Contents
History of origin
The ancestors of Jagd Terriers are Fox Terriers and Lakeland Terriers, very popular in England in the XNUMXth century. As a matter of fact, these dogs suited the hunters completely: their small stature, courage and unpretentiousness made them almost ideal hunting assistants, however, the elegant appearance played a bad joke with the breeds – they began to purposefully breed them not for work, but for exhibitions, developing in dogs not hunting, and external qualities: bright color, beautiful rich coat, large size. All this has led to the fact that hunters again have a need for a universal dog capable of working on a variety of animals. She was required to have a compact size, non-marking colors, unpretentiousness in maintenance and aggression towards prey. German breeders accepted this challenge and seriously engaged in breeding such a breed. They used a pair of fox terriers that had been culled for the unusual black and tan coloration of their distant ancestors, the Old English Terriers, and crossed them with wire-haired Likeland terriers. The result exceeded all expectations: they have a breed that meets all the requirements of hunters and rangers. Moreover, they bred two types of dogs: short-haired and wire-haired. This is how the Jagd Terrier was born.
I must say that this breed is very young (it is not even 100 years old), so it has not yet been recognized by many cynological organizations, which, however, does not prevent the Yagd from being very popular among hunters from different countries.
Breed description
Maximum functionality – this is how you can exhaustively characterize the appearance of the yagd terrier. Breeders did not pursue external beauty, so all the characteristics of the dog are aimed at successful work. Short stature, slightly elongated Jagdterrier has a lean muscular body. The head is wedge-shaped, the eyes are small with a wary lively expression, the ears are semi-erect, the tips are lowered forward. The tail is set rather high, docked (3 vertebrae remain). The girth of the chest should be about 10 cm more than the height at the withers – these are the optimal parameters at which the dog retains maximum maneuverability with maximum strength. The wool is thick and hard. There are two varieties: smooth-haired and wire-haired Jagdterrier, however, among hunters, the intermediate form is most appreciated: the product of crossing both types. And if the rough-haired ones have a pronounced beard, and there are feathers on their paws, then the hybrids, although less spectacular in appearance, have exactly the length and structure of the coat that protects them as much as possible when hunting, without creating interference.
The most common color is black and tan, brown and tan and tan with gray are also found.
Photos
Character
Don’t be fooled by the small size of this dog. The Jagd Terrier will never become a couch toy in its life. This is a real hard worker, who knows no mercy for himself or for the beast, selfless and completely fearless. Having such qualities, the Jagd Terrier will never show indulgence to weakness, this is a dog for strong people. But if you have achieved his respect, then you will acquire a true devoted friend in the face of a little hunter.
Jagdterriers are very smart and independent – they are used to acting without a command, at their own discretion, so sometimes it is difficult to convey your will to them. These dogs are often distrustful of strangers, and all other animals are considered as potential prey, moreover, the size does not matter – after all, when hunting, they often come into battle with an animal much larger than themselves.
Care and maintenance
It is difficult to come up with a more unpretentious dog than the Jagd Terrier, because it was ease of care that was one of the key requirements for breeding the breed. These dogs are not afraid of either heat or cold, they feel equally good both in a wooden booth and in a comfortable city apartment. Their coat does not require cutting and washing, it is enough just once a week to go through it with a brush.
But yagd terriers are in dire need of long walks. After all, these are incredibly active and strong dogs, and if you do not go hunting at least once a week, then be prepared to walk with your friend for several hours every day. If he does not have the opportunity to spend his energy on something, then this can result in aggression even against the owners and, of course, in the destruction of the apartment.
Education and training
The character of the Jagdterrier is quite complex, so education should begin from the first minutes of your acquaintance with the puppy. You need to show complete self-confidence, calmness and consistency. Show yourself as a strong leader, the leader of the pack – and then the little hunter will gladly follow you into fire and into water. But at the same time, in the process of training, in no case should violence and aggression be used – by doing this you will show your weakness and will never win the respect of the dog, only turn it into a beast embittered by the whole world.
As early as possible, it is necessary to start the socialization of the puppy – introduce him to other people, children and animals, let him understand that these are friends, and not a threat to the family and, of course, not game. If this is not done, then in a crowded city you may have problems.
