire Fox Terriers shed at low levels all-year round hence considered allergy friendly.
Are Wire Fox Terriers Hypoallergenic
Yes. Wire Fox terriers have a wiry coat that has a coconut matting appearance. The coat sheds at minimum levels all-year round. Although, parents are urged to spend lots of time with a particular dog before adopting to ensure the dog does not aggravate their allergies.
Wire Fox Terriers Quick Facts
- They have a wiry coat that should be hand stripped to maintain the texture, color, and glossiness of the coat especially dogs that participate in dog shows.
- Wire Fox Terrier is one of two Fox Terriers breed along with Smooth Fox Terrier.
- They are short-backed and square proportioned dogs.
