American Toy Terrier
Breed Rating
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| Watch/guard dog: |
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| Tendency to bark: |
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| Aggressiveness: | |
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| Tendency to bark: | |
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Breed Attributes
General
Breed group: Terrier Type: Pure Breed Talent: Agility, Tricks, Watchdog
Physical
Size: Small Weight: 3.5 to 9 pounds Fur length: Short Ears: Pointy Fur type: Straight Fur Color: 3 Colors, Black & Brown, Black & White, Brown & White, Dark Brown / Chocolate, Light Brown / Golden, White / Cream
ATTRIBUTES
Life Expectancy: 10-12 years Rarity: Common Availability: Easily available Climate: Not good for cold climate.
Breed Details
General
The American Toy Terrier is a small dog breed that is also known as "Toy Fox Terrier" or "AmerToy". This compact and foxy dog has a muscular and athletic body and is very reminiscent of its ancestors. It has large head with V-shaped erect ears and large eyes. The muzzle is short and it has a small docked tail. The coat is short and comes in varying colours. Breed standards suggest atleast 50% of the head to be darker with body not more than 50% white. The height ranges from 8.5 to 11.5 inches and weight from 3.5 to 9 pounds.
The breed is recognized by AKC, NKC, UKC, APRI, DRA and other dog associations.
Color
The American Toy Terrier is found in different colours. Typically, the coat is black and tan but some dogs are found in brown and tan and some are found in all white and tan with no black. These variants are called 'Tricolored', 'Chocolate' and 'Tan and White' respectively.
Coat
The coat is short, glossy and fine. It is an easy to maintain coat.
Personality
The American Toy Terrier is a loving and amusing companion dog. This hardy, intelligent and happy dog is very loyal and devoted to its family. It can get along well with children with proper socialization and training but children should be taught not to mishandle this small dog. It gets along well with other dogs in the house but may chase after other small pets due to its terrier instincts. Feisty and happy, this dog has a background of being used in circuses by clowns and is believed to be a great companion for someone with a great sense of humor. This intelligent breed can learn to respond to certain words. The dog can be used for elderly people or people with disabilities. It can be trained to guide a blind person to a ringing phone. This dog is an excellent choice for all the family as long as it is properly trained.
Care
The American Toy Terrier requires minimal grooming due to very short hair (less than 1 cm). Thorough brushing once a week will be enough to clean the coat of dead hair as this dog is a frequent shedder.
Training
Training is not a problem for this dog as it is very intelligent and responsive but the owner or trainer needs to display calm, confident and firm attitude to get the best out of this dog.
Activity
This breed is very active and would need to be taken for a daily walk as well as ample playing time.
