Rare Breed

The Cesky (ches-kee) Terrier is a relatively new breed, and still quite rare all over the world. The breed started coming to the United States in the late 1980s, and there are now about 350  Cesky Terriers in this country.

Recognized in Europe

Mr. Frantisek Horak - a Czechoslovakian geneticist - wanted a dog small enough to go to ground (and not get stuck) and hunt small vermin. He used the Scottish Terrier and the Sealyham Terrier in developing the Cesky Terrier, starting in 1949. By 1963, Mr. Horak had achieved recognition by the FCI - the main European registration organization. His first Champion was Javor Lovu Zdar in 1964.

Good with Children and other Dogs

We have found the Cesky to be a delightful pet who gets along with other dogs much better that most terrier breeds. They seem to be very adaptable to any situation and love people of all ages - especially children. Their small size makes the Cesky an ideal family pet.

Non-Shedding

Since the breed is so new to this country and the grooming is so different, the judges at matches and shows will have to be informed about this. The Cesky is clipped with electric clippers--not stripped like most terriers. The coat is soft (as compared to the wiry type coats of most terriers). Long hair is left on the sides, legs, over the eyes and beard.

Ideal Size

The Cesky Terrier is of medium length, stands 10-12" at the shoulders, has an undocked tail of 7-8" and weighs 13-22 lbs. The ideal weight is 16-20 lbs.

(The following are excerpts from a "Breed Seminar for Judges", by Lori Moody.)

Origin of the Breed

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.
     Frantisek Horak, the developer of the Cesky Terrier, was born at the castle Karlova Koruna in Chlumec, Czechoslovakia on June 12th, 1909. This was an area where Isabela Palomino horses were bred. Young Frantisek wanted to breed horses and ponies from the time he was quite young. At the age of 9, his parents allowed him to start breeding dogs. After World war II, in 1945, he started breeding ponies as well.
     When Frantisek Horak grew up, he became a geneticist and 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 (which was formerly called Horak's Labor 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, but the Piebald dog is not an FCI breed. Breeds that were developed in the Czech Republic or Slovakia are considered National Breeds. Since the Cesky Terrier has been the most successful of the national breeds, it has been featured on postage 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 in most of the European countries as well as England, the United States, Canada, and now Australia.
     I managed to get Mr. Horak's address, and started writing to him in early 1989. We corresponded for almost seven years, until his death on January 6th, 1996. I first heard that Mr. Horak's title was Dr., but in his first letter to me, he stated emphatically that he was not a doctor, and did not use that title. So, anyone who used that title in referring to Mr. Horak obviously had no contact with him.
     He was a retired geneticist who specialized in missing teeth and coat color in dogs and horses. Eight members of NCTC had the pleasure of meeting Mr. Horak in May of 1995 and attending a Symposium on the breed. We were pleased to see that our imported and American bred Cesky Terriers were of the same or better quality as those we observed at the Symposium. There were over 50 CTs that were entered in the shows that weekend. Most were from the Czech Republic  but there were some from other European countries.
     In l932, Mr. Horak got his first Scottish Terrier and liked the breed, but was concerned about it being too aggressive. He hunted with this dog and decided to breed Scottish Terriers. In 1934, Mr. Horak met a person who had Sealyham Terriers and had a conversation with him about the two breeds. He felt at that time that a "product" of the two breeds could lead to a more successful working result.
     Mr. Horak named his kennel "LOVU ZDAR" which means "Successful Hunter" or "Successful Hunting", which was appropriate for his Scotties, later the Sealyham, and finally the Cesky Terrier. He never forgot his idea of combining the Scotty and Sealy, but the war interrupted his plans to try this combination.
     Finally, in 1949, Mr. Horak did a breeding with a Scotty bitch named Donka Lovu Zdar and a Sealyham dog named Buganier Urquelle. One pup survived, and as the pup grew up, he started to hunt him. He also reported his breeding of this new breed to the local Terrier Club at that time. Although a brown color is allowed, only a few have been born since the beginning of this breed.
     Unfortunately, this first CT was shot by a careless hunter in 195O.
     Mr. Horak repeated his breedinq with a Scotty bitch named Scotch Rose and a Sealyham dog named Buganier Urguelle. This litter produced 6 pups and the Cesky Terrier breed had begun. Mr. Horak kept excellent records of all his breedings and started a private registry of the CT.
     Since the genetic pool of the CT was so limited, Mr. Horak decided to introduce some new blood into the breed. A Sealyham was bred into the CT breed in 1984 and 1985, with the permission of the FCI.

