Terrier

Dog Breed Categories
Herding Dog : Hound : Non-Sporting Dog : Sporting Dog : Terrier : Toy Dog : Working Dog

Terriers are one of the seven major dog breed categories. This group of dogs was originally created to have the desire to catch and kill various rodents and other vermin. Typically small dogs with wiry hair, terriers may even follow their quarry into their underground homes, and are therefore usually great diggers. In fact, the word terrier is actually a reference to the Latin terra, meaning earth - owners should expect them to dig some holes in the yard (or under a fence).

Many of the terrier breeds were crossed with other breeds to create a feistier dog capable of fighting rats or other dogs in a ring. Some of the larger terriers were even trained as bull baiters. The combination of hunting and fighting means that many terriers, while small, these dogs can be brave and tough, and may have a lot of scrap in them. They could possibly have issues with authority - be it their human masters or other dogs, however, as is the case with nearly any dog - proper training can produce a loving and obedient pet. In fact, over the years, careful breeding has turned many terriers from fighters into energetic players.

Terrier Breeds

• Airedale Terrier
• American Staffordshire Terrier
• Australian Terrier
• Bedlington Terrier
• Black Russian Terrier* or Russian Black Terrier*
• Border Terrier
• Boston Terrier*
• Bull Terrier or English Bull Terrier
• Cairn Terrier
• Cesky Terrier or Cesky
• Dandie Dinmont Terrier
• English Toy Terrier*
• Fox Terrier (Smooth)
• Fox Terrier (Wire)
• Glen of Imaal Terrier*
• Irish Terrier
• Jack Russell Terrier (renamed to the Parson Russell Terrier)
• Kerry Blue Terrier
• Lakeland Terrier
• Manchester Terrier*
• Miniature Bull Terrier
• Miniature Schnauzer
• Norfolk Terrier
• Norwich Terrier
• Parson Russell Terrier (formerly the Jack Russell Terrier)
• Scottish Terrier or Scottie
• Sealyham Terrier
• Silky Terrier* or Silky* or Australian Silky Terrier*
• Skye Terrier
• Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier or Wheaton Terrier
• Staffordshire Bull Terrier or Pitbull, or Pit Bull Terrier or Pitbull Terrier
• Tibetan Terrier*
• Toy Fox Terrier*
• Welsh Terrier
• West Highland White Terrier
• Yorkshire Terrier* or Yorkie

* Denotes breeds that are may be classified as non-terrier by some kennel clubs (usually as toy or utility/working dogs instead)

Some Famous Terriers

For more famous dogs, see Presidential pets

• Barney (Scottish Terrier) - one of President Bush's dogs
• Benji (terrier mix) - from the Benji movies
• Eddie (Jack Russell Terrier) - from Fraiser
• Greyfriar's Bobby or Bobby (Skye terrier) - memorialized outside of Grayfriars's Bobby Inn in Scotland for his loyalty to his deceased master
• Jock (Scottish Terrier) - from Disney's Lady and the Tramp
• Petey (Pitbull Terrier) - from The Little Rascals
• Skip (Jack Russell Terrier) - from My Dog Skip (this is actually the same dog Eddie, from Fraiser)
• Spuds MacKenzie (Bull Terrier) - the Budweiser dog
• Toto (Cairn Terrier) - from The Wizard of Oz
• Wishbone (Jack Russell Terrier) - from the PBS show Wishbone

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Sources

Ter"ri*er (?), n. [CF. L. terere to rub, to rub away, terebra a borer.]

An auger or borer.

© Webster 1913.

Ter"ri*er, n.

1. [F. terrier, chien terrier, from terre the earth, L. terra; cf. F. terrier a burrow, LL. terrarium a hillock (hence the sense, a mound thrown up in making a burrow, a burrow). See Terrace, and cf. Terrier, 2.] Zool.

One of a breed of small dogs, which includes several distinct subbreeds, some of which, such as the Skye terrier and Yorkshire terrier, have long hair and drooping ears, while others, at the English and the black-and-tan terriers, have short, close, smooth hair and upright ears.

⇒ Most kinds of terriers are noted for their courage, the acuteness of their sense of smell, their propensity to hunt burrowing animals, and their activity in destroying rats, etc. See Fox terrier, under Fox.

2. [F. terrier, papier terrier, LL. terrarius liber, i.e., a book belonging or pertaining to land or landed estates. See Terrier, 1, and cf. Terrar.] Law (a)

Formerly, a collection of acknowledgments of the vassals or tenants of a lordship, containing the rents and services they owed to the lord, and the like.

In modern usage, a book or roll in which the lands of private persons or corporations are described by their site, boundaries, number of acres, or the like.

© Webster 1913.