Home / Breeds / Smooth Fox Terrier
Smooth Fox Terrier
Bold, scrappy, cheerful and full of self belief. From England.
Terriersmall breedEnglandStandards checked
Standards checked: this profile's facts are checked against the breed standards of the AKC, The Kennel Club and the FCI, as described on our methodology page.
Gallery
Real photos from licensed sources only, each credited to its creator.
Photos show different individual dogs from licensed libraries, not one dog growing up. Stage labels are approximate, the way a careful editor would judge them.
About the Smooth Fox Terrier
The Smooth Fox Terrier is a small terrier from England, developed to hunt vermin above and below ground, from rats in the barn to foxes and badgers in the earth. Terriers are big dogs in small coats: funny, stubborn and brave. They need owners who enjoy a dog with opinions and who channel the hunting drive into games, not the local wildlife.
History
Terriers were the working person's dogs, shaped in mines, farms and mills to keep vermin down; each district in Britain and beyond kept its own stamp. The AKC recognizes the breed today, and its standard is the reference most US breeders work to.
Personality
Bold, scrappy, cheerful and full of self belief is the record's Smooth, one half of the famous fox terrier pair and historically the more numerous: a show ring favourite and a working fox dog in a sleek, wash and wear jacket. Smooths are confident, comical and tirelessly curious, with a sparkle owners describe as effervescent and a stubborn streak of pure terrier. They bond hard, play hard and patrol the household like small, beautifully turned out detectives. Puppies are charming chaos; adults are elegant, energetic companions that still consider themselves employed full time in vermin control, garden supervision and family entertainment.
Temperament and traits
Energy (4/5)
Trainability (3/5)
Grooming needs (3/5)
Shedding (3/5)
Barking (4/5)
Good with children: Better with older children
With other dogs: With early socialization
With strangers: Friendly with strangers
Apartment life: With enough exercise
Coat and care
Coat: Short, smooth, flat coat lying close, dense enough to be weather resistant. It sheds moderately and needs only a weekly brush.
Colors: The standard accepts a range of colors and patterns, and individual markings vary a lot.
Measure meals rather than free feeding; this breed does best on a routine of consistent meals, training in short sessions and daily exercise matched to its type. Brush weekly and check ears, teeth and nails as part of the routine. The typical terrier coat needs stripping or clipping depending on type, and the teeth of small terriers need real dental attention.
Exercise and grooming
Exercise
Forty five to ninety minutes a day of brisk, varied exercise: walks, free running in secure areas, games and terrier projects. The Smooth Fox Terrier ran with hounds and bolted foxes for a living, and the energy and prey drive survive intact. Scent games, digging pits and sports channel the day; provide the projects or the garden provides them, per the terrier rule. Puppies play in bursts. Recall needs honest management around wildlife, always. Terriers are big dogs in small coats, per the overview: funny, stubborn and brave, and the Smooth is among the most athletic of them. A worked Smooth is a sparkling, affectionate companion; an unworked one redecorates at speed.
Grooming
Brush weekly and check ears, teeth and nails as part of the routine, per the care notes, for the smooth, dense coat: the easiest grooming in the fox terrier family, a mitt, a bath when muddy and done. Shedding is steady and white hairs show on dark clothes. The care notes add the small terrier dental rule, so regular tooth brushing plus planned dental care are the breed's true maintenance costs. Ears take weekly checks. Puppies need kind handling habits for teeth and nails. Owners spend the hours saved on grooming on the exercise this athlete actually runs on.
Training and daily life
Training
Smooths are bright and learn fast when training is fun, varied and clearly paid, testing rules with a professional eye for loopholes. The terrier method applies: ask clearly once, reward well, never nag. Priorities are recall, managed honestly around game; lead manners; a settle; polite dog behaviour from early socialisation; and cooperative care for teeth. Harsh methods produce shutdown or open negotiation. Owners who treat training as the day's best game get a responsive, versatile little athlete that turns its paw to agility, earthdog, tricks and excellent house manners between events.
Living with a Smooth Fox Terrier
The Smooth Fox Terrier suits active, experienced households that want a classic terrier with wash and wear convenience and a working dog's engine. Bold, cheerful and full of self belief, friendly with strangers, better with older children in the record's rating, and dog social with early work, it rates flats as possible in the record with the full programme delivered. Expect sparkle, stubbornness, commentary and a dog that headlines every day. They need owners who enjoy a dog with opinions and who channel the hunting drive into games, per the overview, and those owners get one of the most entertaining, athletic little companions in the terrier group.
