Tenterfield Terrier puppies

About the Tenterfield Terrier

The Tenterfield Terrier is a small, smooth coated Australian working terrier descended from the English working terriers that early settlers brought out with them. For years they were simply called mini foxies: small enough to push vermin out of a burrow, hardy enough to spring up onto a saddle and ride out with the horse. The name honours the Tenterfield Saddler, and both Dogs Australia and Dogs New Zealand recognise the breed in the Terrier group at an ideal 28 centimetres.

Grooming is close to nothing, a wash and an occasional brush over a single, short coat. Dogs NSW puts daily exercise at around twenty minutes, though most will cheerfully take a great deal more, and the breed is quick to learn and keen to work alongside a handler. They suit an active household with a securely fenced garden. Size aside, skip the lapdog treatment and keep up the training: the hunting drive is intact and a Tenterfield will follow it.

What to expect at eight weeks

At eight weeks a Tenterfield 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 them socialised before the vaccination course finishes. They will still need four meals a day. Expect moderate energy, in short bursts separated by long naps. 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 they meet calmly now, from vacuum cleaners to men in hats, is easier for the rest of their life.

Health worth knowing about

Conditions this breed is reported to be predisposed to. Predisposed does not mean inevitable, it means ask about it.

• Congenital hypothyroidism with goitre, which a DNA test on both parents identifies before mating
• Primary lens luxation, detectable by DNA test on breeding stock
• Dental crowding and tartar in a small jaw, found at a routine veterinary check and kept down by regular teeth cleaning
• Intestinal worms, covered by the regular deworming schedule Dogs NSW sets out for the breed

Your Tenterfield 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 Tenterfield Terrier.
• Adult size predictor, to check growth against the Not published adult range.
• Puppy names and the first week checklist.

Kit sizes: chew toys made for small breeds. Worked out the same way as the crate size calculator. PetMD bases a crate on the dog's own measurements, not weight or breed alone, so measure once the puppy is home.

Buying guides for this

• Best crate for a puppy: wire, plastic or soft, and how to size one with a divider

Other small breeds

More on the Tenterfield Terrier

Previous: Teddy Roosevelt Terrier · Next: Texas Heeler

Sources

• dogsnz.org.nz for adult weight and height, energy, grooming and the temperament ratings and coat type
• dogsnsw.org.au for life expectancy, country of origin and health notes
• Health notes from Tenterfield Terrier breed information at https://www.dogsnsw.org.au/breeds/browse-all-breeds/tenterfield-terrier/. Discuss any of these with your own vet.

No published figure for adult weight, so nothing is shown rather than a guess.

Photo: David Nemirovsky, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons, cropped. All photographers are listed on the photo credits page.