Our Kennel Practices!

5/1/2010
Two different litters in one kennel (they are a week apart in age)
born 3/3/10 & 3/10/10

At Desert Skies Kennel, we are in-home Wire Fox Terrier Breeders.  This means that our dogs are born and raised in a spare bedroom of our home.  Because I put so much care into a new litter of puppies, I sleep in the room with the new litter and Mother for the first 6 weeks of their lives, (90 degree temperatures for the first 2 weeks).  With this practice, I make sure that the Mother is feeding and caring for her litter properly, and no complications arise to jeopardize either one.  In addition, each Fox Terrier puppy is weighed daily to make sure they are thriving and gaining weight in their first week of life.  If they are smaller than the rest, I take care to weigh them a little longer, this way I am aware if there are problems arising with the new born.  Our Veterinarian checks both the litter and the Mother within 24 hours after birth, making sure there are no signs of abnormalities, and that the Mother is healthy!  At 3-4 days old, the tails and dew claws are done to the conformation of the breed by our Veterinarian also.  We then have our Veterinarian give all shots and worming at the appropriate times in the puppies lives.  The puppies go to their new homes with at least two of their required shots at the time of adoption. 

                                                                                                                                                                              

Katie's first litter at 4 weeks old



The Terrier puppy spends the first 6 weeks of it's life in the home. 
When the puppies have had at least their first shot, I then allow them to experience the world!  We take them outside to a grassed yard, where they explore and romp around, it is so much fun to see the puppies taste everything around them, and learn from their Mother how to act in the big world!  

We have puppy-proofed the yard from hazardous plants, this is something that you may want to do before you bring your Wire Hair Fox Terrier puppy home for the first time!  You can google a list of poisonous plants for dogs from the web, I also give this list to you when you take your new addition home.

   
puppy at 8 weeks old
"Joey" 5/6/10 Chloe's daughter

       
                                                                 "Mother and Son"  Katie and P.J. 5/6/10                                                      
(Katie just got groomed after nursing was done for the litter)

              

Nick-named (Bea or Bebe) from litter 11/16/07
8 weeks in the picture

About The Wire Fox Terrier!

The Fox Terrier was used in the 18th century to hunt the fox in England.  The Terrier's job was to harass the fox out of it's hole.  The Fox Terrier would snap and growl and lunge at the fox until it would run out of it's hole.  They were also very useful ratters.  Today the Fox Terrier is primarily a companion dog.

These dogs are very loyal dogs and love their humans!  They are affectionate with the family, and do not hide their jealously.  The Fox Terrier is bold and energetic; they are very enthusiastic and playful, especially with children.  They are great at learning tricks and love to learn and please their human.  But  they also will become destructive without enough exercise and attention.  The Wire Fox Terrier is a very sturdy dog.  They are predominately black, white and tan, and the coat is wiry  as you would suspect from the name.  They don't shed, which makes them hypo-allergenic in most cases.  The breed has a flat, tapering narrow skull, and the ears fold forward in a "V" shape.  The tail is docked to about 1/4 the length of the back of the dog, and it stands up rather than hangs behind them.   They have strong jaws, well-developed teeth, and  eagerness and courage to boot!  The eyes are dark and small, deep set and very lively while the neck is thick and muscular.  Male dogs' height ranges from 14-16 inches, and the Female is between 13-15 inches high.  Both male and female weigh between 13-20 pounds.  Given a small yard, these dogs will run around giving them enough exercise by themselves.  But if you live in an apartment, you will need to take them for regular long walks.

These dogs are very entertaining and will keep you laughing on a regular basis because of their comedic actions!  Check out The American Kennel Club
for  further information on Wire Fox Terriers, and how to care for a new addition to your family.

Our little Katie at 8 weeks old.

Wire Fox Terrier Breeder of AKC Champion line puppies
www.akc.org