Terriers

The terrier is a group of dog breeds initially bred for hunting and killing vermin. While usually small, these dogs are brave and tough, and have a lively, energetic, and almost hyperactive personality. Most terrier breeds were developed in the British Isles. They were used to hunt fox, otter, badger, and rat both over and under the ground. In fact, the word terrier comes from the Middle French terrier and before that the Latin 'terra', meaning earth. Terrier Group is also an official breed grouping for most of the major kennel clubs including the AKC, ANKC, CKC, Fédération Cynologique Internationale, KC(UK), NZKC and UKC. Bear in mind that not all terriers are in the terrier group, and not all dogs in the terrier groups are terriers. Terrier breeds can be divided into different types and groups, such as: Hunting or working terriers - used to find, track, or trail quarry, especially from underground, and sometimes to bolt the quarry. Fell terriers - breeds developed in northern England for predator eradication. Hunt terriers - breeds developed in southern England to bolt foxes during a traditional fox hunt. Show terriers - bred for the show ring or as small pets. Toy terrier - bred "down" from larger terriers, these terriers are shown in the Toy or Companion group. Included among these breeds are the Toy Fox Terrier, the Silky Terrier, the Manchester and the Yorkshire Terrier. The Bull and Terrier types (of which the modern Bull Terrier is one) were originally combinations of bulldogs and terriers as general mixed breed pit dogs. In the late 1800's, they were refined into separate breeds that combined terrier and bulldog qualities. Except for Boston Terriers, they are generally shown as terriers.