The American Toy Terrier, also called the Toy Fox Terrier or Amertoy, was obtained by in-breeding the Fox Terrier with a various range of toy dog breeds, like Chihuahua, Manchester Terrier and Miniature Pinscher. Initially, these dogs were bred to hunt rats and mice in an industrial environment - this detail is very important if you decide to get such a dog and you also have a hamster as a pet.
The American Toy Terrier is a small muscular dog, and, because of its athletic body, the breed is very agile and graceful. The head is elegant and the eyes are very bright, inspiring intelligence and a vivid attitude. The ears are large, erected and V-shaped. The coat usually has three colors, white, black and tan. The fur is short and fine in texture. The dogs occasionally need a slight brush or comb. They usually weight 1.5 - 3 kg and can reach 25 cm in height.
Being such a small active dog, the American Toy Terrier usually needs a daily walk and, if it benefits from the necessary daily physical exercise (at least 40 minutes each day), it will have no problem living in an apartment, especially since it does not stand low temperatures.
In normal living conditions, the American Toy Terriers are usually reasonably healthy dogs, but they are likely to get any of the typical toy dog's problems (the most common being patellar luxation). Some of them can be allergic to beet pulp, corn or wheat.
One quite major problem with these dogs is the Small Dog Syndrome, which leads to quite a nasty behavior. In order to avoid the abnormal behavior, it seems to be better to train the dog before entering a family, and, most of all, you should be very attentive with your behavior towards this dog.
The American Toy Terriers' intelligence allows them to be trained as companions for blind persons. These working dogs could be trained to lead their human companion to the source of a specific noise like a ringing telephone or a door bell, and also to do small jobs for their owner's benefit (bringing the slippers, announcing the refrigerator door is opened, and many more). Their life expectancy reaches up to 14 years - maybe a little more if their lifestyle is healthy.
Being such an intelligent dog, the American Toy Terrier can easily be trained to respond to mainly any kind of command. This is their main characteristic, which allows them to perform very successful circus representations - well, their success is also due to their funny aspect and their toy size.
These dogs can be trained not to bark very much, which is a plus for the families with small children whose sleeping time is very important. A well-trained toy terrier is always eager to get the owner's attention, and it is very loving. If kept under control, the American Toy Terrier can be the best companion for elderly owners and families with children.
