German Hunt Terrier

Breed Rating

Breed Details

General

The German Hunt Terrier is also known by other names like 'German Hunting Terrier', 'Deutscher Terrier', 'German Jagdterrier' and Jagd Terrier'. It is a smallish dog that stands between 13 to 16 inches and weighs around 17-22 lbs. It is a type of hunting dog that was developed in early 20th century with the aim to create a small dog that could hunt passionately and be a warm family companion at the same time. The development of this all purpose and very intelligent breed took hard work and several years to complete. Initiated by Berlin Zoo curator, Lutz Hech with his brother, the idea was to get a 'German Terrier' and get rid of 'Foreign terriers' in the times of over heated nationalism.

Welsh Terriers and Old English Wirehead Terriers were decided to be used as donor of the genes which contain the appearance of terriers. On the other hand, the Black and Tan Hunting dog, from where the Jagd terrier got its natural hunting instinct was from Germany. After several years of hard work and experimentation, they were able to make what they wanted- a breed which resembles a Patterdale-like appearance but armored with great hunting skills.

This is an all purpose dog that can hunt above and under the ground and at the same time, play its role as a warm and affectionate family companion.

Breed standards call for this dog to be squarely built. The dog has a characteristic round muzzle and small ears which are folded above the head. Small eyes are expressive and hold vigilant and intelligent expression. The deep and narrow chest helps the dog hunt under the ground when it enters the dens. The tail is usually docked and relatively long which makes it easy for the owners to pull them out of dens. The dog can have wiry, smooth or broken coat that comes in black with some tan markings.

This breed is NOT recognized by AKC however it is recognized by UKC and FCI.

Color

The dog comes in black colour with some tan markings on different parts of the body such as eye brows, muzzle, chest, legs and base of the tail.

Coat

The coat is short and sleek. It can be smooth, wiry or broken (both smooth and wiry hair on same coat) in texture.

Personality

Though friendly and calm, the German Hunt Terrier is a thorough and thorough hunting dog that is used as an specialized dog to hunt above and under the ground. This dog can hunt badger, fox and raccoon dog. It is also used to drive wild boar and rabbits out of their hidings as well as blood track a wounded game. These dogs can adopt to family pet life but may not be suitable companion and family dogs as they are inclined to be one man dog and will often listen to their master only. This makes them unsuitable as family pets. These dogs are very active and high energy dogs that need a few hours daily to run and play to dispose off their combustible energy. Under exercising will result in a restless and eventually a destructive dog. The dogs should be utilized for the purpose they were bred for....hunting. The German Hunt Terrier is bred to be a hunting and sporting dog. German Hunt Terriers possess a spirit of liveliness and speed at work, yet are regal at rest. "Alert", "athletic" and "active" describes the ambiance of the German Hunt Terrier. A bit of fire is always evident in its expression. A clever hunter, unrelenting robust and unafraid of the most formidable wild and very intent in the pursuit of such game. Dash, gameness and pluck are all descriptive of a properly bred German Hunt Terrier. Due to their intelligence and adaptability, Jagd terriers can make good pets, but it should be remembered that they are primarily a hunting dog with a strong prey drive.

Care

The short, smooth or wiry or broken coat is low maintenance in nature. A weekly brushing will suffice.

Training

This dog only listens to its master. It is eager to get attention and praise so training should accompany rewards such as praise and appreciation. With proper and positive training methods, the Jagd terrier can be trained without much trouble.

Activity

This dog has high combustible energy levels and consequently needs high physical activities. Daily walks or preferably jogs are a must when the dog is not hunting. It will also need a few hours in a yard or secure open and large space where it can run or engage itself in high physical activities. An under exercised Jagd terrier is almost sure to become restless and eventually destructive.