Cesky Terrier (Czech Terrier)

The Cesky Terrier is a low-slung, husky and fairly rare breed that was invented in the Czech Republic in the XX century. This intelligent and handsome dog is a true expert in hunting animals that hide from hunters underground. Today it’s steadily gaining acceptance as a companion animal and a show dog.

The Cesky Terrier is a fairly newly-developed breed that came to existence in Czechoslovakia as a product of the laborious work of Frantisek Horak, famous at that time geneticist and canine breeder. In the early 40s of XX century he was captured by the idea of creating a lighter, more compact Terrier that would have no problem with squeezing into the tight dens and tunnels of small animals that dwelled in the Bohemian woods. He believed that such a dog could be produced by mating the Scottish Terrier with the Sealyham Terrier.

Frantisek aspired to create a new variety of terrier with an elongated constitution and somewhat more intense hunting drive, but he still wanted a dog that was sufficiently manageable and docile. After the Second World War was over he crossed one of his female Scotties with a male Sealyham. Unfortunately this first attempt was unsuccessful as the only dog, which resulted from this pairing perished in a hunting accident in 1950.

Unabashed, Horak continued his breeding experiments and subsequently crossed a male Sealyham named Buganier Urguelle to a female Scotty named Scotch Rose. They produced the litter of six first-generation Cesky puppies. Eventually he secured his object and developed the dog, whose short stature, supreme digging abilities and strong prey drive allowed it to effectively go underground after small prey animals. Over time it became renowned for its terrific skills in hunting duck, rabbit, and pheasant. Other talents of this relatively new breed include tracking and watching.

Initially it was referred as the Bohemian Terrier and was recognised under this name by the Fédération Cynologique Internationale (FCI) in 1963. But shortly afterwards it received its current name. In the 80s of the XX century Frantisek Horak resorted to crossbreeding his Cesky Terriers to Sealyhams in order to enlarge the breed’s genetic diversity.

First breed members were brought to North America in the late 80s. The United Kennel Club (UKC) officially accepted this dog in 1993. It won recognition of the American Kennel Club (AKC) in 2011. Apart from being a reliable assistant of a hunter this attractive little dog is also often adopted solely for a companionship.

Despite the fact that the Cesky Terrier belongs to the Terrier family it can be successfully kept as a companion dog by any family. Unlike most terriers it possesses calm, patient and amicable disposition and demonstrates deep attachment and unflagging loyalty to its masters. It tends to suffer from serious separation anxiety if left on its own for long period of times. This dog also can become the best four-legged friend for a child of any age. Of course, it also wants to be treated fairly and won’t put up with too much teasing even from familiar kids.

Once correctly socialised the Cesky Terrier takes friendly attitude towards unknown people. But this dog will turn into a fierce protector of its household and family in the blink of an eye if it senses threat in the actions of a newcomer. It will always alert its people about the presence of a stranger in the neighbourhood so it commonly makes an excellent watcher. Most breed members are endowed with very strong territorial instinct and will take guarding duties very sternly. However this dog is too small to successfully confront a grown man and won’t become a dependable guardian.

The Cesky Terrier commonly lives in harmony with other dogs and will be delighted to have one or several constant canine companions. Nevertheless this dog may exhibit aggression towards those dogs who want to trespass the boundaries of its territory or simply act provocatively. Moreover it often becomes an instigator of conflicts with strange canines, especially if they are of the same sex. The Cesky Terrier also constitutes a menace to such family pets as hamsters and rats. Be aware that some of its specimens will never be able to tolerate cats and other creatures in the house although on the whole the breed is totally fine with familiar household cats.

The most common problems for the breed include:

· scottie cramp;

· canine hip dysplasia (CHD);

· eye problems;

· patella luxation;

· obesity.

The Cesky Terrier has long and dense coat that needs great amount of care. If you plan to exhibit your dog then get prepared to take it to a professional groomer on a regular basis. In contrast with majority other Terrier breeds the Cesky’ s hair should be trimmed only with scissors and clippers. It’s also necessary to bathe a show dog fairly frequently, usually one or two times per week.

The dog with naturally long haircut demands up to 4 hours of combing and brushing every week in order to maintain its coat neat, good-looking and tangle-free. Breed member that is kept exclusively for companionship should be bathed every several months. Mats and knots easily form in its rich hair it’s recommended to wash this dog with shampoo that is specifically developed to address this issue.

As the Cesky Terrier is predisposed to mouth and gum disease (including gingivitis) proper dental hygiene assumes special importance for this breed. The owner should brush the dog’s teeth at least weekly and regularly offer it healthy chew toys and bones. The dog’s nails should be periodically trimmed as well as its ears should be checked and cleaned on a regular basis.

The Cesky Terrier is endowed with equally inquisitive and sharp mind so it can be trained with reasonable amount of efforts. This dog may demonstrate terrier’s stubbornness at times but it will happen very rarely if you start its training in an early age.

Short and varied lessons work best for this breed as it also has certain problems with focusing its attention for a long time and gets bored rather quickly. Lots of treats and encouraging words are essential conditions of its successful training. On the other hand excessively hard treatment will worsen the breeds’ inborn propensity to wilfulness. The Cesky Terrier becomes a tough competitor in agility, tracking and obedience events.

The muscular and vigorous Cesky Terrier should receive plentiful of physical stimulation on a daily basis. It should be walked for at least 45 minutes every single day although this dog would surely prefer much more intense activity. Its favourite exercise is retrieving ball or stick to its masters.

The Cesky Terrier also loves spending time off-leash in a well-fenced yard where it can dig and run to its heart’s content. However it feels at ease both in a large suburban house and in a small city apartment as long as it receives sufficient amount of attention and physical outlets. But an under-exercised Cesky Terrier commonly becomes highly destructive and hyperactive indoors.