The Wire Fox Terrier has many purposes or jobs in its life and one of the jobs they probably consider the most fun is their role as a show dog. Not only do they get to prance back and forth showing their stuff, but they get to participate in fun activities with their owner. When the Wire Fox Terrier is first being trained in preparation for the show ring, they have a tendency to show their stubbornness. In true fashion with the Wire Fox Terrier, once they get down to business, they do an excellent job in the ring.
Conformation is one area the Wire Fox Terrier performs in at the shows. This involves the dog having to conform to certain standards of the breed. For instance, their size can't be any larger or longer than what the AKC feels is the correct size for the dog. Their coat has to be the correct length and texture as the breed standard, etc.
Obedience is another competition the Wire Fox Terrier participates in with their owner. Although training this dog in obedience is a real challenge for the owner because of the dog's stubbornness, they do exceptionally well once they get going and realize the owner is not budging. The dog has to be proficient in the basic commands such as sit, stay, down, come, and heel, as well as doing what the master wants when he wants it, on leash as well as off leash. The Obedience Title comes in three levels: Companion dog, Companion Dog Excellent, and Utility Dog. Very few Wire Fox Terriers get as far as the Utility Dog because of their stubbornness and tendency for getting bored so quickly with the training.
Agility is probably the form of competition that the Wire Fox Terrier enjoys the most, not only because it's bonding time with their owner, but also because they find it fun. This is a fast-moving sport where the dog jumps over certain obstacles on command, crawls through tunnels, and does climbing exercises, with all these being with different obstacles. The AKC offers standard agility and jumpers with weaves, which is even more challenging.
Flyball is a competition that the Wire Fox Terrier does very well in when performing in shows. This consists of a Frisbee-like object being used and the dog has to find and retrieve the flyball within a certain amount of time and on command. This is another sport that the Wire Fox Terrier is very good at performing. They love activities that keep them active and working side by side with their owners. The biggest thing with the Wire Fox Terrier is that they may start off slowly in training, but once they get going, they are very intelligent dogs that love to be active in these sports.
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