TOY FOX TERRIERS: MORE THAN JUST A PRETTY FACE
“ANOTHER ACTIVITY THAT ALSO UTILIZES COURSES AND GETS A LOT OF PUBLICITY (AND ONE THAT TOY FOX TERRIERS DO REALLY WELL IN) IS AGILITY. TOY FOXES ARE AGILE AND LOVE TO RUN AND JUMP. THEY TAKE GREAT PLEASURE IN SPEEDING AROUND AN AGILITY COURSE WITH THEIR OWNERS.”
From there, it’s a natural progression to Ral- ly. In Rally, your dog heels, sits, downs, stands, comes when called, stays, and performs other basic Obedience-type skills and these are executed in various combinations. There is a course set up in the ring and you go from sign to sign perform- ing what each sign directs. Rally Novice and Rally Intermediate are both on-leash, and levels above them are off-leash. Rally is less formal than regu- lar Obedience and you can talk, praise, use body language and hand signals, and proceed through the course together in sync to demonstrate your partnership with your dog. Toy Foxes can do this really well; however, sometimes their clown days express themselves. My boy, “Barnum,” prefers to play “bang… you’re dead” which he learned in tricks instead of a normal down. I lose a couple half-points and he gets lots of laughs! Another activity that also utilizes courses and gets a lot of publicity (and one that Toy Fox Ter- rier do really well in) is Agility. Toy Foxes are agile and love to run and jump. They take great pleasure in speeding around an Agility course with their owners. They sometimes share that joy with happy barks, but their sheer vivacity as they proceed over jumps, through tunnels, and zigzagging through weaves and over obstacles makes everyone smile. They are very intelligent, however, and I have it on good authority from a friend who has shown three Toy Foxes in Agility that they get bored with “excessive” do-overs.
With the circus history, earning Trick Dog titles is one activity that all Toy Fox Terrier owners can aspire to. The Novice Trick Dog title (TKN) incorporates both simple tricks and some very basic Obedience skills. As the dog proceeds through the various title levels, the complexity and number of tricks increase; but one thing is for certain—Toy Foxes love to perform for their owners. Toy Fox Terriers, in general, are very food-focused, making trick training some- thing the dogs really get into. Janet Weerts, a Toy Fox owner who competes in vari- ous events with her Toy Foxes, states, “Their high intelligence, coupled with fun- loving attitude, makes them a quick study for any new skill. A caution here: one had best teach a skill correctly the first time because, once retained, change becomes nearly impossible!” In addition to the Basic Obedience skills used for trick training, Obedience skills can quickly earn your Toy Fox Terrier titles such as Canine Good Citizen and maybe even the Farm Dog Certification.
322 | SHOWSIGHT MAGAZINE, MAY 2023
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