The Wire Fox Terrier is a very intelligent dog that has been taught to do many things, with the first one being obedience. This is not to say that they eagerly look forward to obedience training. Quite the opposite, in fact. They are very smart dogs, but they don't understand why they need to do something just because you say so. They are capable and have the intelligence to learn anything, so long as it's something they feel they want to learn and do.
Once they accept the idea that they will be participating in training, they adapt very well, especially with positive reinforcement methods of training. One thing to keep in mind is the Wire Fox Terrier gets bored very easily, especially with repetitive things. Don't overdo it thinking that you are further reinforcing it into their heads. What you are doing is boring them and making them dread their next session.
The Wire Fox Terrier is a working and hunting dog. They were bred to chase their prey to ground. This means that if they chase it in a hole, they don't stop there, but rather keep going, right into the hole if need be, until they capture and/or kill the prey. The Fox terrier has always had an excellent work ethic as far as hunting their prey.
Earth dog training is great competition by AKC for the Wire Fox terrier as well as being something they enjoy. It is a way to put their work ethic and hunting abilities to the test. There are three levels of competition for the earth dog competition. The wire fox terrier is required to go in a small trench in the ground. The trench has a wooden liner so dirt won't fall on the dog. The entire tunnel is about 9" X 9" square, big enough for the terrier to fit.
The terrier has to work his way through the tunnel to his prey. He will come to a cage with horizontal steel rods, which holds two caged rats. The rats are unable to come into contact with the terrier, so there is no danger of injury to the dog. When the terrier gets to the rats, his job is to "work" the rats for a specific amount of time set by the judge. Working the rats means to dig at the cage, bark, whine, growl, or whatever it takes, but not give up. The amount of time they are to continue "working" the rats depends on what level of competition they are in (junior earth dog, senior earth dog, and master earth dog).
Most wire fox terriers excel at this competition because their desire to catch their prey is so strong and they are so dedicated to this type of work.
Agility and flyball are two other competitions that the wire fox terriers do very well in. In spite of the stubbornness of the wire fox terrier, their working ability is excellent.
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