Raising dogs, in particular providing care for the miniature fox terrier, is nothing new for people. Some experts speculate that dogs were originally domesticated sometime between 12,000 and twenty five thousand years ago—and that dogs evolved from the wolf. Since those days, we have selectively bred more than 400 different breeds, which range in size from four-pound teacup poodles to Irish wolfhounds, whose three-foot stature has earned them the title of the tallest canine. But the most popular dogs are non-pedigree dogs—the one-of-a-kind dogs known as mixed-breeds. The miniature fox terrier is also a popular pick among canine owners. Many owners are misinformed, however, of many of the most important miniature fox terrier care tips.
General cost of care for the miniature fox terrier
The annual cost of raising your miniature fox terrier—which includes everything from food and treats, veterinary care, toys and license—could range between $420 and $780. This does not even include capital costs for spay/neuter surgery, collar and leash, a dog carrier and a crate. Note: Be positive you have all the required items before you get your miniature fox terrier home.
Basic miniature fox terrier Care
How To Feed the miniature fox terrier
- miniature fox terrier puppies between eight and twelve weeks need four meals every twenty-four hours.
- Feed miniature fox terrier puppies three to 6 months old three meals every 24 hour period.
- Feed pups 6 months old to one year 2 bowls of food in a day.
- By the time your miniature fox terrier reaches his or her first birthday, one meal daily is typically sufficient.
- Sometimes adult miniature fox terriers, however, do better with two smaller bowls. It’s your duty to adapt to your miniature fox terrier’s eating tendencies.
Top-quality dry food provides a well-rounded diet to adult miniature fox terriers and may be mixed with canned food, water, or broth. Your miniature fox terrier may have a taste for cooked eggs, cottage cheese, and fruits and vegetables, but these dishes should not be more than 10 percent of his or her daily allowance. miniature fox terrier pups should probably be given a high-quality, brand-name puppy food. Please limit “table food”, though, because it can result in vitamin and mineral deficiencies, tooth and bone concerns, and might result in very finicky eating habits and obesity. Give fresh, clean water always, and be sure to clean water and food dishes very often.
miniature fox terrier Care Tips: Make sure your miniature fox terrier gets some daily physical activity
miniature fox terriers must get some exercise in order to stay in shape, recharge their brains, and maintain good health. Daily activity also tends to help miniature fox terriers avoid boredom, which often leads to destructive behavior. Going outside will cure many of your miniature fox terrier’s desires to chase, retrieve, chew, dig and herd. Individual exercise needs will vary based on your miniature fox terrier’s age and his level of health—but 10 minutes outside and just a walk around the block every day probably will not do. If your miniature fox terrier is a 6 to 18 month adolescent, his requirements will probably be greater.
miniature fox terrier Grooming Tips
Regular brushing will help reduce shedding and keep your miniature fox terrier clean. Check for ticks and fleas every day during the summer or other warm weather. Most miniature fox terriers don’t need to be bathed more than a few times per year. Before bathing, comb or cut out all mats from the miniature fox terrier’s coat. Carefully rinse all soap from the coat, or the dirt will stick to soap residue.
miniature fox terrier Handling
Pups are obviously the easiest to handle. While carrying your miniature fox terrier puppy, take one of your hands and place it beneath the dog’s chest, with either your forearm or other hand supporting his back legs and rump. Never attempt to grab or lift your puppy by her forelegs, tail or nape. If you must lift a bigger, full-grown miniature fox terrier, pick it up from underneath, holding his chest with one of your arms and rear end with the other.
Housing the miniature fox terrier
Your miniature fox terrier needs a cozy quiet spot to be able to rest apart from all drafts and away from the floor. You may wish to buy a doggie bed, or make one out of a wooden box. Place a clean sheet, blanket, or pillow inside the bed for cushioning. Wash the miniature fox terrier’s bed covering often. If your miniature fox terrier will be outdoors frequently, be sure she has access to shade and plenty of cool water in hot weather, and a warm, dry, covered shelter in winter.
miniature fox terrier Licensing
Your area has licensing regulations to heed. Be sure to connect the license to your miniature fox terrier’s collar. The license, together with an ID tag or tattoo, can help secure your miniature fox terrier’s return if she happens to go missing.
