Breeds / Small
Brazilian Terrier puppies
Lively, alert and quick to learn, the Brazilian Terrier is an agile farm terrier bred to hunt vermin. It is affectionate with its own people, watchful with strangers, and needs a great deal of activity.
The facts
- Size class Small
- Country of origin Brazil
- Adult weight 10 kg
- Adult weight in pounds 22 lb
- Adult height 33 to 40 cm
- Energy level Very high
- Grooming Low
- Coat type Not published
- Typical lifespan 12 to 14 years
- Good with children Reliably good
- Good with other dogs Fine with supervision
Where these come from:
- akc.org for adult weight and height, life expectancy, energy, grooming and the temperament ratings, coat type and health notes
- fci.be for country of origin
No published figure for coat type, so nothing is shown rather than a guess.
About the Brazilian Terrier
The Brazilian Terrier developed when European terriers brought home by returning students crossed with local Brazilian dogs, producing a fast, smooth coated farm terrier used on vermin and small game. It is a light, leggy, tricolour dog with a flat skull, semi erect ears and a great deal of spring in it. The temperament is exactly what the job suggests: alert, noisy about intruders, restlessly curious, and affectionate and playful with the family it lives with.
Energy is very high, and daily walks plus sport or structured play are the minimum. The chase instinct is strong, so it is lead work and fenced areas only. Grooming is easy, with brushing two or three times a week during the twice yearly shed and very little the rest of the year, and baths only when the dog is genuinely dirty. It learns quickly and enjoys training. The usual error is assuming a small dog is a low effort dog, which this one is nowhere near.
What to expect at eight weeks
At eight weeks a Brazilian Terrier puppy is sleeping around 18 to 20 hours a day, is not house trained, and cannot hold on for more than an hour or two at a stretch. A small breed puppy at eight weeks is light enough to carry everywhere, which is exactly how you get it socialised before the vaccination course finishes. It will still need four meals a day. This is a very high energy breed. The mistake owners make is trying to tire it out physically. Training, scentwork and puzzles will do more than distance ever will. Grooming is straightforward, but start handling the coat, feet and ears in week one anyway so it is never a fight later. The socialisation window is open and closing: everything it meets calmly now, from vacuum cleaners to men in hats, is easier for the rest of its life.
Health worth knowing about
Conditions this breed is reported to be predisposed to. Predisposed does not mean inevitable, it means ask about it.
- Patellar luxation, found on a clinical orthopaedic examination
- Mucopolysaccharidosis type VII, a rare storage disease, detectable by DNA test
From Brazilian Terrier breed information at https://www.akc.org/dog-breeds/brazilian-terrier/. Discuss any of these with your own vet.
Your Brazilian Terrier puppy's first six months
- Vaccination schedule, dated for your country.
- Worming and parasite schedule.
- Feeding calculator. Set expected adult size to Small for a Brazilian Terrier.
- Adult size predictor, to check growth against the 10 kg adult range.
- Puppy names and the first week checklist.
Other small breeds
Previous: Braque Saint-Germain · Next: Briard
Not veterinary advice. Breed information is general. Your own dog, and your own vet, always win.