TOY FOX TERRIERS: MORE THAN JUST A PRETTY FACE
Toy Fox Terriers are long-lived, versatile, and active dogs that thrive on doing things with their owners. Training and competing in these Companion Sports will give your dog confidence, build your relationship, and provide endless hours of fun. As the clowns have known and you will discover, Toy Fox Terriers thrive on learning and active engagement with their owners. Retiring from the show ring should be the start of new adventures and not the end of you and your dog having fun and going places. Grab the treat bag and get started! A special thank you to our Performance ATFTC members for sharing photos of their awesome dogs!
Toy Fox Terriers, being bred down from Fox Terriers, are excellent mousers and ratters and they relish Barn Hunt. Toy Foxes can get very intense when they discover that there are rats in tubes hidden in the stacked bales of hay, and their terrier personality comes out in full when they are searching for the hidden rats. My “Sparkles,” a Gold Grand Champion, begins singing when she gets to a Barn Hunt event. Her eyes become like lasers and she quivers in anticipation. She relishes the opportunity to find the rats. Using their noses can also be fun in another growing dog sport—Scent Work. In this sport, cotton swabs saturated with the essential oils of birch, anise, clove, and cypress are hidden and the dog seeks them out. The work mimics working Detec- tion Dogs but uses legal and common scents. The swabs are hidden in various elements: container, interior, exterior, and buried. As with other sports, the titles start at Novice and you can work to higher levels as you both gain expertise. Toy Foxes of all ages love this sport because they are really good at using their noses. As Toy Fox Terriers have a lot of energy and also prey drive, many Toy Fox owners find that their dogs excel in events that emphasize running. Fast CAT (see Top Notch Toys article “Run Your Toy in Fast Cat” https://digital.showsightmagazine.com/ view/360839290/22/ in the November 2021 issue) is a 100- yard dash chasing a plastic bag on a pulley. The Coursing Abil- ity Test for toy-sized dogs is a 300-yard course chasing a bag. In both, the titles are awarded based on successful runs. Other events that Toy Fox Terriers participate in include Obedience Trials, Tracking, and Dock Diving. Results for these vary but are always fun endeavors, and Toy Foxes that participate in these sports receive the accolades and admiration of Toy Fox owners everywhere.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR Susan Thibodeaux began showing dogs in 1978. Ten years ago, after decades in the Sporting Group showing primarily Vizslas, Cocker Spaniels, and English Cockers, she made the decision to segue to the Toy Group and now has Toy Fox Terriers and Toy Manchester Terriers. She is Vice President for the American Toy Fox Terrier Club and on the Board of the Brevard Kennel Club. In addition to showing, Susan
can be found having fun in various events such as Rally, Fast CAT, and Barn Hunt, stewarding, teaching handling classes for BKC, and judging sweepstakes and matches.
SHOWSIGHT MAGAZINE, MAY 2023 | 323
Powered by FlippingBook