Toy Fox Terriers: Puppy Facts

This breed has very short hair and will not do well in cold climates. Even down here in California, during the cold months, we have to put sweaters on our dogs otherwise they catch chills.

This is definitely an indoor dog. No dog house for this little breed.

They have very strong personalities and WILL try and take control of the household. You must be prepared to take the time and have the patience to deal with what can be, at times, a little white and black, dog-shaped hyperactive adrenaline gland.

These dogs are HIGHLY intelligent and take well to training. But they can be VERY stubborn. They also are very good at problem solving and will find out how to open that cupboard door that holds their food in no time flat.

They need a lot of attention. They are very demanding of your time and attention when you are around, but they do well when left alone...so far we have had no problems with chewing of the furniture or destruction of the house, except for some torn-up tissues they find the the bathroom. However, they do need a set structure in their lives: being fed at a certain time, being walked on a set schedule. As long as you keep this structure consistent, you don't have to worry too much about coming home one evening and finding some cherished heirloom strewn in pieces on the floor. Of course, this can be said about almost all dogs.

They have sensitive stomachs and can be very fussy about their food. Changing their food once in a while is not a good idea for your carpets. Trust me on this one.

Exercise is, of course, a must, but this breed is well-suited to apartment living, as long as you don't have downstairs neighbors and hardwood floors. The sound of these little feet scampering at warp speed through your living room is a sound like no other, especially from above.

Like all terriers, Toy Fox Terries are very territorial and very protective of their owners. They are good guard dogs and will bark...well, yip, when a stranger approaches the door, but as far as we know, they are not the "...incessantly barking for no reason..." kind of breed. Also, when my ex-wife walked Samantha and I am with them, she is just the most friendliest dog, but if it's just my ex-wife and her, she was VERY protective and when she was in heat, we actually had to get Samantha a muzzle!!!! Something to keep in mind.

And I highly recommend that you get your puppy spayed or neutered as soon as the vet says it's safe to. There are simply too many dogs out there without homes already. Maybe, and this is a pretty minor maybe, a breeder says that your puppy is the perfect representation of the breed...an Uber-TFT. Then you should consider, maybe, just maybe, breeding your dog. I know it is easy to think your dog is just perfect...that's what we think of ours, but we did get Samantha spayed. She has rotating patellae, a back problem, and had a very bad time of it when she went into heat. Now that she's spayed, she's like a puppy again with new-found energy and mischieviousness. Same thing with Frederick. For me it was a decision I put off for far too long because, being a male myself, I had trouble making him...well, less than a "man". The thing is that it was honestly very stressful for him. He had the "urges" but no way to fufill them, so he started doing lavacious things to any kind of furry surface vaguely dog-shaped, without and resolution to this stress. His behavior deteriorated, he began barking for no reason, urinating in the house, and other anti-social tendencies. I caved in and got him neutered and, after a couple months of healing and adjustment to the new level of hormones, he became a calmer, happier dog.

Patricia K Bailey: Breeder of Toy Fox Terriers & Registered with the U.K.C.

She is a breeder who does multiple production of toy fox terriers. According to the United Kennel Club it is hard to determine who is running a puppy mill and who is not. Just because the breeder does mass-production does not mean that she is a puppy mill. There have been no complaints filed with the U.K.C. about Patricia K. Bailey with regards to her as a breeder of Toy Fox Terriers or about her breeding techniques. She has always been issued a clean bill of health by her veterinarian. These evaluations must, in turn, be submitted to the U.K.C. If there was any suspicion of abuse to the dogs or any indication of inbreeding on the part of the breeder it would be thoroughly investigated by the U.K.C. The location and condition of the breeding kennel used by this breeder is also evaluated and has continued to prove itself as very clean and clearly meets any standards imposed upon breeders for maintaining appropriate facilities for breeding dogs.

A breeder by law has the right to sell his or her dogs to anyone that they see fit. There are no laws currently governing who breeders should sell their dogs to. There are also no restrictions that can be imposed by law or by the respective kennel clubs if the district that the breeder is working out of does not already have current restrictions being imposed on the number of dogs that they are allowed to breed.

As long as the dogs are of good mental health (i.e. good temperament) it is safe to assume that the dog was well socialized and was not abused. Also, if the dogs are in good condition medically and physically and meet all the requirements of a purebred and the standards of the respective kennel clubs, there is no reason to believe that this particular breeder is abusive or mistreating the animals.

1. Julie Wells of the West Coast Toy Fox Terrier Rescue
   phone: 619-731-2339
   web site: http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/3825
2. Joyce Sproule
   e-mail: foxjoy@ici.net
   of the The American Toy Fox Terrier Club
   web site: http://www.atftc.com. An excellent site!
3. Margo Carter of the National Toy Fox Terrier Association
   phone: (home)803-955-2410 (fax)803-955-9909
   e-mail: toyfox@bellsouth.net
4. or the Toy Fox Terrier Rescue in Massachusetts
   phone: 508-663-8093

...for the name of a good breeder or shelter near you.

Copyright 1997-2008 Philip Edward Alexy. All rights reserved.