General parameters of appearance and character, locality of origin of the species, ancestors, distribution and release of the Brazilian Terrier to the world level. The Brazilian Terrier or Brazilian Terrier grows no more than forty centimeters at the withers. Its coat is very similar to that of other terriers. It is always found in a combination of three colors (basic white, with the addition of brown and black). Most often, docked tails are preferred among breed representatives.
These small dogs have a narrow ribcage, a flat triangular skull, a fairly sharp muzzle, a well-developed dentition and a well-balanced body. Their always dark, sparkling eyes have a cheerful and lively expression. The ears are half drooping. When they are raised, the other half is folded, with the tip resting on the skull.
The character of this breed is very similar to the behavior of the "Jack Russell Terrier" - they are very alert, funny and intelligent. The pets are very friendly, they love to play and dig holes. Obedient but fearless like watchdogs, they will only bark to get your attention and then wait for the owner's reaction. This breed needs a firm, consistent and confident pack leader, otherwise they will become extremely independent and determined. Their hunting instinct is strongest among medium sized terriers and should not be left alone with other small animals.
Small apartments or rooms are not very suitable for this type of dog because they are very active. To be happy, Brazilian Terriers need physical and mental activity. In the absence of stress, dogs become destructive and restless. The best option for them is long daily walks.
Locality of origin of the Brazilian Terrier and its ancestors
Despite the fact that the Brazilian Terrier breed was worked on in Brazil and it first appeared there, most of its ancestors were imported and began to exist in European countries. The original ancestors of this canine species may have been the pets of the earliest Portuguese explorers and arrived with them in Brazilian lands in the 1500s.
At that time, on Portuguese ships, it was considered a rule to almost always take on board several Podengo Portugueso Pequenos (Portuguese Podengo) dogs. Not a single voyage was complete without these dogs. Podengos are hardy, intelligent and lively animals, excellent companions with excellent maneuverability. Faithful and fearless, the Podengos were also good house guards and a great learner.
Possessing sharp hunting abilities, dogs do an excellent job with a variety of game, regardless of its size. This is an ancient Portuguese dog with excellent sensory perception (sight and smell). As a separate breed, the Podengo is now divided into three categories of parameters that do not overlap: small (Pequeno), medium (Medio) and large (Grande).
Their fur is short and smooth, or longer and wiry. Smooth-coated dogs have been traditional since the 5th century, while coarse-coated dogs are the result of assimilation of various other breeds during the 20th century.
These small, primitive greyhounds were highly prized among seafarers, because the large size of the podengo made them perfect for keeping on ships. And the most important thing is that such dogs, with great virtuosity, hunted rats and mice, which parasitized on sailing ships, greatly interfering with their life activities for people.
First, the pests multiplied rapidly. Secondly, they destroyed all food supplies on the ship. And thirdly, they carried with them very dangerous various diseases. Their destruction was put in the forefront by the sailors, because if these rodents were not stopped, the whole crew of the ship was threatened with big problems, up to death.
The Podengo Portugueso Pequenos have spread to all corners of the world, including Brazil, as a result of reconnaissance and trade flights, as well as arriving with displaced persons. These Portuguese dogs interbred with Spitz-like canines, which were kept in great variety by the indigenous Brazilian population. As a result, several localized canine species appeared on the territory of Brazil.
Application of the progenitors of the Brazilian Terrier
In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Brazil maintained close economic and social ties with many Western European countries. It has become very popular for wealthy Brazilians to send their offspring to study at European universities, especially the UK and France. Due to the prevailing social fabric of the time, most of those who studied in Europe during this period were boys, not girls.
Brazilian youths were in close contact and friendships with young people from the British upper classes of England. At the time, fox hunting was the most popular activity among the English nobility. Brazilian students also met with such a pastime. To hunt foxes in its traditional manner, canines of the terrier type were needed.
True British native Terriers have been bred in the British Isles for centuries, possibly millennia. These tenacious dogs were bred to chase small mammals in their burrows, or kill them on the ground, or pull the animals to the surface for further actions by the hunter.
Although terriers were originally bred to eradicate pests on farms, fox hunters noticed their inclinations and used the dogs for their own purposes. During the period under review, three types of terriers were predominantly used for hunting foxes, these are the Fox Terrier, Jack Russell Terrier and Black and Tan Terrier.
Breeds that participated in the selection of the Brazilian Terrier
Most of the Brazilian students acquired these dogs in England to hunt foxes, or simply as pets. As in most cases, when young people communicate, sympathies and connections arise. Many of these Brazilian students fell in love and subsequently married European girls they met while studying abroad. Then, as now, wealthy women kept a large number of small dogs as pets for their pleasure.
The most popular among them were the miniature pinscher, chihuahua and toy fox terrier. While these breeds were popular as domesticated dogs for companionship and adoration, most of these breeds were originally developed for specific purposes and still had significant working ability. The girls who became the wives of Brazilians continued to support their pets after marriage.
After graduation, the Brazilian students returned to their home country. And of course, they brought with them "fox hunters" whom they had acquired in a foreign land, and their wives took their "little favorites" with them. At some point, in Brazil, these two different groups of dogs were actively interbreeding because there were not many newly arrived dogs of separate lines. They also overlap with pre-existing little Brazilian dogs, which were probably cross-breeds of the Podengo Portugueso and Native American Dogs.
