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Draadharige
Fox Terrier 


History 
The Wire's coat is crinkled and wiry with
a soft undercoat. He needs brushing twice weekly and clipping every few months.
Fox Terriers are lively little dogs--busy, bouncy, alert and always ready for
action. The Fox Terrier is loads of fun for older children who can give him
daily play and exercise. He has a saucy manner and a happy sense of humor.The
Wire Fox Terrier will instinctively alert his owner of someone approaching. He
is easily trained and does well in obedience.Wire Fox Terriers are alert and
quick of movement.The Wire Fox Terrier character is imparted by the expression
of the eyes and by the carriage of ears and tail.The Wire Fox Terrier's coat
needs brushing weekly.This terrier should be alert, quick of movement, keen of
expression, on the tip-toe of expectation at the slightest provocation.
Character is imparted by the expression of the eyes and by the carriage of
ears and tail. Bone and strength in a small compass are essential, but this
must not be taken to mean that a Terrier should be ''cloddy,'' or in any way
coarse--speed and endurance being requisite as well as power. The Terrier must
on no account be leggy, nor must he be too short on the leg. He should stand
like a cleverly made, short-backed hunter, covering a lot of ground. N.B. Old
scars or injuries, the result of work or accident, should not be allowed to
prejudice a Terrier's chance in the show ring, unless they interfere with its
movement or with its utility for work or stud.

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General
Appearance
The Wire Haired Fox Terrier should be alert,
quick of movement, keen of expression, on the tip-toe of expectation at
the slightest provocation. Character is imparted by the expression
of the eyes and by the carriage of ears and tail. Bone and
strength in a small compass are essential, but this must not be taken to
mean that a Terrier should be "cloddy," or in any way
coarse-speed and endurance being requisite as well as power. The
Terrier must on no account be leggy, nor must he be too short on the
leg. He should stand like a cleverly made, short-backed hunter,
covering a lot of ground.

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Size &
Substance According to present-day requirements,
a full-sized, well balanced dog should not exceed 15½ inches at the
withers - the bitch being proportionately lower - nor should the length
of back from withers to root of tail exceed 12 inches, while to maintain
the relative proportions, the head, as mentioned below, should not
exceed 7¼ inches or be less than 7 inches. A dog with these
measurements should scale 18 pounds in show condition - a bitch weighing
some two pounds less - with a margin of one pound either way. The
dog should be balanced and this may be defined as the correct
proportions of a certain point or points, when considered in relation to
a certain other point or points. It is the keystone of the
Terrier's anatomy. The chief points for consideration are the
relative proportions of skull and foreface; head and back; height at
withers; and length of body from shoulder point to buttock, the ideal of
proportion being reached when the last two measurements are the same.
It should be added that, although the head measurements can be
taken with absolute accuracy, the height at withers and length of back
are approximate,

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Head
The length of the head of a full-grown well developed dog of correct
size-measured with calipers-from the back of the occipital bone to the
nostrils-should be from 7 to 7¼ inches, the bitch's head being
proportionately shorter. Any measurement in excess of this usually
indicates an oversized or long-backed specimen, although occasionally-so
rarely as to partake of the nature of a freak-a Terrier of correct size
may boast a head 7½ inches in length. In a well balanced head
there should be little apparent difference in length between skull and
foreface. If, however, the foreface is noticeably shorter, it
amounts to a fault, the head looking weak and "unfinished."
On the other hand, when the eyes are set too high up in the skull
and too near the ears, it also amounts to a fault, the head being said
to have a "foreign appearance. Keen of expression.

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Eyes
should be
dark in color, moderately small, rather deep-set, not prominent, and
full of fire, life, and intelligence; as nearly as possible circular in
shape, and not too far apart. Anything approaching a yellow eye is
most objectionable.
Ears should be small and V-shaped and of moderate thickness, the flaps
neatly folded over and dropping forward close to the cheeks. The
topline of the folded ear should be well above the level of the skull.
A pendulous ear, hanging dead by the side of the head like a
Hound's, is uncharacteristic of the Terrier, while an ear which is
semierect is still more undesirable.

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Disqualifications
Ears prick, tulip or rose.
The topline of the skull should be almost flat, sloping slightly and
gradually decreasing in width toward the eyes, and should not exceed 3½
inches in diameter at the widest part-measuring with the calipers-in the
full-grown dog of correct size, the bitch's skull being proportionately
narrower. If this measurement is exceeded, the skull is termed
"coarse," while a full-grown dog with a much narrower skull is
termed "bitchy" in head. Although the foreface should
gradually taper from eye to muzzle and should dip slightly at its
juncture with the forehead, it should not "dish" or fall away
quickly below the eyes, where it should be full and well made up, but
relieved from "wedginess" by a little delicate chiseling.
While well developed jaw bones, armed with a set of strong, white
teeth, impart that appearance of strength to the foreface which is so
desirable, an excessive bony or muscular development of the jaws is both
unnecessary and unsightly, as it is partly responsible for the full and
rounded contour of the cheeks to which the term "cheeky" is
applied.

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Nose
should be
black. Disqualifications * Nose white, cherry or spotted to a considerable
extent with either of these colors.
Mouth* Both upper and lower jaws should be strong and muscular,
the teeth as nearly as possible level and capable of closing together
like a vise, the lower canines locking in front of the upper and the
points of the upper incisors slightly overlapping the lower.
Disqualifications * Much undershot, or much overshot.

