General Information about Terrier Dogs
All of the dogs listed below belong to the collection of dogs referred to as Terrier Dogs. Dogs in the Terrier group were developed to hunt and kill vermin. The vermin included control rats, mice and other predatory animals such as foxes that might raided a farmer's produce and livestock. The very nature of these tasks require an energetic, tenacious, brave and determined dog . Terrier dogs have always been viewed as real assets by their owners and have worked with man for centuries.
Terrier Dog Breed Duties and Tasks
Characteristics and features of Terrier Dogs have been introduced and strengthened by breeding with animals who already demonstrated the desired traits. Breeding for appearance was only introduced in the 19th Century. Before this time dogs and puppies were bred to increase useful abilities and traits helpful for the duties they were intended for. The trait encouraged was the ability to dig up underground dens and burrows and "go to ground" whilst barking noisily to frighten out any inhabitants. Thus, the various Terrier breeds were introduced to help man according to his specific requirements such as: