On Thanksgiving Day the Wire Fox Terrier won the National Dog Show! Let’s learn more about this active breed!
The Wire Fox Terrier originated in Great Britain and was orginally used for driving foxes from holes, where other longer legged terriers could not fit. The Wire and Smooth Terriers were bred and shown together as one breed with two coat variations until they were recognized separately by the AKC in 1985.
The Wire Fox Terrier stands at 14-15.5 inches tall and weigh 15-19 pounds. The head is long and wedge shaped, with small dark eyes and V-shaped semi-pricked ears. The body is shorter than it is tall. The tail of the Wire Fox Terrier is docked. The coat is double coated and has a soft undercoat and hard, wiry outer coat. The coat color is mostly white and can have patches of any colors.
The Wire Fox Terrier is friendly, alert and very intelligent. This is a very bold and active dog, with a tendency to dig. This is not the dog for families with other small pets, as it tends to see them as prey. The Wire Fox Terrier can also be too high strung for young children. This breed loves to play and explore, run, hunt and chase. Wire Fox Terriers are usually fairly reserved with strangers and have a reputation of being scrappier than the smooth Fox Terrier.
The coat does require dedicated grooming, which includes regular brushing and trimming. Clipping is usually done every 3 months. The undercoat of the Wire Fox Terrier does not shed.
As with most terriers, this is an extremely active breed. They require daily exercise and simple walks are just not enough for this breed. They need to have frequent exposure to large fenced in areas where they can run around freely. This is a bright breed that catches on quickly to training. These dogs thrive in agility, flyball, and terrier hunting competitions.
Common health issues are hip and knee problems, allergies and Cushing’s disease. Average lifespan for the Wire Fox Terrier is 13-15 years.
Fun fact: The Wire Fox Terrier has won more Best in Show titles at the Westminster Kennel Club dog shows (13) than any other breed.
Famous Wire Fox Terriers:
- Owned by Queen Victoria
- Caesar, owned by King Edward VII
- Milou, from The Adventures of Tintin comics
- Bob, from the Hercule Poirot episode, Dumb Witness
- Bunny, from Hudson Hawk
- Chester, from the movie Jack Frost
- George, from Bringing up Baby
- Polly, owned by Charles Darwin
