Jagd terrier or german terrier

This is a relatively recent breed of German dog whose origins date back to the so-called interwar period or interbellum , which, logically, is between the two world wars that occurred in the 20th century. The “official” story tells that the jagd terrier or German terrier has emerged due to the enthusiasm of a very active group of hunters who, after the First World War, decided to break away from the Fox Terrier Club, with the aim of creating a new breed of dogs dedicated exclusively to hunting, that had characteristics and skills more focused on said activity.

But, there are also versions that claim that this group of hunters was concerned with the massive penetration of purebred dogs originating from other countries in German lands, such as the fox terrier itself of British origins, and they wanted to develop an authentically German dog breed that would stand out. as much or more than the ‘foreign’ ones. In any case, it is perfectly plausible to think that both purposes coexisted at that time and ended up resulting in the creation of the German terrier.

Within this group of hunters, there were some very experienced hunting dogs, such as Rudolf Friess, Walter Zangenberg and Carl-Erich Grünewald, who decided to focus their efforts on the development of a new black-reddish hunting dog that had good hunting skills. search and dig burrows . Luck smiled on them when the zoologist Lutz Heck/Hagenbeck, who at that time served as director of the zoological garden, gave them four terrier dogs with black-reddish fur that, in addition, would be descendants of “pure” breeds of fox terriers. It is considered that these individuals were the basis for the development of the Jagd terrier, but subsequent selective crosses were also carried out with other specimens of the Old English wire-haired terrier and the Welsh terrier.

Throughout this process, the breeders were also dedicated to highlighting the taste for water and the learning abilities of the new breed they were developing. This explains why the German terrier is, today, not only an “all-terrain” hunter, but also a dog highly predisposed to training that responds very well to positive reinforcement .

Finally, it is worth mentioning that since 1926 the breed has had its own club in its homeland, the ” Deutscher Jagdterrier-Club e. V.” , and, currently, it is recognized by the majority of international canine federations, including by the FCI, which includes it in section 1 of Group 3, where we find medium or large-sized terrier dogs with a working test.

We are talking about a dog of medium size, but compact, with well-developed muscles and a body slightly longer than it is tall . Sexual dimorphism is very mild, since males and females have a fairly similar height at the withers, which can vary between 33 cm and 40 cm. Body weight should be proportional to the size of each individual, not resulting in a very light or plump appearance.

The head of the German terrier is made up of an elongated skull with a moderate wedge shape, but not pointed. The snout is somewhat shorter than the skull from the occipital protuberance to the naso-frontal depression (stop), which is poorly developed. The nose, in turn, should not be too narrow or too small in relation to the snout, and always has a black color (even in individuals with a brown coat).

Also in the facial region, we see small oval, sunken dark eyes, with attached eyelids and a determined expression. The ears of the jagd terrier are “V” shaped and are not very small , but not large either, set high and the dog usually wears them semi-erect. Already in the mouth of the German terrier we find large teeth and a powerful jaw that make up a complete scissors bite.

Colors of the jagd terrier or German terrier

The Jagd Terrier’s coat can be made up of rough, straight and dense hairs, or straight and hard hairs. In both cases, the colors of the German terrier considered “acceptable” by the FCI are black, dark brown or grayish black mixed with reddish-yellow markings that are well outlined and spread in the region above the eyes (eyebrows), the snout, chest, limbs and around the anus. The breed standard also “admits” a light or dark mask, as well as a small white marking on the chest and above the toes.

However, let us not forget that the presence of other colors or patterns in a dog’s coat does not determine its beauty, much less its personality and behavior. Therefore, if you have adopted a Jagd terrier or German terrier that does not meet all the ‘rules’ to be considered ‘pure’, you can still have a companion with notable abilities.

What is the jagd terrier or German terrier puppy like?

The appearance of a jagd terrier puppy is quite similar to that of adult individuals, but its black-reddish coat is not yet flatly developed, so it usually has less volume and a texture that is not as rough or hard. But, beyond its appearance, the most important thing is to keep in mind that childhood is a critical period for the optimal physical, cognitive and social development of all dogs. In this sense, to prevent your German terrier puppy from presenting behavioral problems and learning difficulties throughout his life, the first step is to make sure that he can remain with his mother until he completes his weaning period , since During this period, the “mother dog” is responsible for teaching her puppies the basic principles of communication and social behavior of dogs, as well as the limits of play.

Upon arriving at his new home, your little Jagd Terrier will naturally display a series of exploratory behaviors to begin to discover and interact with his environment and the stimuli and individuals found there. At this stage, it is common for them to want to put almost everything they find in their mouth, even the hands and feet of their guardians, mainly during games. To prevent these behaviors that are cute in a puppy from becoming annoying or even dangerous in an adult dog, it is essential to encourage good eating habits from an early age and direct the bites to the most appropriate resources. If you need help, at AnimalExpert we explain how to carry out the bite inhibition process in dogs .

It is a dog full of vitality and very predisposed to training, whose development of physical, cognitive and sensory skills has historically been related to optimizing its performance in hunting. Therefore, the Jagd Terrier needs to get plenty of exercise every day to maintain stable behavior and prevent the development of destructive behaviors and symptoms of stress .

In healthy conditions, German terriers are very trustworthy and, although they are more affable and affectionate in their family nucleus, they do not usually behave in a shy or fearful manner in the presence of strangers. Therefore, it is necessary to pay attention to behaviors associated with insecurity and excessive fear, since they usually indicate problems in socialization and/or systematic exposure to scolding, physical punishment or violence in any of its expressions.

