Activities For Toy Scottish Fox Terriers
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Prepare for unexpected vet bills
Introduction
If you have had your dog for a while, you probably already know that the Toy Scottish Fox Terrier is full of energy, loves to play, and rarely gets tired. You have a double Terrier on your hands; the Scottish Terrier combined with the Toy Fox Terrier. They are athletic, fun, and have incredible personalities. This breed has the stamina to run for miles with the patience to stalk and hunt, so your pooch is pretty much good at anything they set their mind to do. If you are a hunter, you can just take Fido with you on the hunt, and they will probably love it. Of course, you may need to teach your fur buddy a few rules first.
Hunting
Most Popular
1 Vote
Any Day
Moderate
Hard
1 - 2 hrs
Items needed
Collar
Leash
Treats
Lure
Activity description
If you are already a practiced hunter, whether it be small game such as squirrel and rabbits or huge prey like cougars and bear, you can take your furry friend along. Since both the Fox Terrier and the Scottish Terrier are born to hunt, they should already have that instinct built into them. However, you will need to teach your dog the fine art of proper hunting. For example, they will need to learn to follow your commands. Hopefully, you will have started this obedience training when your dog was a puppy, and it will be easy. If not, you will have to start from scratch.
Step
1
Get noisy
Once your dog can follow commands, you need to desensitize your dog to loud noises. There will be shooting, of course, so get your dog used to loud noises gradually starting with banging on a pot or drum. Let them get used to the noise until they finally accept it and start to block it out. Then you can let your pooch get used to the sound of your gun by taking them shooting with you.
Step
2
Get some prey
If you are going to have your dog digging or going into tunnels, you will need to train them to do that at home first. Use your own man-made tunnels and fake burrows and place a rat in a cage in there so your dog can go find it. If your dog will not be digging, but chasing, you can teach that by having them chase a scented rag or piece of fur around the yard, through obstacles, and around corners. Use a mechanized pulley or hand crank specially made for lure coursing or training. Give your dog a treat when they do something you ask of them to reinforce this behavior.
Step
3
Go hunting
When you take your dog hunting for the first time, do not expect miracles. No dog is perfect on the first trip so just know that you may have to keep them leashed for the first couple of trips. Bring some treats with you and make sure you praise and treat your pup every time they do something right. If you do that, they will be expert hunters in no time.
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Lure Coursing
Popular
1 Vote
Any Day
Moderate
Normal
1 hr
Items needed
Treats
Lure
Crank or pulley
Activity description
If you're not into hunting, you can teach your pooch to do lure coursing to satisfy their urge to hunt. In lure coursing, dogs are taught to chase a lure, which is usually a piece of cloth or fur, across a field about 600 to 1,000 yards long. The lure may go under and over obstacles, around corners, and through tall grass just to make it more interesting and challenging. The point is to simulate the actual way a rabbit or other prey would run from a dog. The lure is either hand cranked with a pulley and cord, or a battery powered motor will crank the prey along in front of the dogs until they reach the end, where the prey disappears into a hole, usually in hay bales or another soft obstacle to prevent injury.
Step
1
Teach some commands
Your dog has double Terrier genes, so they probably already have a good prey drive in them but will need to learn the rules of lure coursing before being able to compete. Of course, if you are just going to do it for fun and exercise, there are still rules to be followed for safety reasons. The first thing is to make sure your dog can follow simple commands like heel and sit. Then you should introduce your pup to rats.
Step
2
Meet your rat
You cannot just toss a rat to your dog, but you do need to get your pooch used to their prey. Put a rat in a cage and let your dog sniff it and try to get at it. When your pup shows interest and aggression, give them a treat to reinforce that behavior. Continue letting your dog see the rat for a while every day, reinforcing the aggressive behavior every time.
Step
3
Get out there
Get a cloth or piece of fur and leave it in the rat cage for a day or two. Then take that piece of fur (prey) and use it as prey on the lure coursing trail. Make a scented trail at first to help your dog find the scent but then let them see and sniff the prey before attaching it to the lure coursing machine. Your dog should be ready to chase that prey anywhere you pull it.
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Going to Ground
Least Popular
1 Vote
Any Day
Cheap
Normal
30 - 45 min
Items needed
Treats
Tunnels
Prey
Activity description
Going to ground is very similar to earth dog trials, but they are mostly running through tunnels rather than following a trail to a burrow to find their prey. This is an excellent sport for your dog because of their small size and their immense prey drive for animals that go to ground like foxes, rabbits, moles, and rats. The tunnels are made with wood to be safe from collapse but look like a real tunnel dug in the ground. The tunnel is either 10 feet long or 30 feet long, depending on the experience. The 10-foot tunnel has one curve in it and is for beginners while the 30-foot tunnel has two curves and is for the more experienced hunters. At the end of the tunnel, the rat is waiting, but it is behind a grate or cage to prevent them from being harmed.
Step
1
Introduction
Introduce your dog to the rat as you would with hunting or lure coursing. Let your dog know that it is good for them to be aggressive toward the rat, so they know it is prey. This means you need to give your pooch a treat when they show aggression such as barking, growling, or pawing at the rat cage.
Step
2
Set the trap
Once your dog knows what to chase, make your own tunnel and put the rat in its cage at the end of the tunnel behind a stack of hay bales. Make sure the cage is secure to keep the rat safe from your pooch or you are going to need a lot of rats.
Step
3
Compete
Take your dog to a Going to Ground event and let them get used to the noise, crowd, and the other dogs. Some dogs just cannot handle all the excitement of these events, so you need to make sure your little buddy is okay with that kind of atmosphere before you enter a competition.
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More Fun Ideas...
Swimming
If you and your Toy Scottish Fox Terrier like to swim, this activity can be good for both of you. However, make sure your pup knows how to swim before you let them jump in. In fact, it may be best to use a doggy life jacket for the first few trips to the lake or pool. After a few trips to the water, you probably will not need the jacket, and you can bring some toys to toss around as well.
Take a Walk
Your pooch would enjoy walking with you every day on a regular basis, and this can be the perfect low-key activity for those who are not that athletic. There are no rules to follow or commands to teach. Just grab a leash, attach it to your dog’s collar, and go out for a walk. The only thing you need to know is that you have to pick up after your pooch so bring along some doggy poo bags.
Conclusion
Terrier breeds need a lot of strenuous activity on a daily basis to keep them happy and get rid of all that extra energy they have inside them. In fact, the Terrier is known to be one of the most energetic and hyper breeds of dog so make sure you have plenty of time to spend with your little fur baby every day.