talk to me about terriers

[xchairity_casex]

the thing about terriers is they are not like any other breed they are hyper and tenacious and will push you to you breaking point. they are smart and all over the place if youve only ever owned mellow breeds i would do as much research about them as you possably can meet some also if you can to get an idea of what they are like to be around. terriers need alot fo excersize mental and physical these are not a breed you can bring home each it to sit and the word no and leave ti at that these guys are like chicldren they gobble up nething you can give them in the ways of tricks they hae minds of there own however and if they dont feel like doiing it they wont you really need to motavate them. a testamint to the terriers personality. theres a female jack russel who is about 11 years old now who still litterly tries grabbing the tires of a semi trucks while out for walks. they are fearless little dogs.
so if your still intrested in terriers first purchase some books on dog traiing becuase if your not consistant with training youll end up with a huge problem.
second try to meet some terriers perferably from a breeder ask if you can spend some time with there dogs
third get a stress ball becuase with a terrier puppy your going to need it!

 

[ninny]

I was kinda looking at the borders or cairns. We have had a ton of breeds and mixes but never a terrier. A feisty little dog sounds fun. How are they with agility?

 

[welsummerchicks]

Terriers were originally, mostly bred to have very sharp, aggressive temperaments, and to be very tough, tenacious working dogs. The job? Often to kill rats.

In general, Border Terriers and Nor'iches have a reputation for having a little softer, laid back temperament than 'the average terrier'.

The ultimate terrier temperament...that's up for debate. Some people say the Airdale or Irish terrier is a good example. Airdales additionally seem to be really super hard working dogs and have even bee used for Schutzhund. But there are several breeds that are right up there for 'ultimate terrier temperament'.

Even today terriers very often will 'spar' in the breed ring. They can be very tough, active dogs.

As far as obedience training, I don't think they are the most natural at it. They can indeed be very challenging and stubborn. You do see very good individuals now and then but terriers just were not originally bred for that sort of work. They were bred to be very independent and very, very tenacious.

If you liked Napoleon more than Admiral Nelson, if you like a good knock down drag out fight every once in a while, if you think it's funny when your dog body slams you during the recall at an obedience trial (OH MY GOD was that funny!)...that's sounding like a good dog for you.

I once got called 'on an emergency basis' to come over and 'intervene' with an 'impossible dog' - turned out to be a young Smooth Fox Terrier. The family had had a SCHNAUZER before - compared to their darling sweet Schnauzer, this pup was absolutely Hell on Wheels. It drove them crazy.

Tenacious?

Oh, I think of my friend's Jack terrier leaping up 4 feet in the air over and over and over, to grab at the hose we were watering the flowers with - for three hours. Boing boing boing boing barkbarkbarkbark.

We started quoting that scene from the movie about Son of Sam saying how he went nuts after listening to his neighbor's dog bark - "I couldn't STAND it any more - that barkbarkbarkbarkbarkbarkbarkbark". The dog had to go to the vet - it got a fungal infection from having its mouth constantly wet - all summer - jumping and biting at the hose water.

Tenaciousness?

Oh I think of our friend's Fox terrier who we left down in the woods in a woodchuck burrow - barking at a wood chuck - barkbarkbarkbarkbarkbarkbarkbarkbark - we left at 6 to go to dinner, and the next morning, when we went back to the woods, the dog was STILL there - barkbarkbarkbarkbarkbarkbarkbarkbark. Yes, the dog DID stay down there in that burrow and bark at that woodchuck - ALL NIGHT.

Sense of Humor?

You'll need one. We once spent HOURS trying to catch our friend's Irish Terrier - the dog would dart just out of reach, and dog thought that it was far funnier the thousandth than the fifth time.

You have to be a certain kind of person...LOL. Many people like the terrier temperament, but in a little softer doses - Nor'ich, Border, those breeds. Even my friend's Cairn was a lot softer dog than some other breeds. That was an adorable dog - very kind and sweet. Not at all snappy-yappy.

Some years ago I called my friend to ask her how her young Westie, Murphy, was doing. The phone rang and I heard her pick up - all she did was shout at the top of her lungs, 'OH MY GOD SHE IS SO BAD!'

Murphy, evidently, grasped the concept of 'Come' as being some sort of game where she dashed away hundreds of times and took her owner on a merry chase all over the neighborhood.

