Are toy fox terriers good pets?

Question

Are they difficult to housetrain? Has anyone out there owned one? Are they smart? Are they a lap dog? Are they really stubborn? Do they run away when they get the chance? Do they like cuddling? I'm thinking about getting one and don't want to make a 15-year mistake. In other words, I want any information about the breed I can get from someone that knows one personally. ;-) I have a yorkie that has congestive heart failure and my way of dealing with it is to look forward to a puppy. The only thing I don't like about having a yorkie is the amount of grooming involved. Also, she was very difficult to house train. I love the terrier "spunk". Some web sites say the toy fox terriers are the easiest of the toy breeds to house train and some say they are difficult.

Answer 1

Any dog, with proper training, is a good pet. If you have never trained dogs I would strongly suggest obedience classes. They will teach you how to train your dog. We had a fox terrier when I was a child and yes she was smart, liked to cuddle and was very stubborn, but sweet and loveable. Not to mention playful. I say good choice.

Answer 2

You can use his hyper-ness to your advantage. Spend time playing with him, fetch, running partner, etc... You can use these as a reward system for training too. Try this exercise: Pick him up and roll him on his back in your arms, like holding a baby. Place your left hand underneath for support, and place your right hand on his chest with your fingers spread out so that your pinky and thumb are underneath his armpits. Hold him there for 5 minutes or so. You can increment this as he gets better at it. Anytime he squirms, apply slight pressure and make a loud "EEHHHT" sound (like when someone gets a question wrong). When he relaxes, you can relax a little and say "Yes!" in an excited happy voice. After the time has passed let him down on the ground give him treats, praise him, pet him, play with him. Since he is still young you should spend about 30 minutes a day training him different things. Find his motivation and use that as reward. Also you might consider his diet. Look at the ingredients of the dog food. Carbohydrates are where the immediate energy comes from. Switch to a food that has brown rice in it. This carb source gives slow release energy and prevents hyperactivity. Consider enrolling in a pet training class. The best one's I've seen are at Petsmart. Please consider these options before getting rid of your dog. He is already bonding with you and if he is removed and placed into a new environment, it can stress him out and cause even more destructive behaviors due to abandonment issues.

Answer 3

I don't know about the "FOX TERRIERS"
But I have a couple of RAT TERRIERS- and they are awful!
I love them, but had I know what I know now, I don't think I would have taken them, they were a present for my daughter, twins, male and female, but neutered.
I kinda believe they may have a tad of Jack Russel too... but they both HAVE ANAL GLAND PROBLEMS!
I had never even heard of such... but when the male gets upset he sprays, and the female just does it all the time because she is soooo fat!

I try to release them monthly, but it is AWFUL, it smells HORRIBLE!

Answer 4

Here are the pros and cons fo TFT
http://www.yourpurebredpuppy.com/reviews/toyfoxterriers.html

Here is the breed club site
http://www.atftc.com/

Every dog is different. The breed helps give you an idea on characteristics.