Perhaps one of the greatest problems with toy breeds and one that has certainly earned some of the breeds a bad reputation is that owners simply don't exert the effort into training tiny dogs that they would in training a medium or large sized dog. Perhaps too the people that own toy dogs would not select a larger breed and see a toy dog as more of a companion rather than as an animal that needs to be well behaved, obedience trained and socialized. Not training your Toy Fox Terrier is not good for your dog; they actually do excel at obedience and other events and take pride in a job well done for their owner.
Obedience training any toy breed has its own challenges, as they sometimes are harder to work with because of their small size. One of the biggest challenges in house training a toy breed, simply because they are so small as puppies they can easily slip away behind or under furniture and mess, all before the owner is even aware of what is happening. Crate training is very highly recommended for any toy breed, and the Toy Fox Terrier responds very well to this type of a house training program. Once the Toy Fox Terrier is crate trained he or she is safer in the car, when traveling or even when they just need a place to calm down and relax.
Starting your Toy Fox Terrier in puppy obedience class is an easily and structured way to start a positive relationship with the puppy, plus it adds in the socialization aspect that is challenging for many owners to do otherwise. In larger centers or in dog training facilities there may be specialized classes for puppies of toy or small breeds, which can really help owners be comfortable with allowing their puppy to interact with the other puppies in the class, without having to worry about size differences. The Toy Fox Terrier is a tiny puppy compared to many of the medium to large breeds, so looking for classes for small or toy breeds is a great idea. If you are considering an obedience class for your Toy Fox Terrier, try to attend and observe the trainer at least once before deciding if the training methods used are what you are comfortable in using with your puppy or dog.
Obedience training classes are wonderful, however the owner needs to also start some type of routine practice and training at home to keep the obedience lessons ongoing. Since Toy Fox Terriers are very intelligent, they will quickly become bored of the same old commands, so keep working on introducing new commands, tricks and ideas for training. You can also move into more advanced level training activities such as advanced obedience, agility, terrier hunting trials, Flyball events and other fun dog sports and activities. The natural athletic ability of the Toy Fox Terrier makes them well suited to all types of competitions and activities, plus it helps keep them both mentally and physically challenged.
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