To lead a healthy, active and happy life, jagd terrier dogs need to receive some basic care:

• Complete and balanced diet : regardless of the type of diet you decide to offer your dog, it is essential that it completely meets the nutritional requirements of each stage of its life.
• Preventive medicine : which should include the application of the essential vaccines provided in the dog calendar, periodic deworming against internal and external parasites, and at least one or two annual visits to the veterinarian to check the health of your furry dog.
• Exercise : The Jagd Terrier or German Terrier is a very energetic dog that likes to stay active. Taking at least three walks a day is the most basic for a good exercise routine, but we also recommend evaluating the benefits of starting your dog in a canine sport, such as Agility , and taking advantage of the jagd terrier’s great predisposition to learning to invest. in their training. A dog that has a sedentary routine in an impoverished environment becomes much more prone to behavioral problems associated with destructiveness, separation anxiety and also aggression. To prevent all of this, we strongly advise that you invest in environmental enrichment and, considering the German terrier’s remarkable hunting skills, it may be an excellent idea to introduce him to dog searching .
• Coat hygiene : the jagd terrier’s beautiful reddish-black coat will need regular brushing (once or twice a week) to stay shiny and healthy, preventing the accumulation of dirt and dead hair on its hair and skin. Baths can be given occasionally, only when the dog is really dirty, since bathing your dog excessively promotes the ‘wear and tear’ of the natural layer of fat that covers and protects its body, leaving it more vulnerable to numerous health problems. And whenever you want to bathe your dog at home, remember to use natural products or products suitable for canine use.
• Oral hygiene : the accumulation of food residues on teeth and gums leads to the development of common dental problems in dogs, ranging from tartar to more complex diseases, such as gingivitis and periodontitis. To prevent them, it is very important that you regularly brush your best friend’s teeth, always using products suitable for dogs or homemade toothpastes with non-aggressive ingredients for canine health. Additionally, you can consider offering a BARF or raw diet to your German terrier, since one of its many benefits is to facilitate oral hygiene, preventing the formation of bacterial plaques. Last but not least, the basic freedoms of animal welfare must be taken into account. And one of the most important has to do with freedom of expression, that is, allowing your dog to express itself and act as what it is, a dog, without subjecting it to any humanization practice or systematic rebuke of its behavior. instinctive. In this sense, it is essential that you understand that part of your responsibility

Complementing the care mentioned in the previous section, it will be key that you take the education of your jagd terrier very seriously from the beginning, as this will be decisive for your furry’s behavior on a day-to-day basis and his ability to relate positively to a variety of individuals, environments and stimuli. In this sense, the ideal is to start the educational process from the moment it arrives at home , and preferably during its first months of life (although the same “rule” is valid in the case of adopting an adult dog). To help you, at AnimalWised we explain how to start training a puppy and share some tips for training adopted adult dogs .

Preferably before your puppy reaches his third or fourth month of life, it will also be important that you begin to socialize him correctly , to encourage the assimilation of a greater number of resources to manage his own emotions and a greater diversity of friendly species. Since, for safety reasons, it is not recommended to take unvaccinated puppies outside , it is best to start by introducing him to other dogs and animals that you know are healthy, vaccinated and dewormed, either in your home or in a safe environment, as well as people who do not belong to their family nucleus. And when your little companion has received all the essential vaccinations for puppies, you can start walking him in the streets, parks, squares and other outdoor places, to give him the opportunity to continue interacting with a greater variety of individuals, environments and stimuli. .

This will also be the perfect time to teach your puppy to eliminate outside and begin introducing him to some basic obedience commands to stimulate his intelligence and encourage more reliable behavior inside and outside the home. If you would like to train your dog at home (and we recommend that you do), remember to start with the simplest commands and always work on them one by one until your furry friend is able to reproduce them fluently, in short training sessions , that is That is, with no more than 15 minutes.

When they receive all the care we saw above, German terriers become very strong and long-lived dogs, whose life expectancy is between 13 and 15 years , and can reach 17 years in optimal conditions.

Since its breeding has not been as extensive around the world and most breeders have been committed to keeping the breed as healthy as possible over the years, the Jagd Terrier does not show a significant genetic predisposition to most of the most common hereditary diseases in different dog breeds.

However, a moderate incidence of an eye problem called “ primary lens luxation ” is reported, which can be very painful and usually develops in the dog’s adulthood, mainly between three and eight years of age. Although they are much less frequent, it is also important to pay attention to the following conditions that have already been reported in this breed:

• Waterfalls .
• Glaucoma .
• Hypothyroidism .
• Partial or total deafness .
• Legg-Calvé-Perthes disease .
• Stomach sensitivity : with a tendency to develop gastric ulcers and/or gastritis .

At ExpertoAnimal, we do not support the breeding of animals for commercial purposes, as we are aware that abandonment is a sad reality that brings serious complications for public health and condemns thousands of animals to survive in conditions of extreme vulnerability.

Therefore, if you would like to have a companion with physical and behavioral characteristics similar to those of a Jagd Terrier or German Terrier, we recommend that you contact an animal shelter or shelter located near your home to schedule a visit and meet the dogs. available for adoption. There you will have a good chance of finding a best friend compatible with your personality and lifestyle who will also be the most grateful companion you have ever met.