Rules for the care and maintenance of a toy terrier

Each dog is unique in its own way, so the owner can purchase the breed that he likes. Since the life of a modern person is very intense, and there is very little free time, more and more often they have small dogs with which it is convenient to walk, and if necessary, they can be left at home for the whole day. Toy Terriers are just such breeds. For those who wish to have such a four-legged friend, you need to learn as much as possible about the character traits, care and education of this dog.

The Toy Terrier belongs to the smallest breeds of dogs, which is an important factor in choosing a pet for keeping in an apartment. This variety has been known since ancient times and is still popular due to its interesting external features, friendly character and good health. Characteristics of a toy terrier are as follows:

• small dimensions and body weight, not exceeding 3 kg, miniature varieties weigh from 1.5 to 2 kg;
• height - from 18 to 15 cm;
• live for about 10 years;
• the behavior of individuals of different sex is very different;
• by nature, the breed is kind, friendly to people and other pets;
• cost between $ 200 and $ 700.

The most popular breed is the Russian Toy Terrier. It is often raised in families with children or those who wish to walk with their pet everywhere, including shops and other public places.

The house should have the following accessories:

• a house for a toy terrier, matched to the dimensions of the future pet; it is best to buy a folding model or one that can be transformed if necessary;
• cotton pillowcase for comfortable rest and sleep of the dog;
• a bowl for food, preferably made of ceramic; in addition, it is worth purchasing a rug under the eating area;
• combs: one should have long teeth and a high handle, the second should be metal;
• massage brush and blunt-ended scissors;
• tweezers for ear hair care;
• toy terrier hair care shampoo;
• ear cleaner;
• hair dryer for taking care of a pet in cool weather and after water procedures;
• a set of rubber toys;
• small tray;
• a latex toothbrush and mint paste, as well as bones to help prevent plaque build-up;
• dry food;
• clothing for the cool and cold seasons, made from natural fabrics;
• collar of the right length and width, it is desirable that it is antibacterial;
• medicines for parasites.

When planning to buy one puppy, you need to have all these things at home, which will be enough for about 2 months. Further care will vary slightly, but additional adaptations may be required. Thinking about which individual is worth buying, you need to know the characteristics of a boy and a girl in order to make your choice consciously. The description of the male is as follows:

• taller and larger dog;
• very active and perky;
• loves long walks.

The distinctive features of a girl will be as follows:

• most often bought for breeding this breed;
• more faithful, loyal and obedient;
• makes good contact, gets along well with children;
• during gestation and estrus it is prohibited to participate in exhibitions.

Buying boys is more profitable, since they are a little cheaper, they don't have to look for a pair at all, they can stand up for themselves. Of the minuses, it is worth noting a pugnacious nature, a weakness for estrus of the opposite sex and poor contact with children. Girls of the Toy Terrier breed are purchased for families with children or when you want to have a devoted, loyal and obedient dog.

To properly care for a puppy, you must be able to carry out all of the following activities:

• cleansing the eyes with cotton pads in case of discharge;
• ear cleaning, for which it is also better to use discs instead of sticks;
• manicure, if the claws have grown or started to wrap;
• cleaning of the anal glands.

For a toy terrier to live comfortably in an apartment, it is worth allocating a place for him to play, as well as an area for rest and eating. Since these pets are very active, they will run and frolic a lot, which must be taken into account. It is important to walk outside with him, as it is good for his health. It is best to come to a quiet, spacious area where the pet can run without fear of anything around. Walking on a leash with this breed is not possible, as terriers love freedom.

For health promotion it is important to spend time with the dog actively, throw a stick, a ball, ask all kinds of tasks... Cross-country cycling is a good workout. The speed should be moderate, and the distance should start up to 1–2 km and gradually increase to 5–7 km. It is best to divide the walk into parts, with obligatory breaks and changes in activities.

A special feature of caring for a toy terrier is its gentleness. This breed has fragile bones, so it is important to play carefully with it, prohibit jumping from hills, climbing onto a sofa and other tall objects. Caring for this breed will consist of bathing, which is often done twice a week if the breed is shorthaired.For individuals who participate in exhibitions and undergo cosmetic procedures, bathing becomes a daily routine. Without the need, you should not get carried away with water procedures, as this negatively affects the quality and condition of the coat, which becomes brittle, faded and eczema may occur.

