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Smooth Fox Terrier Dog Breed Facts
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Breed: Smooth Fox Terrier
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Also Called:
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Height: The Smooth Fox Terrier is about 15.5 inches tall.
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Weight: The Smooth Fox Terrier weighs between 16-18 lbs.
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Colors: The Smooth Fox Terrier can be white with tan and black markings. White is predominate.
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Physical Appearance: The Smooth Fox Terrier is a muscular but agile, active, small-to-medium hunting terrier, with sufficient length of leg to run with the foxhounds in a hunt, and built to go to ground after fox. The body is square and covered with a short, dense, smooth coat. The head is moderately narrow, with a flat skull, a barely perceptible stop, and a powerful muzzle that is equal in length to the skull. Ears are set high and are V-shaped, dropping forward, and carried close to the skull. The tail is straight, set high, and normally docked, but not close to the body. The coat is predominantly white in color. The Smooth Fox Terrier is modeled on the symmetry and power of the Fox Hound. When standing, the distance between the front and rear feet is long in comparison to the relative shortness of the dog's back.
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Temperament/Personality: The Smooth Fox Terrier is a lively and active dog. Great with children. Trustworthy and affectionate.
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Care: The Smooth Fox Terrier sheds very little. He needs an occasional brushing and bath.
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Health Concerns/Problems: Some known health problems of the Smooth Fox Terrier are: Deafness, Luxating Patellas, Lens Luxation, Distichiasis, Cataracts, Legge-Perthes Disease, Shoulder Dislocations, Myasthenia Gravis, Goiter, and Idiopathic Epilepsy.
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Training: The Smooth Fox Terrier is easily housebroken.
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Activity: The Smooth Fox Terrier should have daily walks and exercise in a fenced yard.
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Life Span: The Smooth Fox Terrier lives an average life of 12-14 years.
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Litter Size: The Smooth Fox Terrier has an average litter of 3-6 puppies.
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Country of Origin: The Smooth Fox Terrier originated in England.
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Brief History: When fox hunting became popular in England in the late 17th century, hunters found the need for a dog that could go to ground and bolt the quarry. Terriers, game and eager, were ideal for such a purpose but most of the early terriers were dark in color and too low on leg to run with a pack of foxhounds. Hunters began to develop a longer-legged terrier, predominantly white in color so as not to be mistaken for a fox. Early fox terriers were primarily smooth-coated. By the end of the 19th century, smooth and wire-coated Fox Terriers were in great demand, both as companions and show dogs. Although considered one breed for many years, interbreeding of Smooth Fox Terriers and Wire Fox Terriers ceased in the early 1900s. Except for coat, however, the two breeds are essentially identical.
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