The breed – English Toy Terrier

The history of the elegant and powerful English Toy Terrier

The English Toy Terrier (ETT) is one of the oldest native English breeds, it has its origin in the Black & Terrier in England, the breed was known under the name Miniature Black & Tan Terrier up until the 1960s, 1962 the British Kennel Club changed the name to English Toy Terrier (black and Tan).

The breed has been part of both the British and Norwegian royal families, their unbeatable ability to fast dispatch vermin made them popular in the English countryside and in cities during the Industrial Revolution. The background of the breed as a rat killer and ground working dog as well as a perfect lap dog gives you an idea of the unbeatable adaptation ability of the English Toy Terrier. The breed is on the list of vulnerable breeds in Sweden & England as well as in many other countries.

Today the breed is mainly a companion dog perfectly suited for city life due to its size and cleanliness, the ETT has a great deal of the typical terrier characteristics, it’s courageous, energetic, and more than happy to chase and kill both rats and mice hence also a perfect countryside dog. The ETT has exceptional hearing and is a great family dog and watchdog, with its high pitch bark no uninvited guest gets into the house unnoticed. The English Toy Terrier is very affectionate with his owner and family, incredibly playful, intelligent, and active little dog that is content where ever his owner is. The ETT is described as curious, active, fearless, and a total optimist. They are fast learners and perfectly suitable for agility, obedience training, and dog shows as well as long walks in the woods or a lazy day on the couch, aggression is very rare. They have a long life expectancy of approximately 11-13 years, although generally seen as a very healthy breed they do have a few health issues to be aware of.

The ETT is described as curious, active, fearless, and a total optimist. They are fast learners and perfectly suitable for agility, obedience training, and dog shows as well as long walks in the woods or a lazy day on the couch, aggression is very rare. They have a long life expectancy of approximately 11-13 years, although generally seen as a very healthy breed they do have a few health issues to be aware of.

Diseases

Before our dogs enter into a breeding program we do the recommended health tests.Our dogs

The most common hereditary diseases of the breed are patella luxation and cataracts

At a young age, some dogs can suffer from hair follicle mites, demodicosis, but most often it is a mild form that goes away without treatment.

There are also a few hereditary conditions Xanthinuria, Juvenile Dilated Cardiomyopathy and Von Willebrand’s disease.

Pre-breeding DNA tests are available for these, and thanks to careful health screening by responsible breeders these are now under control and quite rare.