It is very important to take care of your pet's health by protecting it with vaccinations. Adult dogs are vaccinated once a year, puppies need more frequent prophylaxis. The first vaccination takes place at 2 months, the next at 7 months, and the last one at a year. If the pet is naturally very weak and often sick, it can be injected with a special serum, which increases the body's resistance and helps to fight any infections and dangerous situations that threaten health. Do not vaccinate only pregnant or sick individuals, in other cases it is only beneficial.

Caring for a toy terrier is not difficult, but it takes time, since it is worth taking care of the condition of the coat, if we are talking about a long-haired breed, check the condition of the nails and ears. After each walk, it is necessary to wipe the animal's fur to remove dust and microorganisms from it that can damage it. This task can be done quickly and efficiently with the help of wet wipes, which clean the dog's fur. To prevent the dog from picking up fleas, when bathing, you should use anti-flea shampoos, and wear an antiparasitic collar on the street.

Caring for a toy terrier is about caring for the dog's eyes, which can sometimes start to water. This problem occurs due to any disease: conjunctivitis, problems with the growth of eyelashes, eye contamination, trauma. You can help your pet in a similar situation with the help of a specialized tool that is sold in veterinary pharmacies, or with the help of strong tea, if the necessary drug is not at hand. In case of eye contamination with dust or debris, rinse with plain water. In case of frequent inflammatory processes, you should consult a doctor.

Caring for a four-legged friend will be incomplete if his ears remain dirty. The Toy Terrier needs to remove all excess wax and maintain hygiene of the ear canals.... The best option would be cotton pads, which will make it possible to carry out all the necessary procedures and will not cause injury to the ears of the animal. Experts can also use cotton swabs, but in the hands of an inexperienced dog breeder, this is unsuitable equipment, as it can damage the pet's ear. Another important point is massage, which makes from the base of the ears to their top, which helps to maintain the correct shape and protects against wrinkling.

The pet's nose is also noteworthy, you should look into it several times a day to make sure it is clean. If this is not done, fine fluff and debris will enter the respiratory tract through the nose, which will significantly worsen the pet's health. Even more important is dental care, which must be done all the time. In an adult dog, it is necessary to remove plaque, which only a veterinarian can handle, while puppies need help breaking off milk teeth, since they themselves do not fall out.

Eating a toy terrier is a special topic, because, despite the modest size of this dog, food is its weakness. In order not to harm the dog's health, it is important to be able to properly formulate a diet and feed it a strictly defined number of times. It is recommended to feed a puppy up to two months of age no more than 6 times a day. The process of growing up requires a decrease in the number of feeds, so by four months there are only three meals left, and a pet eats only twice a day a year. After a year, you can switch to one-time feeding, if the dog is able to withstand such a schedule.

As food, this breed should be given feed, and not cook on its own., since it is extremely difficult to find the optimal products, to balance proteins, fats and carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals in the right proportion and quantity. For feeding, it is best to buy high-quality premium food, which is prepared from natural raw materials and enriched with all the necessary elements for the healthy and full development of the dog. Dry food can be fed to both adults and puppies. If the puppy was purchased from a breeder or from another family, it is important to know what exactly it was fed there in order to continue giving the same food.

If you want to please your pet, you can give him boiled vegetables, boiled fish or steamed lean meat. Tasty and healthy will be specialized bones and sausages, which will help strengthen the teeth and delight the pet. You can't overfeed the dog and you shouldn't give it food on demand either, as it will lead to obesity and health problems. The basis of the diet should be protein, so that the small-sized dog grows and develops actively, does not get sick and does not have any health problems. It is worth giving him meat, except for lamb and pork.

For cohabitation with a toy terrier to be pleasant and comfortable, it is very important to train it correctly, otherwise a naughty dog ​​can become a real nightmare for its owner. The training process should begin from the very first day the dog arrives at the new home. Initially, you need to give her a nickname and teach your pet to her for several weeks, or even months. So that the process does not stop only at the name, it is gradually worth connecting to it such basic commands as:

• "To me";
• "Sit";
• "Voice";
• "Give your paw";
• "A place";
• "Sleep".