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Neck
should
be clean, muscular, of fair length, free from throatiness and presenting
a graceful curve when viewed from the side. The back should be
short and level with no appearance of slackness-the loins muscular and
very slightly arched. The term "slackness" is applied
both to the portion of the back immediately behind the withers when it
shows any tendency to dip, and also the flanks when there is too much
space between the back ribs and hipbone. When there is little
space between the ribs and hips, the dog is said to be "short in
couplings," "short-coupled," or "well ribbed up."
A Terrier can scarcely be too short in back, provided he has
sufficient length of neck and liberty of movement. The bitch may
be slightly longer in couplings than the dog. Chest deep and not
broad, a too narrow chest being almost as undesirable as a very broad
one. Excessive depth of chest and brisket is an impediment to a
Terrier when going to ground. The brisket should be deep, the
front ribs moderately arched, and the back ribs deep and well sprung.
Tail: should be set on rather high and carried gaily but not
curled. It should be of good strength and substance and of fair
length - a three-quarters dock is about right - since it affords the
only safe grip when handling working Terriers. A very short tail
is suitable neither for work nor show.

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Forequarters
Shoulders when viewed from the front should slope steeply downwards from
their juncture, with the neck towards the points, which should be fine.
When viewed from the side they should be long, well laid back, and
should slope obliquely backwards from points to withers, which should
always be clean-cut. A shoulder well laid back gives the long
forehand which, in combination with a short back, is so desirable in
Terrier or Hunter. The elbows should hang perpendicular to the
body, working free of the sides, carried straight through in traveling.
Viewed from any direction the legs should be straight, the bone of
the forelegs strong right down to the feet.
Feet: should be round, compact, and not large-the pads tough and
well cushioned, and the toes moderately arched and turned neither in nor
out. A Terrier with good-shaped forelegs and feet will wear his
nails down short by contact with the road surface, the weight of the
body being evenly distributed between the toe pads and the heels.

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Hindquarters
Should be strong and muscular, quite free from droop or crouch; the
thighs long and powerful; the stifles well curved and turned neither in
nor out; the hock joints well bent and near the ground; the hocks
perfectly upright and parallel with each other when viewed from behind.
The worst possible form of hindquarters consists of a short second
thigh and a straight stifle, a combination which causes the hind legs to
act as props rather than instruments of propulsion. The hind legs
should be carried straight through in traveling.
Feet as in front.
Color White should predominate; brindle, red, liver or slaty blue are
objectionable. Otherwise, color is of little or no importance.

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Coat
The best coats appear to be broken, the hairs having a tendency to
twist, and are of dense, wiry texture-like coconut matting-the hairs
growing so closely and strongly together that, when parted with the
fingers, the skin cannot be seen. At the base of these stiff hairs
is a shorter growth of finer and softer hair-termed the undercoat.
The coat on the sides is never quite so hard as that on the back
and quarters. Some of the hardest coats are "crinkly" or
slightly waved, but a curly coat is very objectionable. The hair
on the upper and lower jaws should be crisp and only sufficiently long
to impart an appearance of strength to the foreface. The hair on
the forelegs should also be dense and crisp. The coat should
average in length from ¾ to one inch on shoulders and neck, lengthening
to 1½ inches on withers, back, ribs, and quarters. These
measurements are given rather as a guide to exhibitors than as an
infallible rule, since the length of coat depends on the climate,
seasons, and individual animal. The judge must form his own
opinion as to what constitutes a "sufficient" coat on the day.

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Gait
The movement or action is the crucial test of conformation. The
Terrier's legs should be carried straight forward while traveling, the
forelegs hanging perpendicular and swinging parallel to the sides, like
the pendulum of a clock. The principal propulsive power is
furnished by the hind legs, perfection of action being found in the
Terrier possessing long thighs and muscular second thighs well bent at
the stifles, which admit of a strong forward thrust or "snatch"
of the hocks. When approaching, the forelegs should form a
continuation of the straight of the front, the feet being the same
distance apart as the elbows. When stationary it is often
difficult to determine whether a dog is slightly out at shoulder but,
directly he moves, the defect-if it exists-becomes more apparent, the
forefeet having a tendency to cross, "weave," or "dish."
When, on the contrary, the dog is tied at the shoulder, the
tendency of the feet is to move wider apart, with a sort of paddling
action. When the hocks are turned in -cow-hocks- the stifles and
feet are turned outwards, resulting in a serious loss of propulsive
power. When the hocks are turned outwards the tendency of the hind
feet is to cross, resulting in an ungainly waddle.

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Temperament
The Terrier should be alert, quick of movement, keen of expression, on
the tip-toe of expectation at the slightest provocation.
DISQUALIFICATIONS
Ears prick, tulip or rose.
Nose white, cherry or spotted to a considerable extent with either of
these colors.
Mouth much undershot, or much overshot.

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Faults
Any
departure from the foregoing points should be considered a fault and the
seriousness with which the fault should be regarded should be in exact
proportion to its degree.
Note
Male
animals should have two apparently normal testicles fully descended into
the scrotum.

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Dutch Kenstaff Staffordshire Bull Terrier ® All rights reserved
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