Facts on miniature fox terrier Temperament
About Training Your miniature fox terrier
A well-mannered, companion miniature fox terrier is truly a blessing to own. However, when untrained, your miniature fox terrier can possibly be troublesome. Training your miniature fox terrier on the standards—”Heel”, “Off”, “Sit”, “Stay”, “Come”, “Down”, and “Leave it”—will bolster the relationship both with the dog and the relatives. If you’re the owner of a pup, begin teaching him the appropriate responses immediately! Use treats as an incentive and a reward. Pups should join obedience classes when they have been sufficiently vaccinated. Contact your community SPCA or humane society for details on obedience classes. It is best to walk your miniature fox terrier on a leash when, even while a pup. Just be sure your miniature fox terrier will come to you at all times whenever you tell him. A disobedient or aggressive miniature fox terrier should not be allowed to play with kids.
Your miniature fox terrier’s Health
Your miniature fox terrier should visit the vet for a complete exam, shots and a heartworm blood assessment annualy, and promptly if he is injured or sick.
Your miniature fox terrier’s Dental Health
While many of us might simply dislike our miniature fox terrier’s bad breath, it’s important to be aware of what it may represent. Foul-smelling breath is a sign that your miniature fox terrier requires an oral screening. Dental plaque triggered by unhealthy bacteria creates a bad stench that necessitates professional treatment. After a professional cleaning, the gums and teeth can be maintained in a healthy state by brushing the teeth regularly, feeding a specially formulated dental diet and treats, and avoiding table scraps. The vet can show you more info for minimizing dental disease and halitosis. You can easily brush the miniature fox terrier’s teeth using a doggie toothpaste or a homemade baking soda and water paste a few times a week. Use a child’s soft toothbrush, a gauze pad or a piece of nylon pantyhose stretched over your finger. Some miniature fox terriers end up with periodontal disease, an infection between the gums and teeth. Sometimes, teeth loss takes place as a result of gum infection. Infections can possibly also spread to the rest of your miniature fox terrier’s body. Veterinarians can sometimes brush her teeth as a regular part of your miniature fox terrier’s health checkup.
miniature fox terrier Bad Breath
While halitosis brought on by oral disease might not be serious if caught early, some bad breath may be indicative of fairly serious, long-term issues. Diseases of the intestines or liver sometimes cause halitosis, while a fruity, even pleasant smell may sometimes be indicative of diabetes. Kidney disease is a possible reason if your miniature fox terrier’s breath smells like urine or ammonia. Set an appointment with a veterinarian whenever your miniature fox terrier has halitosis along with other signs of disease like excessive urinating or drinking, depression or lethargy, weight loss, nausea, or decreased appetite.
miniature fox terrier Tick and Flea Issues
In the summer, it’s important for you to perform daily inspections of your miniature fox terrier for fleas and ticks. Use a flea comb to remove and find fleas. There are many new techniques of tick control. Consult your miniature fox terrier’s doctor about her or his options.
Heartworms in miniature fox terriers
The heartworm is a parasite that lives in the heart and passes from a contaminated dog to your miniature fox terrier by way of mosquitoes. Several miniature fox terriers die each year because of heartworm infestations. It is extremely important to make sure your miniature fox terrier submits to a blood screening for this parasite each year during the spring. It is recommended that you give your miniature fox terrier a monthly tablet throughout mosquito season in order to protect her from heartworms. Should you ever travel south with your miniature fox terrier in winter, your dog ought to be on the preventive medicine during the trip. In some milder areas, veterinarians advise preventative worm medication throughout the year.
