The German Hunt Terrier is also known by other names like 'German Hunting Terrier', 'Deutscher Terrier', 'German Jagdterrier' and Jagd Terrier'. It is a smallish dog that stands between 13 to 16 inches and weighs around 17-22 lbs. It is a type of hunting dog that was developed in early 20th century with the aim to create a small dog that could hunt passionately and be a warm family companion at the same time. The development of this all purpose and very intelligent breed took hard work and several years to complete. Initiated by Berlin Zoo curator, Lutz Hech with his brother, the idea was to get a 'German Terrier' and get rid of 'Foreign terriers' in the times of over heated nationalism.
Welsh Terriers and Old English Wirehead Terriers were decided to be used as donor of the genes which contain the appearance of terriers. On the other hand, the Black and Tan Hunting dog, from where the Jagd terrier got its natural hunting instinct was from Germany. After several years of hard work and experimentation, they were able to make what they wanted- a breed which resembles a Patterdale-like appearance but armored with great hunting skills.
This is an all purpose dog that can hunt above and under the ground and at the same time, play its role as a warm and affectionate family companion.
Breed standards call for this dog to be squarely built. The dog has a characteristic round muzzle and small ears which are folded above the head. Small eyes are expressive and hold vigilant and intelligent expression. The deep and narrow chest helps the dog hunt under the ground when it enters the dens. The tail is usually docked and relatively long which makes it easy for the owners to pull them out of dens. The dog can have wiry, smooth or broken coat that comes in black with some tan markings.
This breed is NOT recognized by AKC however it is recognized by UKC and FCI.
