| Many people with children ask if the Smooth Fox Terrier is a good dog for their family. The answer is yes and no. They are usually wonderful with older kids. Most Fox Terriers love to play with children,but because they can play hard and have a strong temperament, we usually recommend them for kids 7 years old and older. For kids in this age range, the Fox Terrier can be that "best friend" that a pre-teen needs to have. A dog to talk to and play with that will be there for them. Kids of this age can understand the responsibility of making sure that
their dog doesn't get loose and get hurt and that they get the love and respect that they deserve.
Children under school age often have a problem understanding this. They will unintentionly hurt a dog or be rough with it. The Fox Terrier is not tolerate of this type of behavior. They will love the child if the child is loving back to them, but if the child is rough or hurtful (and many kids this age are)the Fox Terrier will protect itself. And that can mean biting. It's truly not the child or the dogs fault, it's that they should not be together.
So much depends on the both the temperament of the dog and the personality of the child. Is mom (or dad) home during the day to supervise the interaction of the dog and child? Does the parent understand the Fox Terrier? How well does the child respond to the parent? We are talking about kids from toddler to 5-6 years.
This is not the time in their lives to be listening to mom and dad! We would be especially concerned with those thinking of getting a puppy to be with childen under 7 years. These are kids themselves and can be quite a handful in themselves for the first two years. During the teething time, they will chew on anything and that can be the kids. Not a mean dog (or child), just not a good match.
So if you have children under 7 years, please give a lot of thought before getting a Smooth Fox Terrier. Talk to the
rescue people about the situation. We have had some wonderful homes with younger children, but we have seen some very bad situations come up. Both child and dog suffer. That's not what we want to see.
In many cases it's just a matter of waiting until the kids are a little older and then getting your Fox Terrier. If you have any questions, ask your breeder or Rescue worker.
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