What a Smooth Fox Terrier costs
Food cost
About $14 per month for a typical 16 lb adult eating roughly 1.3 cups a day of a standard quality food ($1.60 per lb). Full breakdown in our food expense calculator.
Activity and exercise
Plan 45 to 90 minutes a day of walks, play and training. Under exercised dogs of most breeds invent their own projects, and they rarely pick good ones.
Insurance cost
Typical US range $28 to $52 per month for accident and illness cover. Estimate only, based on market ranges for this breed's risk profile; see the insurance estimator and the insurance guide.
On the monthly figures above, a typical adult year runs to about $167 for food and $336 to $624 for insurance, before routine vet care, grooming and gear. Year one costs more: vaccinations, spay or neuter surgery, a crate, bedding and training all land at once.
Growth: puppy to senior
How weight typically builds with age for a small breed, and when full size arrives.
| Stage | Age | Typical weight |
|---|---|---|
| Puppy | 8 weeks | about 3 to 3 lb |
| Puppy | 4 months | about 6 to 7 lb |
| Young | 6 months | about 9 to 10 lb |
| Young | 9 months | about 12 to 14 lb |
| Adult | 12 months | about 14 to 17 lb |
| Adult | Full grown | 15 to 18 lb (standard range) |
| Senior | From about 10 years | Healthy weight stays in the adult range; watch for slow gain or loss |
Growth pattern follows the size class growth curves published by the Waltham Petcare Science Institute, applied to the adult weight range in the breed standard. Individual puppies vary; steady growth matters more than hitting any single number, and your vet's growth checks come first.
Life stages
Puppies need socialisation, handling for teeth and nails from the start, digging outlets and rules installed before the engine fully arrives. Adolescents are maximum Smooth: clever, bold and hilarious, carried by sport and consistency. Adults enjoy a long, vigorous prime: keep teeth brushed, weight lean and the projects coming. Thirteen to fifteen years puts senior status around ten to eleven: twice yearly checks with patella, eye and dental attention, continued rambles and warm beds. Old Smooths stay bright, opinionated and involved to the end.
Health
Patellar luxation and eye conditions are the usual terrier flags, and many terrier breeds now have DNA tests for their specific hereditary conditions. The breed club's health page is the place to check what applies.
Conditions to know about
- Patellar luxation: The first of the usual terrier flags named in the record: slipping kneecaps, screened in breeding dogs. A skipping gait deserves assessment.
- Eye conditions: The second named flag in the record. Ask for eye results where available, and treat sudden eye pain or cloudiness as an emergency.
- Hereditary DNA screened conditions: Many terrier breeds now have DNA tests for their specific hereditary conditions, and the breed club's health page is the place to check what applies, per the record's advice. Ask breeders which panels their dogs carry.
- Dental disease: Small terrier teeth need real dental attention, per the care guidance. Crowded jaws build tartar fast, and daily brushing is the cheapest protection available.
Facts follow the Smooth Fox Terrier breed standard (AKC, The Kennel Club and FCI standards agree on the essentials for this breed). Health notes summarize the conditions breed clubs and veterinary bodies most often flag for this breed. They are general information for choosing and caring, not a diagnosis or a substitute for your vet.
Gear for Smooth Fox Terrier owners
Our team is hands on testing products for this guide right now. Recommendations will only appear here after real testing, and this module will always carry a plain affiliate disclosure at the top.
Smooth Fox Terrier questions
How long do Smooth Fox Terriers live?
A typical lifespan is 13 to 15 years. Weight control, dental care and screening for the breed's known conditions give a dog the best chance of reaching the top of that range.
How much does it cost to keep a Smooth Fox Terrier?
Food for a typical adult runs about $14 a month at a standard quality tier, and accident and illness insurance usually falls between $28 and $52 a month in the US. Try the full cost calculator for a complete year one and yearly picture.
Are Smooth Fox Terriers good with children?
Better with older children. As with every breed, supervise dogs and children together and teach children to respect the dog's space.
How much exercise does a Smooth Fox Terrier need?
Plan on 45 to 90 minutes a day, split between walks, play and training games. Puppies and seniors need gentler, shorter sessions.
Smooth or Wire Fox Terrier, what is the difference?
Coat and little else historically: the Smooth is wash and wear, the Wire needs stripping or clipping. Temperament, energy and terrier character are the same dog in two coats, though they are now separate breeds.
Are Smooth Fox Terriers good family dogs?
Yes, for active, experienced families: bold, cheerful and full of self belief, better with older children on this page. They need real exercise, training and owners who enjoy a dog with opinions.
Do Smooth Fox Terriers shed?
Moderately and steadily. The smooth coat is easy care, but easy care is not no shedding: white hairs appear on everything dark.