Breeds / Toy
Toy Fox Terrier puppies
Bold, quick and unusually trainable for a toy dog, the Toy Fox Terrier is a miniature ratter with a short smooth coat, high energy and plenty to say.
The facts
- Size class Toy
- Country of origin United States
- Adult weight 1.8 to 4.1 kg
- Adult weight in pounds 4 to 9 lb
- Adult height 22 to 29 cm
- Energy level High
- Grooming Low
- Coat type Short smooth
- Typical lifespan 13 to 15 years
- Good with children Fine with supervision
- 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, country of origin and health notes
About the Toy Fox Terrier
The Toy Fox Terrier was developed in the United States from small Smooth Fox Terriers crossed with toy breeds, giving a ratter in miniature that also earned a living as a circus performer. It is a tiny, square, fine boned dog with a short smooth coat, erect ears and a surprising amount of leg speed. The temperament is pure terrier scaled down: bold, curious, quick to bark at anything new, and unusually easy to train for a toy dog, with one of the highest trainability ratings on the scale.
Energy is high but a small home suits it, since a lot of the exercise happens indoors between walks. Grooming amounts to a shedding comb or hound glove through the coat, plus nail trimming started young so the dog accepts it. It is bright enough to enjoy obedience and trick work, which also takes the edge off the barking. Because it is so small and so game, it is not a match for toddlers. The usual mistake is overfeeding: weight sits badly on this frame and treats add up fast.
What to expect at eight weeks
At eight weeks a Toy Fox 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 toy breed puppy at eight weeks is small enough to be genuinely fragile. It can be hurt by a jump off a sofa and by being stepped on, and toy breeds are prone to low blood sugar, so it needs frequent small meals rather than two big ones. This is a high energy breed. At eight weeks that shows up as intensity rather than stamina, and it will need a job to do long before it needs long walks. 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 routine patella evaluation
- Eye disease including lens luxation and progressive retinal atrophy, picked up by an ophthalmologist evaluation
- Legg Calve Perthes disease, a degeneration of the hip joint head in young dogs, confirmed by x-ray
- Congenital hypothyroidism with goitre, detectable by DNA test
- Obesity, which is a serious issue in the breed and is tracked by regular weighing and body condition scoring
- Periodontal disease, found at routine dental examination and kept down by tooth brushing
From Toy Fox Terrier breed information at https://www.akc.org/dog-breeds/toy-fox-terrier/. Discuss any of these with your own vet.
Your Toy Fox Terrier puppy's first six months
- Vaccination schedule, dated for your country.
- Worming and parasite schedule.
- Feeding calculator. Set expected adult size to Toy for a Toy Fox Terrier.
- Adult size predictor, to check growth against the 1.8 to 4.1 kg adult range.
- Puppy names and the first week checklist.
Other toy breeds
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Not veterinary advice. Breed information is general. Your own dog, and your own vet, always win.