Toxins and Medicines
If you’re thinking about giving your miniature fox terrier medicine that was not prescribed for her by his doctor, forget it. For example, did you know that just one ibuprofen pill will cause stomach ulcers in miniature fox terriers? Keep rat poison and other rodenticides away from your miniature fox terrier. Be sure you call your dog’s doctor when you have reson to think your miniature fox terrier has ingested poison. You may also contact the ASPCA Poison Control Center at (888) 426-4435 for 24 hr. help.
miniature fox terriers: Neutering and Spaying
Female miniature fox terriers should be spayed—the removal of the ovaries and uterus—and males neutered—extraction of the testes—by 6 months of age. Spaying before maturity greatly diminishes the risk of breast cancer, which is a usually fatal and common problem for more mature female miniature fox terriers. Spaying also eliminates the risk of a sick uterus, a very serious problem in more mature females that requires surgery. Neutering male miniature fox terriers helps prevent testicular diseases, some hernias and certain types of aggression.
miniature fox terrier Vaccinating
- Your miniature fox terrier pup should be immunized with a combo immunization (called a “five-in-one”) at 2, 3 and 4 months of age, and then once yearly. This immunization immunizes your pup from parainfluenza, parvovirus, leptospirosis, hepatitis, and distemper. Your miniature fox terrier must be vaccinated for at least the first 4 months of his life.
- If your miniature fox terrier has not been innoculated and is older than 4 months, he will need to be given 2 vaccinations promptly, two to three weeks apart. Then you must innoculate yearly.
- Your miniature fox terrier pup’s socialization should coincide with the immunization program. Most veterinarians advise that new owners take their miniature fox terrier pups to socialization courses, beginning at 8 to 9 weeks of age. They should have received their first immunizations by this point.
Because regulations vary so much between different areas, call your community veterinarian for information about rabies immunization. In NYC, for example, the statute states that all pets older than 3 months of age to be vaccinated for rabies. After the first immunization, he must get a second innoculation the next year, and then every three years. There are a variety of immunizations, many of which are effective for your miniature fox terrier. There are others that are not, however. Ask your miniature fox terrier’s vet for her opinion. Please be aware, if your miniature fox terrier happens to get sick because he is not properly innoculated, the shot ought to be administered once your pet fully recovers.
Hookworms in miniature fox terriers
miniature fox terriers are commonly exposed to worms—even in urban areas. Tiny eggs made by roundworms are passed in an infected dog’s stool. Most pups, even from healthy mothers in good homes, carry intestinal worms. An accurate, early diagnosis is the secret to treatment. Early, accurate diagnosis maximizes the possibility that prescribed medication will be highly effective against your miniature fox terrier’s worms. A dewormer that eliminates hookworms, for example, can’t kill tapeworms. Your vet can best define the culprit—and decide the appropriate treatment.
miniature fox terrier: Miscellaneous Care Tips
Checklist of miniature fox terrier Supplies
- Excellent-quality dog food and treats designed for miniature fox terriers and similarly-sized dogs
- Food bowl
- Water dish
- As many safe toys as you can provide, especially chewable
- Comb & brush for grooming, including a flea comb
- Collar with license and ID tag
- Quality leash
- Dog carrier (for puppies)
- Crate for training
- Box or dog bed with quilt or towel
- Doggie toothbrush
The no-no list
The following items should never be fed to miniature fox terriers:
- Alcoholic beverages
- Chocolate, tea, coffee, or any other caffeinated foods
- Grapes & raisins
- Spoiled or moldy food of any kind
- Onions, garlic & chives
- Bones of chicken, turkey, or any other animal (choking hazard)
- Salt & salty foods
- Tomato leaves, unripe fruit & stems
- Yeast dough
The scoop on poop
Keep your miniature fox terrier on a leash when you are outdoors, unless you are in a fenced-in, secured area. And please, when your miniature fox terrier defecates on your neighbor’s lawn, take care of it! Don’t forget to check out these other articles about miniature fox terriers
Was this post helpful? If so, please take a minute to Tweet and Share below on Facebook. I would also love to know your thoughts so leave me a comment 🙂
Follow