Plate 192 · British Isles
Smooth Fox Terrier
短毛猎狐㹴
“The foxhunter's terrier that rode in a saddlebag.”
- Origin
- United Kingdom
- England
- Country of origin
- An English breed; the sources name no single place, so the marker is the United Kingdom's reference point.
- The point is a reference position in the country of origin.
- Era
- Traced to the mid-19th century; standard 1876
- Today
- Companion · Show dog
Under editorial review — sources listed below.
History
01 · Origin
England
A smart, mostly white, smooth-coated English terrier that bolted foxes for mounted hunts.
02 · Historical role
What it was bred for
Riding in a saddlebag and being released to bolt a fox that had gone to ground.
03 · Breed development
How it changed
The AKC traces it to the mid-19th century, when smooth and broken-coated fox terriers were classed as one breed. It is reported to have been the first Fox Terrier recognised by the Kennel Club (about 1875); the Fox Terrier Club drew up its standard in 1876. The AKC treated Smooth and Wire as varieties of one breed until the mid-1980s.
04 · Today
Companion · Show dog
A companion and show dog.
Personality
- Independent
- Friendly
- Amusing
- Alert
General breed tendencies, not guarantees — individual dogs vary with genetics, training and environment. Ratings: the AKC’s trait scores as its breed page gives them (the AKC’s 1–5 guidance for owners, not a measurement). Other profiles here use editorial ratings, a different source, so compare across them with care.
- Exercise
- Lively: long walks, ball games, a securely fenced area.
- Grooming
- A weekly brush.
- Training
- Bold and alert; teach it not to dig up the garden.
Living with one
- Size
- Small
- Lifespan
- 12–15 years
- Coat
- Short, hard, dense, mainly white coat with tan or black markings
Field note
Mostly white dogs were prized because they were less likely to be mistaken for the fox in close combat.
Recognition & today
- AKC
- Terrier Group
- Also recognized by
- FCI (as Fox Terrier (Smooth), Group 3, standard 12), The Kennel Club (UK)
- Popular in
- No reliable data
AKC: Terrier Group, recognized 1885.
AKC registrations: ranked 144 among breeds in 2025.
Sources3 references
- Smooth Fox Terrier — breed information — American Kennel Club
https://www.akc.org/dog-breeds/smooth-fox-terrier/
Registry · accessed 2026-10-14 · Registry status, group, size, life expectancy and registration rank; history as the AKC tells it. Ratings: the AKC's own 1–5 owner-guidance trait scores as the page gives them (energy level, trainability, barking level, openness to strangers, good with other dogs), not measurements.
- Smooth Fox Terrier — Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smooth_Fox_Terrier
Encyclopedia · accessed 2026-10-14 · Pitch (1790), first Fox Terrier recognized by the Kennel Club and 1876 standard, AKC separation from the Wire (mid-1980s), fox bolting.
- Fox Terrier (Smooth) — FCI breed nomenclature — Fédération Cynologique Internationale
https://www.fci.be/en/nomenclature/FOX-TERRIER-SMOOTH-12.html
Kennel club · accessed 2026-10-14 · Country of origin Great Britain; Group 3, section "Large and medium sized Terriers"; accepted 1963.
Text is written by World Breeds from the references above; it does not reproduce registry descriptions. Location note: An English breed; the sources name no single place, so the marker is the United Kingdom's reference point.
