About Wire Fox Terriers
Wire fox terriers are a small breed that are very sturdy, energetic, strong, and incredibly brave. They are intelligent dogs with a strong hunting instinct and tons of personality. They are not an easy dog to train as they think on their own and have a tendency to do what they want. With time and persistence you can guide them to do what you want. They require plenty exercise, both physical and mental for the first 5 years to rein in their strong prey drive. A bored Wire Fox Terrier can be unruly. Long walks, playing fetch, chasing balls etc will quickly dull their unruly nature. They are extremely playful dogs with high energy levels. I highly recommend crate training and to keep young dogs in a crate when no one is home to supervise. Also, dog toy boxes are a great way to teach a dog what they can chew and destroy and what not too. Crate raised dogs MUST be given extra time to run and play to help burn off some of their energy. A young dog who is crate trained and given lots of love and exercise will be a happy dog as they are never ‘in trouble’ from chewing or making a mess. Time spent with your puppy should be all happy times.
Wire Fox Terriers typically life span is 12-15 years. With the first 8 years being very active and puppy like. They typically slow down at 7-9 years of age and act more like other breeds at 2 years of age.
Colors vary. A Wire should be predominately white. They may have black and tan markings (tri-color) or white and tan (gingers). Ginger wires used to be uncommon, but Sky (Gch AfterAll Painting the Sky) Bred by Al Pertuit of Fyrewre Kennels who won the 138th Westminster Kennel club was considered to be as close to perfection as possible. Sky was a beautiful ginger wire and her off spring help populate the Ginger wires.
How common are Wire Fox Terriers
Wire Fox Terriers used to be a common breed in the 1950s to 1980s. Lately they are not common and in the dog show world it is sometimes difficult to find enough Wires to compete to get a Major win. Major wins require 4 dogs (varies from region to region and year to year) or you must beat 3 dogs to get a major win. Wire Fox Terriers are definitely a rarer breed in today’s world.
How big do Wires get
Properly bred wires should be 16-20 lbs. 16-18 for females and 18-20 males. Spaying and neutering will cause any dog to gain weight easily Neutered males can easily hit 25 lbs if over fed. They may be less than 20 lbs but they act more like a 40 lb dog. Height is about 15 inches to the withers (shoulder). The head is long at about 7 inches the withers to tail is about 12 inches.
Do Wire Fox Terriers shed
Dogs with fur will constantly shed the fur and it never becomes long. Wire Fox Terriers have hair which will grow long and not shed. This does not mean that the hair never falls out or breaks. A wire home will not have hairy couches. But you will find some hair around.
The lack of shedding does make them hypo allergenic, to a degree. They will still shed canine proteins and dander but they are typically not as bad to someone who has dog allergies.s
Wire Fox Terriers are a wonderful breed for some. Not all.
If you like a very active dog that wants to run, play and have an unlimited supply of energy. Wires can be a very entertaining dog. If you like a dog that will do the unexpected and if full of energy….This is the dog for you.
If you expect a mellow dog that lays on the floor and does nothing, this is not the breed for you. Your wire will frequently be nose to nose with you begging for something fun to do.
If you want dog that sleeps on the floor most of the day and never jumps in your lap and climbs up on the couch to be with you, this is not the breed for you. A wire demands attention and love from its human companions and you must comply to have a happy relationship.
I have had Wire Fox Terriers for over 50 years. While each has had its own personality, there are some very similar traits. Wires require a lot of attention for the first year or two. The high energy levels of this breed require a bit of your attention many times per day during the first year. Long walks, playing fetch, swimming or any activity that will run off some of the energy.
Ideally a fenced in yard with at least of 4 foot fence is required. The fenced in are will need to have room to run and explore. Some will require tall fencing as they may be small, but a determined wire will climb a fence. In my 50 years of owning wires. Only one would climb fences. This is not the breed that can ever be trusted to roam free. I also do not recommend electronic fences. Wires are very determined and could easily ignore the warnings if something outside the fence attracts their attention. Wire Fox Terriers are determined and can easily ignore the shocks from the electronic fence.
If you have no fence, this is not the dog for you unless you are willing to take the dog for long walks every day to several times a day. If you are a daily walker this could be an excellent walk companion.
Wire Fox Terriers are hunting dogs that are used as earth dogs or dogs that enter the tunnels of prey. The AKC has tests to confirm the dogs natural instincts to hunt prey in this environment. Wire Fox Terriers can have intense focus on something that is hard to break. They are very focused hunters.
Are Wires good with other dogs:
Wires will play rough and many times too rough for other dogs and it can end up with a lot of growling and snapping. Wires can hold their ground with a dog 2x-3x bigger than they are. Smaller timid breeds may not be the best mix as they will not like the energy and rough play that Wire Fox Terriers give.
I have had 2 wires living together in a house environment for over 35 years. In the house they typically sleep together and there is no issue. Occasionally, they can get into a growl fest. If you train them to stop this behavior it can be controlled. This occurs almost 100% of the time around active playing and running and never in the house.
Be aware that this is not the best breed to have in groups. But it can be done with proper socialization and training.
Are Wires good with Cats.
Most will say cats and wires do not mix. However, I have had multiple sets of 2 wires with 1 cat living in a house environment for over 30 years without issue. This is a total of 6 different dogs and 4 different cats. Introducing a puppy wire to a cat and supervising behavior has worked for me. The two dogs are more likely to fight than the dog and the cat. Caution should be used with supervision at first and training to stop and aggressive behavior towards the cat.
Are Wires good with Children
This really depends on the child and the age of the child. Older children and wires both have lots of energy and this can be a great combination. If anyone teases or torments a wire (pulling ears, tails, beard Etc) , it will snap. Proper training of the child and the dog is mandatory. It may not be the best dog for very young children as they do not have enough strength to withstand a dog with this energy level. Fast awkward movements and high pitched screaming may cause the dog to react unpredictably. Wires and very small children are not the best choice as they are very boisterous.
Grooming a Wire Fox Terrier
The beautiful coat you see on a Show Wire Fox Terrier is a magnificent sight. It is not easy to achieve this as the show dogs are groomed every 10-20 days. The method to get the show coat is called stripping. The hair is not cut it is pulled out. This is a very long and tedious grooming that creates the beautiful wire coat that has the intense colors. Very few pet owners will hand strip a wire coat. However, stripping a coat is better for the dogs skin health. Most pets have their hair cut every 45-60 days. The resulting coat will be much softer and curly with blacks being more grey and the tans being much lighter. The whites are not as intense as well.
If you are interested in trying stripping it is best to start a dog young. It is difficult to strip and dog that has had its hair cut for 3 years. To start you will need chalk and you fingers. Go slow. Do you try to pull too much at one time. Pull only a few of the longer hairs at a time. If you think you can do this. Buy a grooming table and some stepping knives. I reccommend DK grooming tools https://groomerdk.store. You will need to be willing to spend about 30 minutes per week in weekly sessions or at least 90 min 1x per month to keep a wire in a good coat. If showing double or triple that time. It is not an easy breed to groom at first as there are very short areas that blend into longer areas into long beards and furnishings on the legs. Time and practice can get you to a coat that will look 1000x better than a dog whose hair has been cut.