The origins of the deutscher iagdterrier dog breed are German. In fact, its name can be translated as “German hunting dog”. It is a typical terrier, which was created mainly for hunting, especially hunting in the den of foxes and badgers, given its small size, but given its indomitable character and not afraid of anything even for hares and wild boars, even for hunting bears.
His story begins in the early years of the last century. In the 20’s a female fox terrier gave birth to black puppies with no white spots. From here some hunters and dog experts have started crossing these puppies with various breeds. They talk about fox, fell, patterdale, welsh – terrier or old english terrier (black and tan terrier). According to other rumors they have also received contributions from teckel and pinscher. However it was thanks to the work of C. E. Gruenwald, R. Fiess, H. Lackner and W. Zangenbert that the breed was born officially and was recognized in 1968 by the FCI and was baptized deutscher jagdterrier.
It is however a purely hunting dog, not suitable to live in an apartment, and it needs a lot of movement.
Character of the dog breed deutscher jagdterrier
As already said the deutscher jagdterrier is mainly a hunting dog. In fact, it is recognized as one of the best terriers for hunting foxes and badgers, excellent as a retrieving dog for small land and water game and a good bloodhound.
Its character is brave and untamed to the point of being unbelievable, it does not fear any danger or any of its peers. It has a very close relationship with its owner and is very faithful and receptive to him. It is difficult to manage due to its indomitable and very stubborn character, therefore it needs an owner who has a certain amount of control over its education and who is familiar with the breed. It is a dog as inteligent as it is stubborn.
It is not suitable as a first dog, nor is it suitable for elderly people or families with children.
It is an excellent guard dog, even if small in size, but its courage leads it to attack if it senses danger in its territory, and it is very wary of strangers. But it is in hunting that it shows its best qualities. It is a fast dog, always on the alert and very resistant. Due to its combative character, it is extraordinarily tenacious when hunting small game, it never gives up the chase and is not afraid to jump into the brambles or into the water, or to sneak into the dens.
With other animals, it is difficult for it to get along because its strong temperament leads it to want to establish its own supremacy over other breeds, so it needs early socialization to get along with other dogs. With cats it is very difficult because it sees them as prey.
Appearance of the deutscher jagdterrier dog breed
The deutscher jagdterrier is a small dog, the height at the withers for both males and females ranges between 33 and 40 centimeters, for a weight that in the male ranges from 9 to 10 kilograms, for the female between 7 and 8.
Its proportions make it a very beautiful dog, its constitution is of an incredible solidity. Its body has the right ratios and is well-proportioned. Its musculature is iron and its bones are heavy. His limbs are strong, with powerful hindquarters which give him the push for an excellent lengthening. The tail is well inserted in a long croup, it is carried mostly horizontally, sometimes a little inclined, but never high. It is morphologically classified as a wolfish type.
Its head is slightly flattened and a little wide in the part between the two ears, the truffle is black and small in size. The ears have the typical “v” shape attached high on the head that fall on the cheeks. The muzzle is strong, the lower jaw is strong, the chin is very pronounced. The eyes are dark, small and oval, the expression of this small dog is resolute.
The coat hair can be in two varieties, one hard-haired and one smooth-haired. In both cases it can be either short or quite long, and is rough to the touch.
The color is mainly black, but there are variations that can range from gray to dark brown and can be especially on the limbs, eyebrows and muzzle. On the muzzle there is usually a mask that can be either light or dark.
Health and care of the deutscher jagdterrier dog breed
The health of the deutscher jagdterrier is very good and it rarely gets sick. It can suffer from dislocation of the lens and in this case there is only surgery, where the dislocated lens will be extracted. It is a genetic disease that also gives pain. While hunting he comes in direct contact with prey, so he may suffer some injuries.
His life expectancy is about 14 – 15 years.
It has no problems with both cold and heat, but it must have a shelter to protect itself from the weather. It is a very rustic dog that requires almost no grooming, if not an occasional brushing; however, it should be checked every time it returns from hunting.
As far as feeding is concerned, it is a dog that tends to eat more than necessary and must also do several exercise sessions during the day to release all its energy, which is really a lot.
