Developed by English fox-hunting enthusiasts. It looks like the Smooth Fox Terrier but was likely developed separately.

The Terriers family. Bred mostly in Britain and Ireland to go to ground after foxes, badgers and rats. Expect courage, persistence, a love of digging and a big personality in a small body.

Confident, energetic and playful.

Voice

A vocal dog that will announce visitors and noises.

With kids

Friendly with kids and usually patient.

Other dogs

Usually fine with other dogs when socialized.

Home

Adapts well to apartments with daily walks.

Exercise. Very high energy: needs a lot of daily exercise plus a job for its brain, such as herding, agility or scent work. Puppies do better with several short sessions than one long walk, and older dogs need gentler outings.

Training. Trains at an average pace. Reward-based methods and a regular routine work best.

Wiry coat: brush weekly. Hand-stripping keeps its harsh texture; clipping is easier but softens the coat over time. Moderate, seasonal shedding.

For every dog: trim nails when you can hear them click on the floor, brush teeth daily if you can (a few times a week still helps), and clean ears about once a month, drying them well after baths and swims.

Daily calories

About 530–610 kcal for a healthy adult

Dry food

Roughly 1.25–1.5 cups a day at ~400 kcal per cup

Puppies eat four small meals a day at 6 to 12 weeks, drop to three somewhere between 3 and 6 months, and move to two meals a day from about 6 months.

Keep treats, including training treats and table scraps, under 10% of daily calories.

Calories use the resting-energy formula from the Merck Veterinary Manual (70 × body weight in kg^0.75) times a maintenance factor of 1.4 to 1.8, so very active or working dogs may need more. Cups assume about 400 kcal per cup; check your food's label. Treat any feeding chart as a starting point and adjust to body condition.

Typical lifespan is 12–15 years. Our sources don't list breed-specific conditions.

Ask breeders for health-test results from the parents (hips, eyes, and DNA tests where relevant), and schedule yearly vet checkups.

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• Wikipedia: Wire Fox Terrier (opens in a new tab)
• AKC breed weight chart (opens in a new tab)
• AKC: Puppy feeding fundamentals (opens in a new tab), bloat (opens in a new tab), treats (opens in a new tab) and grooming (opens in a new tab)
• Merck Veterinary Manual: Nutritional requirements of small animals (opens in a new tab)

Ratings for energy, shedding and the like are our own summaries, informed by these sources. Breed facts were checked in October 2026.