Smooth Fox Terrier

AKC Group: Terrier

Club: American Fox Terrier Club

Corresponding Secretary : Martin Goldstein
Address: Po Box 1448, Edison, NJ , 08818-1448
Website: www.aftc.org
Email: MGGFC@AOL.COM
Club Type: Specialty

General Apperance:

The dog must present a generally gay, lively and active appearance; bone and strength in a small compass are essentials; but this must not be taken to mean that a Fox Terrier should be cloddy, or in any way coarse--speed and endurance must be looked to as well as power, and the symmetry of the Foxhound taken as a model. The Terrier, like the Hound, must on no account be leggy, nor must he be too short in the leg. He should stand like a cleverly made hunter, covering a lot of ground, yet with a short back, as stated below. He will then attain the highest degree of propelling power, together with the greatest length of stride that is compatible with the length of his body. Weight is not a certain criterion of a Terrier's fitness for his work-general shape, size and contour are the main points; and if a dog can gallop and stay, and follow his fox up a drain, it matters little what his weight is to a pound or so.

Size:

According to present-day requirements, a full-sized, well balanced dog should not exceed 15½ inches at the withers--the bitch being proportionately lower--nor should the length of back from withers to root of tail exceed 12 inches, while to maintain the relative proportions, the head should not exceed 7¼ inches or be less than 7 inches. A dog with these measurements should scale 18 pounds in show condition--a bitch weighing some two pounds less-with a margin of one pound either way.

Coat:

Should be smooth, flat, but hard, dense and abundant. The belly and underside of the thighs should not be bare.

Temperament:

The dog must present a generally gay, lively and active appearance.

History:

The Fox Terrier is an old English breed. For almost 100 years it was registered and shown in the United States as one breed with two varieties, Smooth and Wire. However, in 1984 the American Kennel Club approved separate standards for the Smooth Fox Terrier and the Wire Fox Terrier; this ruling became effective on June 1, 1985.

Authorities believe the two Fox Terriers probably originated from very different sources. The ancestor of the Wire is thought to be the old rough-coated, black-and-tan working terrier of Wales, Derbyshire, and Durham. The important ancestors of the Smooth are believed to include the smooth-coated black-and-tan terrier, the Bull Terrier, the Greyhound, and the Beagle.

One of the first records of the breed was made in 1790, when Colonel Thornton's "Pitch" - a smooth-coated white Fox Terrier - was immortalized in print and paintings.

Smooth Fox Terriers preceded the Wires in the show ring by 15 to 20 years. At first they were classified with sporting dogs, a tribute to their keen nose, remarkable eyesight, and stamina in driving foxes from their hole.

Early breeders liberally crossed Wire Fox Terriers with Smooths to give the former predominantly white pigmentation, a cleaner-cut head, and a more classical outline. However, interbreeding has been almost universally discontinued for many years.

The original breed standard was so well drawn in 1876 by the Fox Terrier Club in Great Britain that, with the exception of reducing the weight of a male dog in show condition from 20 pounds to 18 pounds, changes were unnecessary for many decades. The American Fox Terrier Club, the parent club of the breed in this country, adopted this standard when the club was founded in 1885.