Breeds of terriers have come a long way from their origins in Great Britain and Ireland. From being bred as hunter dogs and pest controllers in the 18th century, they have now evolved and are currently developed as companion dogs and domestic pets. In the olden days, most terriers were stationed in farms to catch rabbits and rats that destroy farm crops. Fell and hunt terriers were used to hunt down and kill foxes. A number of them were also known for their swimming abilities and were used to catch otters even in deep waters. Then, terriers were divided into two types, the short-legged and the long legged varieties.
These days, breeds of terriers are classified by their function and size. Despite being primarily bred as household pets, there are still terriers used in hunting. They are now categorized as working terriers, also known as hunting types. They are utilized for quarry tracking and locating. These hardworking terriers go undergrounds, sometimes even to bolt quarries. Examples of these are Patterdale Terriers and Jack Russell Terriers. There are smaller versions of full grown terriers known as toy terriers. They still retain terrier characteristics sans training, and are not to be mistaken as lap dogs. Yorkshire terriers are prime examples of toy terriers. Lastly, there are also terriers that are classified as Bull type. Originally crosses between terriers and bulldogs, they became a separate breed in the 1800s. A number of Bull type terriers, like American Pit Bull Terriers, are being used as fighting dogs, which is illegal.
The classification of breeds of terriers may also depend on different breed groups. The international organization Fédération Cynologique Internationale, or FCI classifies terriers into sections, as the categories stated above, while local kennel clubs just put together all terriers in a group.
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Author: Kevin Heathfield