Like all terriers, these dogs are somewhat stubborn, and here your task is to show calm perseverance. Show that your will is stronger, and then there will be no more problems with education.
Health and disease
If any of the dogs can boast of almost perfect health, it is the Jagd Terrier. These dogs (of course, subject to timely vaccinations) practically do not get sick. They do not have hereditary diseases characteristic of the breed, they are always energetic and full of vitality.
Owners are required to treat dogs for fleas and ticks at least 2 times a year and, of course, monitor their diet: underfed or overfed dogs can suffer from diseases of the musculoskeletal system, metabolism and even the nervous system.
Jagdterriers have more problems not because of illnesses, but because of their fearlessness in hunting: sometimes, having entered into a fight with an animal much larger than themselves (for example, with a wild boar), they, being unable to retreat in time, receive numerous injuries, and sometimes even die.
Word to the breeder
Chairman of the Altai Regional Branch of the Federation of Hunting Dog Breeding, breeder, owner of the Akbeon yagd terrier kennel Natalya Yuryevna Egrishchina: “Jagdterriers are restless creatures, nothing in life passes by them. They have everything to do with it. Their temperament is fire that burns in water, on earth and underground. For people who are in love with the breed, this is a dog – air, it is impossible to exist without it, oxygen starvation begins.
Versatility and small size are big pluses for the hunter. This makes it possible for the dog to always be near the owner, to be his companion and friend in any enterprise. The reaction is fast and the brain is mobile, they easily assess the situation and act independently, based on the situation.
Aggression towards a person for a yagda, and for any hunting dog, is a vice. In general, aggression is not tied to any breed, only to a specific individual. If the dog was bought from a competent breeder, then there is a high probability that the puppy will grow up with normal social behavior, since responsible breeders must take this moment into account when selecting breeding pairs, and dogs must receive a breeding assessment at the exhibition in accordance with the breeding status for breeding permission. At the exhibition, the judge draws attention to the temperament and attitude towards a stranger, he himself examines the teeth, makes a manual examination of the articles. If the dog is calm about these manipulations by a stranger (not afraid, not pinching, not snapping), this indicates that everything is in order with the nervous system of the dog. If she tries to bite, run away, get rid of the hands of a stranger, she is disqualified by the judge, after which, of course, she cannot participate in breeding. When buying a puppy “cheaper”, without documents, you must understand that there is a fairly real risk of getting a “domestic tyrant”, this applies to any breed.
Therefore, the first thing you should do after deciding to get a puppy is to find a responsible breeder, this will give you a guarantee that your pet will be socially adequate.
Also, what a dog will grow up depends on the person to whom the puppy passes from the breeder.
The Jagd Terrier is a very temperamental breed and is very passionate about hunting. Yagdy, as a rule, according to the type of higher nervous activity, are either sanguine, or choleric, or mixed types, while they have an active-defensive reaction in relation to the beast, which is easy to control, providing the dog with work.
Now we will describe what ideally should be the owner of such a dog:
- hunter;
- firm in actions and decisions;
- moving, mobile, sequential;
- leader;
- well trained and preferably with minimal training skills.
In the presence of these qualities, the owner will confidently subdue his pet and take the top step on the hierarchical ladder. The Jagd Terrier is not a dog for the lazy, he should always be busy with something. If everything worked out, your family will have a happy life with a faithful, cheerful and prolific dog.
Dimitri Mindru from Moldova, an expert on burrowing dog breeds, as well as a breeder and owner of the Gladiator kennel: “Why do I like the German hunting terrier or, as we call it in everyday life, the Jagdterrier? A great friend, gets along well with all family members, distrustful of strangers. Excellent guard. Hunter from God. Hunt on land, on water, underground. The breed is relatively young. He does not know fear, and this is what some people confuse when they talk about anger. To protect the owner, he will even jump on an elephant. The breed is quite popular among hunters.
People without the skill of communicating with dogs with a “fine mental organization”, limited by time, should not start a yagd terrier, their temperament will act destructively and bring inconvenience.
Popular questions and answers
We talked about keeping yagd terriers with zoo engineer, veterinarian Anastasia Kalinina.