Smooth Fox Terrier

The Smooth Fox Terrier is a small dog from England, built for speed and stamina in the field. It stands compact and square in outline, with a flat, close coat that lies smooth against the body. The breed was developed to bolt foxes from their dens during the hunt, and that working past still shapes its character today.

This is a confident, busy dog. It carries itself with an upright, attentive posture and reacts quickly to movement and sound. Owners describe it as friendly with people it knows and curious about almost everything. The temperament traits most associated with the breed are friendly, spirited, intelligent, energetic, and alert.

The Smooth Fox Terrier needs daily activity and mental work to stay settled at home. Without an outlet for its energy, it can become noisy or restless. With enough exercise and structure, it makes a tidy, companionable house dog that fits well into an active household.

Who it suits

The breed fits owners who want a small dog with a large appetite for activity. It does well with people who walk, run, or train regularly and who enjoy a dog that stays involved in the day. First-time owners can manage the breed if they commit to consistent training and exercise. Households with small caged pets should take care, since the terrier's prey drive can make it interested in chasing.

The Smooth Fox Terrier comes from England, where it was bred during the nineteenth century to work alongside foxhound packs. Its job was to enter a fox's earth and force the animal out into the open so the hunt could continue. This work called for a small, brave dog that could move fast across country and dig where needed.

Fox terriers were kept by hunts and rural estates well before they were recorded as a formal breed. Early dogs varied in type, and both smooth-coated and wire-coated dogs appeared, sometimes within the same litters. Over time breeders separated the two coats into distinct lines, and the Smooth Fox Terrier was recognized as its own breed.

The breed became popular at dog shows as the sport of conformation grew in England in the late 1800s. Its clean outline and confident manner made it a frequent winner, and it spread quickly to other countries through export. Show breeding refined the smooth coat and the square, balanced shape seen today.

While fewer Smooth Fox Terriers now work in the field, the breed keeps the instincts of its hunting ancestors. Modern dogs still dig, chase, and explore with the same drive that made them useful to the hunts of rural England.

The Smooth Fox Terrier has a compact, balanced body that looks square in profile, with the height at the shoulder close to the length of the back. The head is long and tapering, ending in a strong, level muzzle. Small V-shaped ears fold forward, and the dog carries a docked or natural tail set high and upright in countries where docking still occurs. The overall impression is of a quick, alert dog standing on its toes and ready to move.

Coat and colors

The coat is short and lies flat, with a hard texture that sheds dirt and water. White is the dominant color, which helped hunters spot the dog in the field. Most dogs carry markings in black, tan, or a combination of both, often around the head and at the base of the tail. The smooth coat is easy to keep clean and needs little trimming compared with the wire-coated variety.

The Smooth Fox Terrier is an outgoing, high-spirited dog that stays interested in its surroundings. With its own family it is affectionate and playful, and it often forms a close bond with the people it lives with. It tends to involve itself in whatever the household is doing rather than rest quietly in a corner.

Toward strangers the breed is alert and will usually announce visitors, which makes it a capable watchdog for its size. Most dogs warm up once introduced. With other dogs the terrier can be bold and sometimes pushy, and same-sex pairings may need careful management. Its hunting background gives it a strong prey drive, so it may chase cats, rodents, and other small animals unless raised with them and supervised.

The breed is intelligent and learns fast, but it also has an independent streak and likes to make its own decisions. It can be vocal, especially when bored or under-exercised. Early socialization with people, dogs, and everyday situations helps produce a steady, confident adult.

Grooming

• Brush the smooth coat once a week with a bristle brush or grooming mitt to remove loose hair.
• Bathe only when the dog is dirty, since the coat sheds soil easily on its own.
• Trim the nails every few weeks and check that they do not click on hard floors.
• Brush the teeth several times a week to support dental health.
• Check and clean the folded ears regularly to prevent buildup and infection.

Exercise

• Provide at least 60 minutes of activity each day, split across walks and play.
• Include off-leash running in a secure area, since the breed loves to sprint.
• Add games such as fetch, flyball, or earthdog trials to use its drive.
• Offer puzzle toys and short training sessions for mental work indoors.
• Keep the dog leashed or fenced near roads and small animals, given its chase instinct.