For each successful step in training, it is very important to praise and treat the toy terrier in order to reinforce his desire to gain new knowledge. It is better to conduct classes at home in a relaxed atmosphere, when the dog will not be distracted by anything.

As soon as certain commands begin to work out, it is worth consolidating them by repeating them using such a technique as:

• move away from the dog a short distance;
• give a command;
• when doing it, praise the pet or treat him;
• if the problem is not solved, try again or return to training;
• a successful action must be consolidated several times, and when learning each new command, you need to start and end the lesson with a familiar and learned action so that the dog leaves training in a good mood.

The process of training a toy terrier also consists in explaining the rules of behavior to the dog on the street, as well as places for going to the toilet within the apartment. This breed will refuse to go for a walk if it rains outside the window or it gets very cold, so they will have to meet their need in the house. To prevent this process from causing inconvenience, it is important to teach the puppy to a tray or diaper, where he will empty the body. The work with the dog must be carried out constantly, since the miniature species cannot take care of themselves, which means that it is important to prepare them for the world around them.

Large dogs often walk on the street, children run, bicycles and cars ride, there is a lot of noise and fuss, an unprepared dog can get scared and run away, which will greatly excite the owner.To protect the pet, it is important to walk with it only on a leash; it is worth increasing the duration of the exits gradually in order to psychologically prepare the animal for the new environment.

From time to time, it is worth introducing your puppy to neighboring animals, making sure that they are healthy and have all the necessary vaccinations.... Family members and relatives should actively communicate with the pet, play with it, call out, stroke it, which makes the dog understand that people are not dangerous and there is no need to react aggressively to them.

If the puppy starts to bite, then it should be stopped immediately. For training, commands such as:

• "Shut up";
• "It is forbidden".

You need to train your pet on your hand, showing your fingers and giving the command. If the dog obeyed and closed its mouth, then it is necessary to note this and praise the animal. If the learning process does not go very quickly, then you should take a rubber toy with you, which is given to the dog with his hands together in order to do without injuries. The command should be spoken clearly and loudly so that the dog understands the seriousness of the intonation and does not even try to do what was intended.

The next command that is best taught is bark control. If the dog makes too much noise or often, then you need to command "Close your mouth." If the pet did it, you need to praise it, if not, teach it again. This breed can react violently to any little thing and bark for no reason. You can react to barking in different ways, but it is best to control it. If you have a dog at home, there is a risk of scratched wallpaper and damaged furniture, therefore, the commands "Do not" and "Fu" must be next in the learning process. As soon as the pet tries to do what it cannot do, it is necessary to loudly and clearly stop it. For each correct reaction, reward the dog, and in case of an error, repeat the training process.

Another important factor in toy terrier training is assertion of the authority of the owner. The dog must understand that there is only one owner in the house, and this is not him. Returning home from a walk, the owner crosses the threshold first, and then the dog enters. To gain the respect and love of your pet, you need to try to feed it yourself. The same principle works for training, the owner must himself establish contact with the dog and teach it all the necessary commands.

Toy Terriers have little anthropometric data compared to other dogs, but the essence of their daily routine remains the same. This breed also needs daily walks as they contribute to the following:

• regular loads, which allows the skeleton and muscles of the animal to develop correctly;
• the release of energy that has accumulated during your stay in the house;
• communication with representatives of other breeds and animals that may meet on the way;
• discharge of the animal at the emotional and mental levels;
• improving the metabolism in the dog's body;
• oxygen saturation of the blood.

Taking good long walks helps your pet feel better, more alert, and more comfortable. With this daily routine, the animals learn better, and the training process goes much faster than those dogs that are more likely to sit at home. Since toy terriers are small and do not like bad weather, it is worth buying appropriate suits for them and trying to go out even in adverse conditions.

If the dog perceives the environment normally, then there is no point in keeping him in the room. If the pet is clearly asking to go home, then it is better to leave it there until the weather conditions improve. After each walk, you should thoroughly wash the dog's paws, and then wipe them well so that the animal does not catch a cold.

In the next video, you will find detailed rules for caring for a Russian toy terrier.