Introduction
The Wire Fox Terrier, also known at times as the Wire-haired Fox Terrier, the Broken-haired Fox Terrier and most affectionately as “the gentleman of the terrier world,” is an old English breed that has been shown in the United States for more than a century. It shares its ancestry with that of the Smooth Fox Terrier and really differs only in coat. The Fox Terrier developed in the 17th century as a hunting and sporting dog that specialized in flushing fox and other vermin from their dens. Its keen senses of sight and smell, together with its small size and great stamina, made it especially well-suited to that task. The Fox Terrier is “all terrier.” He is plucky, active, intelligent and intensely focused on whatever job he is given to do. The Fox Terrier is used less to hunt fox and rodents now than in times past, and today he is more commonly used as a show and companion animal. Potential owners should remember that this lively terrier has an almost insatiable instinct to dig and can be quite vocal.
The Wire Fox Terrier was recognized by the American Kennel Club as a breed distinct from the Smooth Fox Terrier in 1984; this change went into effect in 1985. The combined breed was first admitted into the AKC’s Terrier Group, with a smooth and a wire variety, in 1885. The Wire Fox Terrier rose dramatically in popularity in the 1930s, due largely to the Thin Man thriller series, starring William Powell and Myrna Loy. Their lively pet, a male Wire Fox Terrier named Asta, played a prominent role in those six highly successful detective films.
The mature male Wire Fox Terrier should not exceed 15½ inches at the withers and should not be more than 12 inches from withers to the root of the tail in length, with the female being slightly smaller but in the same proportion. The adult male in show condition usually weighs about 18 pounds, with a bitch being about 16 pounds in the same condition. The breed’s dense, wiry coat appears broken, and its hair has a tendency to twist but should never have any trace of curl. The stiff outercoat covers a shorter growth of softer undercoat. White should predominate, with black, black-and-tan or tan markings. Brindle, red, liver or slate blue markings are objectionable under the American standard. The Wire Fox Terrier’s tail typically is docked to about ¾ of its original length and is set high and held upright.
The Fox Terrier has been shown in the United States as one breed with two varieties, the smooth and the wire, since it was first recognized by the American Kennel Club in 1885. In 1984, the AKC approved separate standards for the Smooth Fox Terrier and the Wire Fox Terrier, and the breeds were recognized as fully distinct effective June 1, 1985. Experts believe that the two coat-type varieties of fox terriers developed very differently.
Fox Terriers are spunky, fearless, loyal dogs who adore the outdoors as much as they enjoy people. They were developed to work as part of fox hunting parties, bolting foxes from their dens out into the open where Foxhounds and hunters then took over. Their small size allowed them to get into the foxes dens, and t heir long legs helped them keep up with the hounds. Today, Fox Terriers still enjoy running and digging,
The Wire Fox Terrier is an active, lively dog with a short white coat and black or brown markings. They are small but strong and powerful with well-defined muscles - qualities necessary in the world of fox hunting. The skull is flat and tapering and the ears fold forward in a V. The eyes are small, deep set and dark in color. The head is wedge shaped and chiseled, the neck strong. The tail is
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