Features of the Brazilian Terrier breed
The resulting specimens were generally similar to other fox terriers, but definitely differed in their diversity. In particular, they tended to be significantly larger than most European terriers. Dogs also differed from other terriers in terms of their temperament. Most notable was their reduced aggressive behavior. While many European Terriers immediately compete with other dogs, the Brazilian Terrier can live and work in large packs.
The species have also become one of the few dogs that are well adapted to the hot climate of Brazil. These dogs can work for long hours, at temperatures that are very detrimental to most breeds. They are also very resistant to diseases and parasites, which prevail in most of Brazil and are excellent at tolerating epidemic diseases. The variety was originally known as Fox Paulistinha, which can be translated from Brazilian as Fox Terrier from São Paulo.
Plantation owners throughout Brazil soon noticed that the Brazilian Terrier was very masterly and quickly at destroying pests and was an excellent hunting dog. In Brazil, there are hundreds of species of small mammals, both local and imported from other countries. Many of these creatures are serious agricultural pests, capable of destroying crops in a short time, reducing livestock and poultry numbers, and digging holes that harm plantations and damage livestock.
The Brazilian Terrier has inherited a tenacious grip and an often ferocious tendency to kill these little creatures. For centuries, in both the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Brazil, terriers have helped increase crop yields, reduce livestock losses, multiply profits and prevent the spread of infectious diseases.
Sport hunting has also become quite popular in many parts of the Brazilian countryside, and the Brazilian Terrier has proven to be very suitable for the role. At the time when this dog was bred, there were practically no hunting dogs in its homeland, and, in fact, there were no such dogs of small parameters. Despite the fact that their olfactory abilities are not as strong as that of most hounds, Brazilian Terriers are quite capable of tracking animals and are especially good at working in packs. Hunters all over Brazil began to use this breed, both individually and in groups.
This highly adaptable variety has developed two different hunting strategies depending on how many dogs are involved in the hunt. When the Brazilian Terrier hunts alone or in pairs, he usually goes for the kill as quickly as possible. The dog bites its prey, preferably around the neck, and shakes it vigorously until it dies. When the Brazilian Terrier hunts in a pack, the dogs surround their prey. Each dog in turn jumps and bites the animal to prevent it from leaving.
If one or two dogs are used, only small game such as rabbits or weasel mammals can be hunted. If large packs are used for hunting, you can get much larger prey. Brazilian Terriers are so capable and tenacious that it is possible to use them to hunt prey as large as the maned wolf.
Brazilian Terrier spread
Although the Brazilian Terrier was originally a rural dog, it quickly spread and fell in love among the Brazilian townspeople. The breed has become very popular in cities such as Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo for a number of specific reasons. Its small size made it a suitable pet for cramped apartments in the city center.
The ferocious drive and determination to kill rodents that made it popular with rural farmers also made it a desirable animal for those looking to rid their homes of the multiple rat populations present in most Brazilian urban settlements. Perhaps most importantly, his affectionate nature and dedication to his family made him ideal for life as a companion dog.
The Brazilian Terrier became widespread throughout Brazil and eventually appeared in many parts of the country, both urban and rural. Although the breed has been largely kept "clean", most of its written pedigrees have been lost during the 20th century.
As a result, the breed has not received official recognition in major dog kenel clubs, even in its home country. This situation began to change in the early 1960s. In 1964, many fans and connoisseurs of the breed gathered and published its first written standard. At that time, for the first time, official recognition was requested from the Brasília de Sinophilia Confederation (CBKC) or the Brazilian Kennel Club.
However, the CBKC initially had a problem with the pedigree status of the Brazilian Terrier, as a result of which, since 1973, registration has been officially postponed. This situation made many Brazilian Terrier breeders very unhappy and decided to take matters into their own hands. In 1981, the Clube do Fox Paulistinha (CFP) was created and a breeding book was created to register all purebreds. Most of the current members of the founding club learned about each other through the newspapers.
The history of the release of the Brazilian Terrier to the world level
In 1985, the CBKC was satisfied that the breed's main problems had been resolved and the breed's official registration began. In 1991, the CBKC and CFP agreed on their collaboration and began working together to promote the variety. Since then, the number of pedigree livestock has increased dramatically throughout Brazil, and its representatives now regularly appear at Brazilian dog shows and sports competitions, being very powerful competitors.
In 1994, the breed received temporary recognition from the Fédération Cynologique Internationale (FCI). In 2007, the FCI fully recognized the breed. She became the 3rd breed from Brazil and only 5th from South America. To gain recognition from the FCI, the Rastreador Brasileiro was subsequently declared extinct.
Because of this status, it is often argued that the Brazilian Terrier and Fila Braziliero are the only two breeds bred in Brazil. In fact, this is not at all the case. While these are the only Brazilian species recognized by major international canine organizations, there are at least five other native Brazilian breeds that are officially recognized by the CBKC registries, or rare species organizations.
The recognition of the FCI has greatly increased the worldwide fame of the Brazilian Terrier. As a result, some of these dogs are now being exported to other countries. A large mass of terriers imported from Brazil are probably now in Germany and the United States. As of 2012, only a few individual breed representatives have recently been imported into the United States, and there are few more breeders in the country.
Although in general, they are still rare in the world, the popularity of the Brazilian Terriers is constantly growing in their homeland. Unlike most modern breeds, a large percentage of the Brazilian Terrier population is still working dogs. Approximately the same number of these dogs are companion animals.
