Fox Terrier (Smooth)

GROUP IV TERRIERS IV-11
Fox Terrier (Smooth)

The following shall be the standard for the Fox Terrier amplified in part
in order that a more complete description of the Fox Terrier may be
presented.
General Appearance
The dog must present a generally gay, lively, and active appearance;
bone and strength in a small compass are essentials, but this must not
be taken to mean that a Fox Terrier should be cloddy, or in any way
coarse. Speed and endurance must be looked to as well as power, and
the symmetry of the Foxhound taken as a model. The terrier, like the
hound, must on no account be leggy, nor must he be too short in the
leg. He should stand like a cleverly made hunter, covering a lot of
ground, yet with a short back, as before stated. He will then attain the
highest degree of propelling power, together with the greatest length of
stride that is compatible with the length of his body.
Balance 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 the 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 the withers and length of back and coat are approximate, and are
inserted for information of breeders and exhibitors rather than as a
hard and fast rule.
Size
Weight is not a certain criterion of a terrier’s fitness for his work -
general shape, size, and contour are the main points; and if a dog can
gallop and stay, and follow his fox up a drain, it matters little what his
weight is to 1 lb. (.5 kg) or so. According to present-day requirements,
a full-sized, well-balanced Dog should not exceed 15-1/2 inches (39
cm) at the withers, the Bitch being proportionately lower - neither
should the length of back from withers to root of tail exceed 12 inches
(30 cm), while, to maintain the relative proportions, the head should
not exceed 7-1/4 inches (18.4 cm) or be less than 7 inches (17.8 cm).
A Dog with these measurements should scale 18 lb. (8 kg) in show
Canadian Kennel Club Official Breed Standards

IV-11.1 GROUP IV TERRIERS FOX TERRIER (SMOOTH)
condition - a Bitch weighing some 2 lb. (1 kg) less with a margin of 1

lb. (1/2 kg) either way.
Coat and Colour

The coat should be smooth, flat, but hard, dense and abundant.
The belly and underside of the thighs should not be bare. White
should predominate; brindle, red, or liver markings are objectionable.
Otherwise colour is of little or no importance.
Head
The skull should be flat and moderately narrow, gradually decreasing
in width to the eyes. Not much stop should be apparent, but there
should be more dip in the profile between the forehead and the top
jaw than is seen in the case of a Greyhound. The cheeks must not
be full. The jaws, upper and lower, should be strong and muscular
and of fair punishing strength, but not so as, in any way to resemble
the Greyhound or modern English Terrier. There should not be much
falling away below the eyes. This part of the head should, however,
be moderately chiselled out, so as not to go down in a straight slope
like a wedge. The nose, toward which the muzzle must gradually
taper, should be black. It should be noticed that although the foreface
should gradually taper from eye to muzzle and should tip 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 chiselling. The teeth should be as
nearly as possible together, i.e., the points of the upper (incisors) teeth
on the outside of or slightly overlapping the lower teeth. There should
be apparent little difference in length between the skull and foreface of
a well-balanced head. The eyes and the rims should be dark in colour,
moderately small and rather deep-set, full of fire, life and intelligence
and as nearly as possible circular in shape. Anything approaching a
yellow eye is most objectionable. The ears should be V-shaped and
small, of moderate thickness, and dropping forward close to the cheek,
not hanging by the side of the head like a Foxhound. The topline of the
folded ear should be well above the level of the skull.
Neck
Should be clean and muscular, without throatiness, of fair length, and
gradually widening to the shoulders.
January 2004
FOX TERRIER (SMOOTH) GROUP IV TERRIERS IV-11.2
Forequarters
Shoulders should be long and sloping, well laid back, fine at the points,
and clearly cut at the withers. The forelegs, viewed from any direction
must be straight, with bone strong right down to the feet, showing little
or no appearance of ankle in front, and being short and straight in
pasterns. Both forelegs and hindlegs should be carried straight forward
in travelling, the stifles not turning outward. The elbows should hang
perpendicularly to the body, working free of the sides.
Body
Back should be short, straight (i.e., level), and strong, with no
appearance of slackness. Chest deep and not broad. Brisket should
be deep, yet not exaggerated. Loin should be very powerful, muscular
and very slightly arched. The foreribs should be moderately arched, the
back ribs deep and well sprung, and the dog should be well ribbed up.
Hindquarters
Should be strong and muscular, quite free from droop or crouch; the
thighs long and powerful; stifles well curved and turned neither in nor
out; hocks well bent and near the ground should be perfectly upright
and parallel each with the other when viewed from behind, the dog
standing well up on them like a Foxhound, and not straight in the stifle.
The worst possible form of hindquarters consists of a short second
thigh and a straight stifle. Feet should be round, compact, and not
large; the soles hard and tough; the toes moderately arched and turned
neither in nor out.
Tail
Stern should be set on rather high and carried gaily, but not over the
back or curled. It should be of good strength, anything approaching a
“pipe-stopper” tail being especially objectionable.
Gait
Movement, or action is the crucial test of conformation. The terrier’s
legs should be carried straight forward while travelling, the forelegs
hanging perpendicular and swinging parallel with 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 thigh 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
line of the front, the feet being the same distance apart as the elbows.
Canadian Kennel Club Official Breed Standards

IV-11.3 GROUP IV TERRIERS FOX TERRIER (SMOOTH)
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-hock)
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. Note: 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 utility work or stud.
Disqualifications
Nose white, cherry, or spotted to a considerable extent with either of
these colours. Ears prick, tulip, or rose. Mouth much undershot, or
much overshot.
Scale of Points
Head and ears ........................................................................ 15
Neck .......................................................................................... 5
Shoulders and chest................................................................. 10
Back and loin ........................................................................... 10
Hindquarters .......................................................................... 15
Stern .......................................................................................... 5
Legs and feet ........................................................................... 15
Coat ......................................................................................... 15
Symmetry, size and character .................................................. 10
TOTAL 100
January 2004

Fox Terrier (Smooth) - CK

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GROUP IV TERRIERS IV-11

Balance may be defined as the correct proportions of a certain point,

Canadian Kennel Club Official Breed Standards

condition - a Bitch weighing some 2 lb. (1 kg) less with a margin of 1

Coat and Colour

Canadian Kennel Club Official Breed Standards

When stationary, it is often difficult to determine whether a dog

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