Cesky Terrier

Cesky Terrier

A Cesky Terrier in show cut
Other names	Ceský Teriér Bohemian Terrier
Country of origin	Czech Republic
Traits
Classification and standards FCI Group 3, Terriers Section 2: Small-sized Terriers #246 standard AKC Miscellaneous Class standard ANKC Group 2 (Terriers) standard CKC Group 4 - Terriers standard KC (UK) Terrier standard NZKC Terrier standard UKC Terriers standard
Dog (Canis lupus familiaris)

The Cesky Terrier is a small terrier type dog originating in Czechoslovakia. The name is pronounced /ˈtʃɛski/ chess-kee (after its Czech name Český teriér, literally Czech Terrier).

History

The Cesky Terrier was created by a Czech breeder, František Horák, in 1948, as a cross between a Sealyham Terrier and a Scottish Terrier, to create a terrier suitable for hunting in the forests of Bohemia. Although not a trained scientist, Horák worked for many years as a research assistant at the Czechoslovak Academy of Science and used knowledge gained there in his dog breeding. Because Czechoslovakia was ruled by a Communist regime at the time, when Horák's dogs became more popular around the world, he received visits from the secret police due to the large volume of mail he was getting from outside the country.^[1] František Horák died in 1997.

The Cesky Terrier was recognized for international competition by the Fédération Cynologique Internationale in 1963 as breed number 246 in Group 3, Terriers. The breed is now recognized by all of the major kennel clubs in the English-speaking world. The Cesky Terrier is one of the six most rare dog breeds worldwide.

Description

Appearance

The Cesky Terrier is short-legged (achondroplastic dwarf) and moderately long-bodied, resembling the Sealyham Terrier and the Scottish Terrier.

The Cesky Terrier has a long head, bushy beard, mustache, and eyebrows. The body is solid, but not heavy. The wavy, silky coat usually comes in various shades of gray-blue with tan, gray, white, or yellow furnishings or light coffee, though puppies are born black. The coat lightens between birth and two years of age.

The Cesky Terrier's eyes are brown in gray-blue dogs and yellow in brown dogs. The noses and lips of blue-gray dogs are black; for brown dogs it is liver. The ears are triangular, folding forward close to the head. The head is long, but not too wide, with a well-defined stop.^[2]

Temperament

The breed standard calls for a calm dog, and aggression is a disqualifying fault. Cesky Terriers are reputed to be less active and quieter than other terriers.^[3] This may or may not make them suitable pets for families with children.

Care

The coat of the Cesky Terrier is not stripped (dead hair pulled out with the fingers or a special knife) as in other terriers, but rather is clippered. The body and tail are clipped, and the furnishings (hair that hangs down under the body) are left long, as is the hair on the lower legs and on the face (eyebrows, beard, and moustache.) The longer hair should be brushed daily.^[4]

Health

This breed occasionally suffers from the Scotty Cramp, a minor problem causing awkward movement, but that is not painful or life threatening.

See also

• Terrier
• Terrier Group
• Working terrier
• Achondroplasia

References

1. ^ short biography of František Horák
2. ^ Breed Standard
3. ^ Your Purebred Puppy website
4. ^ Cesky Terrier Club, UK-Grooming

External links

• Cesky Terrier Club, UK