There are many different classifications of dogs used by the kennel clubs but one that many people are familiar with is the terrier group. Unlike other types of groups, which may have many different classifications of dogs within it, there is only one type of dog in the terrier group, the terrier. Of course, this is something that does differ from one kennel club to another and in the American kennel club, there are other dogs included in the group. That isn’t typically the case.
Terriers are well-known because of their rather distinct looks, but for those who are familiar with the breed, they are also known by their distinct personalities as well. In many cases, a terrier is not going to do well with other dogs, animals and sometimes, even people they are unfamiliar with. They tend to be rather scrappy and they may display this personality in an inappropriate way at times.
One of the reasons why terriers have this personality is because they were originally bred for hunting vermin. Some the different animals that they would hunt include rats, mice, rabbits and weasels. They tend to be a rather small breed, so some of them were even trained to go down into a foxhole and to flush them out for the hunter. In fact, this is a trait that is very closely tied to their name.
The word terrier is Latin for terra, which is another word for earth. Terriers were able to handle vermin in many different ways and they could certainly stand their ground when they would come up against them above the surface of the earth. Their breeding, however, was specifically for them to go underground and the hunters would often use them for that purpose of flushing game or pulling the animals out of the hole. Most of the terriers that are in existence today are not used for that purpose but rather, they make a rather good pet that is alert to what is going on around them. There are even some larger breed Terriers that are used as guard dogs, although all of them will alert you to the presence of something unusual.
Most of the kennel clubs will lump all of the terriers into a group that is known as the terrier group. Other kennel clubs, however, may use other names that could include utility groups, toy groups or companion groups. The American kennel club has a wide variety of terriers of all shapes and sizes in this group but interestingly, they do not yet recognize the Russell Terrier, which is one of the more popular of those breeds. They may eventually end up including the Russell Terrier in this group.
Terriers tend to be somewhat feisty and this can make them difficult to have as a pet. If you are willing to put the time in, however, and to work with them through any difficulties that they may display in their personality, they can be a good companion dog.
