12/24/2023
Author unknown, but this text reflects our terriers so well
Text of which I am not the author, (copy and paste) and so true...
Following a derogatory comment I received yesterday, I'd like to talk to you about terriers. If the terriers seem a little alien in several other dog sports, and their masters have to work hard to achieve results similar to other breeds, in obedience for example, the terriers are basically designed for tomcat sports; it is not for nothing you see a lot of them in barn and brush hunt, and they perform exceptionally often.
Terriers are in a class of their own. These are rather primitive dogs, that were not developed to work in collaboration with humans and respond to orders like most other types of dogs (shepherds, working dogs, hunting dogs) but to think of their own boss to chase and kill the vermin. If the majority of dogs don't have a complete predation sequence, those who do are mostly terriers (not only can they position their bodies, their eyes (like a border collie), chase prey (like common dogs), some, if not several, still have the blood skills of their ancestors and are able to catch prey, kill it, and sometimes consume it.
These are dogs with incredible determination, that doesn't always go in the way their human would like! When they are on their mind nothing can stop them. They are smart, persistent, creative, energetic, intense, courageous, stubborn. These are hyper alert dogs, who can go from zero to hundred in an eighth of a second! Terriers in general are fast, powerful and pain-enduring dogs, in fact, when they're on hunting mode, they appear invincible, an injury won't stop them!
They are also amazingly sensitive dogs. They react easily to their surroundings, and are demonstrable; both in their excess happiness, and in their reactions to surrounding stress. And of course they do it intensely! A Terrier, moderation, is not his cup of tea!
From their confident disposition and high motivation, they're not always ideal candidates for the dog park. They may seek to control other dogs, or easily react to an anxious or fearful dog. Some breeds at a young age can coexist with small animals, but still, their predation makes it not always the best dogs with small animals.
Yet, even if they are not the best candidates for obedience, they are usually very affectionate with humans, their family as well as strangers. Their confidence and tolerance for pain and physical discomfort can make them good candidates for patients with children. Their clowning makes them so loving!
So, if you see a hysterical terrier howling his lungs out on the edge of a barn or brush hunt ring, appreciate his determination, his drive, his motivation, his intensity. As in this state, he can hardly stand obstacles that prevent him from doing his job, avoid getting close with your dog; the terrier might want to remove obstacles that get in his way to go and do his job, without any malice from him! Some will go so far as, in the intensity of the moment, try to "snapper" their handle, the ultimate obstacle that prevents them from finally going to find the rat, and it's not aggression, just extreme drive, a desire inscribed in their genes to go do the job they were designed for, no matter what it takes!
I've always said that with my dog, I felt more like living with a roommate than with a dog; his intelligence, his insight, his liveliness, his tenacity, his sense of humor and the challenge of authority (his sense of initiative... ) make it a dog with which we have to negotiate and compromise much more than with another dog that obeys us for pleasure... I have learned a lot with terriers, I have developed a respect for their independence of mind, an appreciation of their sense of humor, humility, a sense of self-laugh. Terriers are unique, it takes equally unique people to know how to appreciate them, and when we get there, we develop a boundless passion for these little dogs full of personality, about which we enjoy discussing with strangers! "
Unknown author
