Terriers Dogs and Puppies

Terriers are, in their majority, rat and mouse hunters that were first bred a few centuries ago in the British islands. When the Romans arrived there, they already found hunting dogs of a very small size that they called terrarii, for terra (earth), probably because these were the only dogs that used to hunt under ground land, meaning, getting into the tunnels and the vermin's hideouts that they were in charge of chasing them.

HISTORY OF THE TERRIERS

The Terriers have been always farm dogs, tireless rodent's and vermin's hunters. The aim of all hunting dogs described up till now, was to help the hunter. What was expected from the Terriers, on the other hand, was to take care of killing the natural enemies of farmers, themselves. That is the reason why they have such strong jaws and sharp teeth that won't let the prey out once they were caught. Once again, the function that is should develop determined the physical characteristics of the breed.

The little size of the Terriers in general, for example, was the answer to their necessity to get into their enemies' hideouts, tunnels and cracks; however, there are exceptions as the Kerry Blue Terrier and the Irish Wheaten Terrier of soft hair, which exceptional height among the Terrier's group responded to its multifunction character since they had to be guardians, shepherds and hunters at the same time. The Irish laws of that time used to prohibit the farmers to have hunting dogs, so the farmers were forced to adapt their Terriers to turn them into all-purpose dogs. dog sweatersThe Terriers should also have easy maintenance hair, so it is frequently enough with a quick brushing and one or two thin outs per year, since the farmers didn't normally have time or desire to brush and groom their dogs a lot. The short hair Terriers may have hard hair that used to be an efficient protector during difficult times, or soft, if the dogs were bred to work under softer conditions. However, the soft haired Terriers, with only few exceptions, have rough hair if we would compare it with other hunting dogs as the Fox-Terrier with short and straight hair, for example, that has a more rustic and tougher coat than the majority of canine breeds with short and straight hair.

The Terriers that chase vermin up to their own hideouts used to have short paws that would allow them to get into tunnels and holes and eyes pretty deep-set as a general rule to make them less vulnerable during combat. Beside that, Terriers use to have the tail very high and frequently cut up to the middle of its normal length, as a reminder of the times in which the owners used to get their dogs back by taking them by the tail, short and firm, to take them out.

Finally, Terriers are trouble makers by nature, because ruthlessly chasing and attacking the vermin was one of their main virtues and this treat of their character has been kept even after turning into company animals. A Terrier would hardly ever start a fight, but once it is evolved in one, it not the type of dogs that give up easily, but the type that fights up to the end.

TYPES OF TERRIER

Almost every region has developed its own breed in the British islands. Many of them, as the ones of the region of Devon and Cheshire, are already extinguished, but there are still many of them remaining as the ones of the regions of Manchester, Kerry or Airedale. The peculiarities of each area are reflected on the physical features of the different local Terriers. Thus, the Cairn Terrier's coat, for example, is so long and thick that look almost like wool as an answer to the hard climatic conditions of its native Scotland.

Outside the British islands, the Terriers have developed different functions, so the rest of the European countries or the United States includes their Terriers or buzzards into other breed groups. The German buzzards are taller than most of the British Terriers making it incapable to getting into hideouts or warrens, but, as good Terriers, they are excellent to alert everyone about the presence of intruders or get rid of vermin. The aspect of the Schnauzer is similar to the British Terriers', but its character makes it more adequate as a company dog.

Besides that, many breeds properly called Terrier that are included here among the Terriers might perfectly be included into other groups as the Staffordshire Bull Terrier, the Bull Terrier and the Boston Terrier for example, all of them, descendants of the Mastiff, a working dog of very big dimensions or the Tibetan Terrier, that comes from the Spitz. Others, like the Yorkshire terrier and the English Toy Terrier, even when they were bred as working Terriers, were miniaturized later and are currently considered a Toy variety. Dog Collars Dog Toys

THE TERRIER AS A PET

The Terriers are used a lot as pets. Many owners feel attracted by it noisy, malicious, courageous and outgoing character. Their size allows it to adapt to most modern houses and they are loyal partners, affectionate and playful as a general rule, even when they can be kind of disobedient, this can be avoided with an adequate training when they are still young.