Environment

The Smooth Fox Terrier adapts to houses and apartments as long as it gets enough exercise. A securely fenced yard suits it well, but the fence must be solid at the base because the breed is a determined digger and can squeeze through gaps. It tolerates a range of climates thanks to its dense coat, though the short hair offers limited protection in hard cold and a coat may help in winter.

The Smooth Fox Terrier needs a complete and balanced diet formulated for its size and activity level. An active adult burns energy quickly, so the food should supply quality protein and fat to support muscle and stamina. Choose a product suited to the dog's life stage, whether puppy, adult, or senior, and adjust the amount to keep the dog lean. Fresh water should always be available.

Treats and supplements

Keep treats to about 10 percent of daily calories so the dog stays at a healthy weight. Small, low-fat treats work well as training rewards for this food-motivated breed. Most dogs on a complete diet do not need supplements, but a veterinarian may suggest joint or skin support for individual cases. Introduce any diet change gradually over several days to avoid stomach upset.

The Smooth Fox Terrier is a robust, long-lived breed. With good care, regular veterinary checks, and a healthy weight, many dogs live 12 to 15 years. Responsible breeders screen their stock for known inherited problems, which lowers the risk in puppies. As with any breed, a few conditions appear more often than in the general dog population.

Preventive care

• Keep core vaccinations and parasite control up to date.
• Schedule annual veterinary exams, and twice-yearly checks for senior dogs.
• Maintain a lean body condition to protect the joints.
• Brush the teeth and arrange dental checks to prevent gum disease.
• Ask the breeder for hearing, eye, and joint screening results before buying a puppy.

The Smooth Fox Terrier learns fast and enjoys mental challenges, but its independent, self-directed nature means it does not always follow commands on the first ask. Training works best when it is interesting and rewarding for the dog. Keep sessions short and varied to hold its attention, and use food or play as motivation. Recall deserves special attention, because a terrier on the scent of small prey may ignore a call unless this skill is built up carefully from a young age.

Basics

1. Start socialization in puppyhood with people, dogs, and everyday sights and sounds.
2. Teach a reliable name response and attention cue first.
3. Build core commands such as sit, down, stay, and come, one at a time.
4. Practice recall on a long line before trusting the dog off leash.
5. Add an outlet for digging and chasing, such as a sandpit or earthdog games.
6. Keep reinforcing house manners through adulthood, since the breed stays lively for years.

Breeding a Smooth Fox Terrier should be planned carefully and based on the health and temperament of both parents. Dogs reach sexual maturity in their first year, but responsible breeders wait until a bitch is physically mature, usually after her second season, before her first litter. Both parents should pass screening for the eye, joint, and hearing conditions known in the breed.

The female comes into season about twice a year. After a successful mating, pregnancy lasts roughly 63 days. Litters are typically small to moderate in size for this small breed. A whelping area should be quiet, warm, and clean, and a veterinarian should be on call in case of difficulty during birth.

Newborn puppies depend fully on the mother for warmth and feeding in the first weeks. Breeders should weigh pups regularly, keep the nest clean, and begin gentle handling early to support socialization. Puppies are usually weaned and ready to leave for new homes at about eight to twelve weeks, after a first health check and worming.

Smooth Fox Terrier registration and microchips in South Africa

South Africa has no single national law forcing microchips on dogs, though the SPCA chips as standard and rabies vaccination is required by law. What actually reunites a lost Smooth Fox Terrier with you is a record, and that part is free: a United Pet Club profile carries your details beside the dog's photo for as long as you have him. Registering your dog takes a few minutes, with no fee attached.

A chipped Smooth Fox Terrier still needs the number loaded into a registry, because the vet's job ends with the implant. Register the microchip on the free lifetime plan: any brand a local vet uses qualifies, updates stay free when you relocate between provinces, and the record answers the lookups SPCA branches run daily. Create your free account and settle both records today.