A little look at life together.
Getting to know the Smooth Fox Terrier
The Smooth Fox Terrier is an alert, active terrier with a close coat and a traditional fox-working background. Safe play and patient training deserve more attention than the relatively simple coat.
An everyday routine
Make space for substantial daily activity and short learning sessions. A busy weekend cannot replace a dependable weekday routine.
Coat care to plan for
A relatively straightforward coat still needs routine checks, appropriate brushing, and attention to nails and teeth. Ask a groomer to demonstrate tools that suit this coat.
Before deciding, meet the individual dog and ask about their history, handling preferences, and current routine. Breed tendencies are a starting point, not a promise about personality.
Smooth Fox Terrier questions
How big does a full-grown Smooth Fox Terrier get?
A Smooth stands 15 and a half inches tall, with males at 18 pounds and females at 15 to 17 pounds. A male should not stand taller than 15 and a half inches at the shoulder, and a female is a little smaller and about two pounds lighter.
What is the difference between a Smooth Fox Terrier and a Wire Fox Terrier?
Mostly the coat. The Smooth has a short, flat, dense coat and the Wire has a rough, wiry one, and the head of a Smooth is more V-shaped. The two were treated as one breed in the United States for many years and have been registered as separate breeds since 1985.
Do Smooth Fox Terriers shed?
Yes, to a moderate degree. The short, hard coat needs a weekly brushing with a thick brush or hound glove. A bath every month or so is usually enough unless the dog has been digging.
Do Smooth Fox Terriers bark a lot?
Expect a vocal dog. Smooths bark often and make excellent watchdogs, always alert to what is going on around them. Early training helps you shape when that voice gets used.
Are Smooth Fox Terriers good with children and other pets?
Fox Terriers have traditionally been great playmates for children who are taught to treat a dog kindly, though some individuals are bothered by the noise of very young kids. Some grow up jealous or aggressive toward other dogs, cats or small pets. Talk it through with the breeder or rescue before you bring one into a home with other animals.
How much exercise does a Smooth Fox Terrier need, and can one live in a city?
Plenty. This is a lively, athletic terrier that needs long walks and active play, and it is equally at home in the city or the country. A Smooth should be kept on a lead or in a securely fenced area, because it is likely to bolt after small animals, and the instinct to dig can be hard on a garden.
How long do Smooth Fox Terriers live?
Smooth Fox Terriers typically live 12 to 15 years. A patella evaluation and a cardiac exam are the health tests recommended for breeding dogs, so those are fair things to ask a breeder about. Your vet is the right person for questions about an individual dog.
What were Smooth Fox Terriers bred for?
They were bred for traditional English foxhunts. The terriers were sent in when a fox went underground, to drive it back out so the hounds and riders could carry on. That history shows in the dog you live with today, since Fox Terriers are more independent than herding or retrieving breeds and more of a challenge to train, though far from untrainable.
