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HISTORY OF THE CESKY TERRIER
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COLORS OF THE CESKY TERRIER
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SIZE OF THE CESKY TERRIER
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TEMPERAMENT OF THE CESKY TERRIER
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GROOMING THE CESKY TERRIER
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SHOW DOGS, BREEDING QUALITY AND PET PUPPIES
HISTORY OF THE CESKY TERRIER
Most breeds of dogs claim to have a history that goes back hundreds of years. The Cesky Terrier has a very short history that is well documented. Mr. Frantisek Horak, the developer of the Cesky Terrier, corresponded with several American Cesky Terrier breeders for seven years prior to his death. Several of these people were even privileged to have met Mr. Horak.
Mr. Horak was a retired geneticist until his death on January 6th, 1996. He was born on June 12th, 1909 and wanted to breed horses and ponies at the age of nine. His parents allowed him to start breeding dogs instead. In 1945, he started breeding ponies.
When Mr. Horak grew up, he worked for many years at the Academy of Science in Prague, Czechoslovakia. He developed two breeds of dogs: the Cesky Terrier and the Czech Piebald dog. The Cesky Terrier development was started in 1949 and the Piebald dog was started in 1954. The Cesky Terrier was recognized by the FCI in 1963. Since the Cesky Terrier has been the most successful of the national breeds of the Czech Republic, it has been featured on stamps, on television, in books and even in a movie. Although there was a ban on exporting the breed for a number of years, it still managed to become quite popular in the Scandinavian countries. Now the breed is all over Europe as well as in England, Canada and the United States.
Mr. Horak was a Scotty breeder, but wanted a dog that could "go to ground" and not get stuck, as his Scotties sometimes did. He also bred Sealyham Terriers and then decided that a combination of these two breeds would be what he wanted. He talked about doing this breeding in 1934, but the war interrupted his plans. Finally, in 1949, he did the first breeding of a Scottish Terrier and a Sealyham. After several crosses with these two breeds, he had the type of dog he wanted. He kept extremely detailed records and his breed gained popularity, particularly with hunters. During the 1980’s Mr. Horak decided that the breed needed some new blood, so a Sealyham was bred into the breed in 1984 and again in 1985, with the permission of the FCI.
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COLORS OF THE CESKY TERRIER
There are two basic colors allowed in the standard of the breed: gray and light brown. There were three brown dogs born in the early development of the breed, but they left no offspring. Then, in June 1994, another brown Cesky Terrier was born. It is too early to tell if this dog will bring the brown color back into the breed. Even if this happens, it will be years before any brown dogs become available. Right now, only gray Cesky Terriers are available. The pups are born black and fade to gray. They may become any shade of gray, from pale silver to dark charcoal. They may be unicolored with a small amount of white (particularly on the chest), or they may be bi-colored, with furnishings of lighter gray, tan, cream or off-white.
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SIZE OF THE CESKY TERRIER
The original standard of the FCI called for a dog from 13 to 20 lbs. In 1993 Mr. Horak requested a change in the standard to 13 to 22 lbs. There is no difference in the size for the sexes. A 20 lb. female is just as good as a 16 lb. female and likewise a 17 lb. male is just as good as a 21 lb. male. The height is about 10-12". Moderation is the key in all aspects of the breed. Show ring disqualification’s may vary but can include any dog weighing over 26 lbs., having four or more missing teeth or having a coat with more than 30% white. In February 1996 a new FCI standard was adopted. The size range is now 13 to 22 lbs. and several new disqualification’s were added.
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TEMPERAMENT OF THE CESKY TERRIER
The Cesky Terrier is less aggressive than the parent breeds. He is somewhat reserved with strangers, but dedicated to his owner and friends. He usually gets along better with other dogs than most terrier breeds. He makes an excellent house dog and is good with people of all ages, especially children.
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GROOMING THE CESKY TERRIER
The Cesky Terrier should be brushed and combed out at least two times a week. He has a soft coat and it does not shed, but with any non-shedding breed, it can occasionally mat if not cared for properly. He needs to be trimmed about every 6-10 weeks. This is done with electric clippers, even for show purposes. There is no "stripping" in this breed. Most people learn to groom their Cesky Terriers, but it can be done by a professional groomer as well.
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SHOW DOGS, BREEDING QUALITY AND PET PUPPIES
All of these categories come from the same litters. The pet pups are just as healthy and have had the same care as the other pups. A pet pup may have a couple of missing teeth, an incorrect bite, a mismarking of color or some other thing that may prevent it from doing well in the show ring. It may also simply be that the breeder does not wish to keep the pup until it is old enough to be guaranteed as show quality. This type of "pet" pup may be sold with an option to transfer to show status. This usually involves waiting until the dog is at least six months old and then providing proof to the breeder via photos, veterinary records, measurements and video that the dog is "show quality".
Any pup that we sell as "show quality" would be at least five or six months old. We would then be sure of the adult teeth and the basic size and color of the pup. A pup sold as breed quality would be expected to conform to the standard but may have several minor faults. The training and conditioning for showing is always the responsibility of the owner.
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