Terrier Dog Breed |

Terrier Dog Group

Terrier Dog Breed

“A respectable farmer, residing in a village near Gosport, had a terrier dog who was his constant companion. His business frequently led him across the water to Portsmouth, to which place the dog regularly attended him. The farmer had a son-in-law, a bookseller at Portsmouth, to whose house he frequently went, taking the dog with him. One day, the animal having lost his master in Portsmouth, after searching for him at his usual haunts, went to the bookseller, and by various gesticulations gave him to understand that he had lost his master; his supplications were not in vain, for the bookseller, who understood his language, immediately called his boy, gave him a penny, and ordered him to go directly to the beach, and give the ferryman the money for his passage to the opposite shore. The dog, who seemed to understand the whole proceeding, was much pleased, and jumped directly into the boat, and when landed at Gosport, immediately ran home. He always afterwards went to the bookseller, if he had lost his master at Portsmouth, feeling sure that his boat-hire would be paid, and which was always done.”

Also, terriers have been known to save lives:

One of my acquaintance had a favorite dog of this description, which generally slept in his bed-room. My friend was in the habit of reading in bed. On calling upon him one morning, he took me into his bed-room, and showed me his bed-curtains much burnt, and one of his sheets. The night before he had been reading the newspaper in bed, with a candle near him, and had gone to sleep. The newspaper had fallen on the candle, and thus set fire to the curtain. He was awoke by his dog scratching him violently with his fore-feet, and was thus in time to call for assistance, and save the house from being burnt down, and also probably to save his own life.

The terrier dog breed can be tough to control but they can be a good pet, for the right owner.A terrier is typically small, wiry, very active and fearless. The Terrier breeds was developed in Great Britain and Ireland and used to control rats, rabbits, and foxes both over and under the ground. Some larger terriers were used to hunt badgers. The word terrier comes from the Middle French terrier, derived from the Latin terra, meaning earth.

The early hunting terriers were initially used in sporting competition as they competed in events such as rat baiting. The dog that killed all the rats in the fastest manner won. In the 1700s some terriers were crossed with hounds (to improve their hunting skills), and some with fighting dog breeds to develop their tenacity. Some of the crosses with fighting dogs, Bull and Terrier crosses, were used in the blood sport of dog fighting. Modern pet breeds developed from the Bull and Terrier, such as the Miniature Bull Terrier, are listed by the Fédération Cynologique Internationale (FCI) under Bull type terriers.

However, most terriers are kept as companion dogs and make great pets, as they are generally loyal and affectionate to their owners. However, they can be “big characters” requiring discipline.