Toy Fox Terriers O'BJ

"Puppies with a future - from dogs with a past!"

The Breeder's Pedigree IS The Puppy's Pedigree

Before deciding on a Toy Fox Terrier, you need verifiable information.  Every breeder thinks their dogs are the best but it is the Breeder's experience, dedication, and show ring success that determines the value of a pedigree!  Here's what that means for you, the prospective owner.

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Pedigrees are just names on a piece of paper.  Some are accurate and meaningful.  Some are not.  A lot of champions are on the pedigree is good but unless each mating was the result of carefully selected, genetically compatible, healthy Toy Fox Terriers, it is worthless piece of paper.

Here's why.  Top winners are frequently mated to each other with dismal results.  Even AKC champions must be genetically compatible in order to pass on their good qualities. 

"Compatible" means the sire and dam do not share the same visible (dominant) or hidden (recessive) faults.

A conscientious Toy Fox Terrier breeder will have researched health, temperament, and structural faults in each dog in the first three generations. Hopefully, they own most of them!  Only then can a breeder create a litter that best insures a gorgeous, mentally and physically sound litter.

Just want a family companion?  Okay, but you still want a dog that looks and acts like a Toy Fox Terrier and won't be plagued with health problems.  That is why the puppy's pedigree is equally important to the pet owner.

How To "Read" a Toy Fox Terrier Breeder's Pedigree

Here's a good rule of thumb.  A quality Toy Fox Terrier's pedigree will have at least 50% Champions represented.  Obedience titles are great but the ugliest dog on the planet can earn a CD.  The pedigree should show respected "bloodline" or kennel names.  This indicates those Toy Fox Terrier breeders carefully matched each sire and dam for compatibility rather than just breeding to a top winner because his puppies would be saleable.  A good pedigree means every dog in the first three generations was selected for the important features of Toy Fox Terrier type and since no dog is perfect, their faults have also been carefully weighed by the breeder.

Health certifications are good but not as important as Champion titles.  Of course some will argue that point but that says something about the person.  A dog that is virtually unrecognizable as a Toy Fox Terrier can get health certifications.  In fact, dishonest breeders substitute one dog for another depending on the certification needed.  But it isn't easy to do that in the show ring where people know each other's dogs and anyone can see a sickly, unsound, shy, or sickly dog!  You hear a lot about DNA certification and it is valuable to resolve disputes regarding which dog is the actual parent of a litter. It has nothing to do with quality of a Toy Fox Terrier - or the breeder.

This is not meant as a lesson in genetics.  It's not even about the Toy Fox Terrier breed.  It is just that breeders don't always explain these things (for obvious reasons) but every potential owner should know how to "read a pedigree" and interpret it to fit what they are looking for.  Pet or show quality, the right puppy will enrich your life for well over a decade.

So wherever you get your puppy, don't be in a hurry.  Take the time to (gasp) make an informed decision.  Bill and I didn't sell to impulse buyers which is why nearly 300 O'BJ dogs have became AKC Champions, National Winners and/or Register Of Merit Sires and Dams.  But much more important, almost without exception, O'BJ puppies lived long, happy lives with families that treasured them.