 

[ninny]

So it seems that the large ones area bit calmer? The airdale would good match for me i think. But I was looking more to doing earth dog trails and they are a bit big for that.

 

[punk-a-doodle]

Haha, devilish and stubborn, that can often be a terrier. I'm really generalizing here, but the smaller breeds (jrts, westies, etc.) often seem more..devoted/engaged with their owners while the larger breeds can be more standoffish. At least, that is how it has been my personal experience with them. My parents have an airedale who was a pup while I was a teen. One of his favorite games was to sneak up behind me, rip my hair tie out, and dance all over the place with it. So I agree with others. Many terriers have a sense of humor, and it is often wise to make sure you share it!

Wheatons are used for both agility and obedience, and can be a calmer terrier. They are a bit more of a family dog than some other breeds. Check out pumis too. Cute as can be, and also popular for agility and obedience. Their history lies in herding.
Terrier mixes can be devoted and spunky little souls.

 

[Jamie_Dog_Trainer]

I personally have had working Rat Terriers, both Smooth and Wire Fox terriers, Toy Fox Terriers and have trained a lot of other terrier breeds. Of all the Terrier breeds I have had the pleasure or displeasure to train I like the Rat Terrier the very best. They are some of the most trainable of all the terriers, bred to often work closely with their owners, they bond and care about what their owners want (I think more than the other terrier breeds). I have had a lot of really nice Boder Terriers come my way in training and as pets of other dog trainers I know. I have never seen one that I didn't like. Another good terrier breed is the Irish Terrier, they aren't very popular, therefore not over bred here in the US. They have retained a lot of their hunt drive but all of them that I have known (which has only been a few to be honest) have been very nice, easily trained dogs, that bonded very very close with their owners.

My personal favorite is the Decker Rat Terrier. I had one for 19 years 3 months. I got him at age 9-- he was the first dog I ever trained, and my first dog I had as my own. I had to put him to sleep when my daughter was 7 months old. This dog has been with me for every major milestone in my life-- except my birth and first day of school-- for my entire life to that point. I bred him a few times, and he himself came from my Grandmothers kennel. She had steller working RT's. As a breed I think they are exceptionally trainable dogs, let alone a "terrier". They really are wonderful. They also require a firm hand and a consistent owner who will LEAD them. They are very much problem solvers and can take a long time to mature. I hope this helps you some.

 

[carolinagirl58]

If you want to do earth dog trials, Jack Russels are second to none. I used to do terrier trials with my JRT's. It was so much fun for me and for the dogs. As soon as they saw me loading crates in the van, they all went nuts!! They LOVED the trials! There were always a couple of border terriers there too that did really well. I also did agility with my JRTs and boy were they good at it! I had one rough coated male that did great in obediance too. I had an old female that was a house dog and every chance she got, she'd run away to the neighbor's pond across the street to kill snakes. And she was an awesome ratter too. Great little animals.

 

[hunterjumper999]

If money is not an option ( or if it is but your willing to save and wait) I suggest a norwich as well. I had one for 17 years and he was the light of my life for most of them lol.... he was pretty calm as well!

if your looking for spunk, I'd suggest a boston. Mine was a crackhead in another life I think but he's also pretty good. He's coming up on a year and since we crate when we are not home or not able to watch the dogs ( if were outside or whatever)... he'd never been 'out' alone before. We left him out yesterday on accident and were gone for 6 hrs. he didn't tear anything up at all. He actually slept the whole time we were gone.

 

[carolinagirl58]

Quote:
If you are really wanting to do earth dog trials, then you only have a couple of good choices. Jack Russel Terriers and Border Terriers both excel at that sport. Most of the other terriers would not be competitive against those two breeds.

 

[stoneeater]

They got the name Jack Russell TERROR for a reason. We rescued one because he was about to be abandonded by someone. Absolutely fantastic dog; if you have the time and energy. My wife couldn't take the barking though and bought one of those training shock collars for him. He ate it. Him, the pit bull and the rottweiler are the only dogs strong enough to pull me down our driveway. I weigh 285. They're literally tiny pit bulls.
My family had a northern terrier(?) growing up. That's a "Scotty" dog. Looked like the peice from Monopoly. Much calmer. Nice dog.
Our mini dachsund we have now is an awesome dog. Spunky but not in a PIA way. Wrestles with our cats, but only for fun.