Wire Fox Terrier Care

The Wire Fox Terrier: scrappy, playful, stubborn, energetic, and fearless. This terrier breed is proud of itself--and it should be. Wire Fox Terriers are great companions to active families willing to deal with the breed's headstrong personality. And one of its best attributes is that besides some high exercise requirements, Wire Fox Terrier care and maintenance doesn't take too much work.

Below you'll find details on caring for your Wire Fox Terrier including puppy development, exercise needs, and shedding/drooling tendencies. For answers to your questions about owning this scrappy little breed, read on.

The Wire Fox Terrier is extremely active and energetic, and will need quite a lot of daily exercise to stay happy and well-behaved. These dogs are intelligent and task-oriented, so they'll need activities that stimulate them mentally as well as physically.

The typical adult Wire Fox,depending on its age and overall activity level, will need at least an hour of proper exercise each day; this you can accomplish with a couple of long walks and a good play period. You can start exercising your Wire Fox puppy at three months old by taking it on short (5- to 10-minute) walks, then you can increase the walks' length and frequency as the puppy grows.

A few things to keep in mind when exercising your Wire Fox Terrier: first, puppies younger than eight months old shouldn't participate in activities that include a lot of jumping, running, and navigating of stairs, as doing so can injure their still-developing joints and bones. And regardless of age, when in public a leash is an absolute must for these dogs. Like other terriers, the Wire Fox is a scrappy, fearless breed with an extremely high prey drive--so these dogs will instinctively chase interesting-looking critters--birds, squirrels, cats, even small dogs--if given the chance; they'll also be confrontational with other dogs (especially bigger ones!). A leash will help you control your Wire Fox in these and other potentially tricky situations. Even when exercising your Wire Fox in your own yard, the area will need to be securely fenced. Dogs of this breed have high wandering tendencies, so they'll quickly escape if unsupervised.

Precautions aside, it's vital that a Wire Fox Terrier gets some exercise every single day. If bored or restless, these dogs will exhibit major behavioral problems like digging, chewing, excessive barking, and aggression towards other pets and even humans. Consistent Wire Fox Terrier exercise will be great for the dog's peace of mind--and for your own sanity as well! A few exercise ideas:

• Walking: Two 30-minute walks per day is a good target
• Fetch: These dogs will chase a ball or stick for hours
• Hide-and-Seek: Great indoor, rainy-day activity; give the dog a treat when it finds you
• Canine Sports: Wire Fox Terriers excel at agility trials, flyball, and other competitions
• Hiking: Excellent bonding activity; bonus if you can find a remote area where the dog can be off-leash

When indoors, it's a good idea to give your Wire Fox Terrier access to one or more balls or chew-toys that will allow the dog to burn excess energy. It's also recommended that you establish a consistent exercise schedule for the dog, such as walks after breakfast and dinner and a play period in the afternoon

In terms of shedding and drooling, these dogs don't need much care. Wire Fox Terrier shedding is minimal, and drooling isn't an issue at all.

Wire Fox Terriers have dense, wiry coats (hence the breed name) that don't shed much. They don't "blow" their coats during shedding season like many other breeds, so not much hair cleanup will be necessary--but these dogs will need regular brushing with a slicker brush to avoid tangles and mats, and they'll require occasional clipping (or hand-stripping, especially if the dog is to be shown) to keep the coats looking neat.

And a Wire Fox Terrier practically never drools. If your Wire Fox is drooling excessively, it may be a sign of a medical issue, in which case a veterinarian's care will be needed. Depending on the length of its beard, a Wire Fox may drip water from its facial furnishings after drinking, but this isn't a huge problem