The reasons Mr. Horak developed the Cesky Terrier

Mr. Horak felt that a combination of the Scottish Terrier and the Sealyham Terrier would make the ideal hunting dog. The darker color of the Scotty and the drop ear of the Sealy were two of the considerations.
     He felt that the two breeds had become too big for hunting in the burrow due the large chest size. He bred for a narrower chest and a moderately sized head, longer legs than the original breeds, a softer coat, and a temperament that was aggressive in the hunt, but easily handled.
     The Cesky Terrier is used in hunting fox, rabbits, ducks, pheasants, and even wild boar. There is a club of CT owners in the Czech Republic that is just for people who hunt with their CTs.
     From the beginning, Mr. Horak decided not to burden the Cesky Terrier with tail docking or the stripping of the coat done in the Scotty and Sealy. He decided that the Cesky Terrier would be clippered (shaved) and the tail would be left undocked. This has made the breed easier to groom as a pet or as a show dog.

Showing the Cesky Terrier

Mr. Horak was well known for his hunting terriers, and also for their success in the show ring. He had shown his Scotties and some Sealys. He exhibited a Cesky Terrier for the first time in 1959, and by 1963 he had achieved FCI recognition for his breed.
     His Javor Lovu Zdar was the first Cesky Terrier to become a Champion in 1964. At the 1994 Symposium for the Cesky Terrier--held in Veltrusy, Czech Republic, there were 57 of the breed exhibited. There were 68 of the breed entered in a show in Sweden in 1995.
     The Cesky Terrier has come a long way in less than 50 years. They are being shown in most European countries and the U. S. now, and quite a few have even taken the Best-in-Show title in the U. S.
     The National Cesky Terrier Club had its first specialty in 1992. The first NCTC champion was finished on Oct. 20, 1990. There are now more than a dozen NCTC dogs who have attained Championships with NCTC. A number of CTs have also finished Championships with other show organizations as well.

Coat and Color

There are two basic colors allowed in the standard of the breed--gray and light brown. Although there were three brown CTs born in the early development of the breed, there were no more born until June 1994. Mr. Horak sent me photos of a brown pup born in the Czech Republic. This was quite exciting, since it had been 40 years since the brown color was seen. But it will be a long time before we see any brown CTs in the show ring.
     The CT is born black (or brown), and lightens to various shades of gray (or light brown). They can be from a light silver to charcoal gray--almost black. Some CTS are unicolored, but most have furnishings of a lighter color-off white or buff, lighter gray or tan. These lighter furnishings are not to be considered part of the allowed 20% white. The white is usually on the chest, neck or feet.
     Some gray CTs have a brownish caste to their coat. This does not mean that it is a brown CT, but is just going through a color change. The CT has the gene which causes the black or brown to lighten. It comes to the breed through the Sealyham, which has the Dandie Dinmont in its background.
     It can take up to two years to "gray" or lighten. There are two times that a CT is lighter in color: one is between the ages of 1 and 2, and the other is shortly after whelping.
     The coat of the CT is softer than the Scotty or Sealyham, but that doesn't mean that it is extremely soft. We have seen coat types that range from downy to rather coarse. The texture of an adult CT is somewhat like the hair of a human. Mr. Horak did not like to see profuse amounts of hair on the CT. He felt that it would hinder the dog from performing in the field and den.
     The trimming of the CT with electric clippers makes the coat even softer--just as it would in the parent breeds.

Size of the Cesky Terrier

The original SCI standard had a weight range from 6-9 Kgs (13 to 20 lbs). In 1993 Mr. Horak asked NCTC to change our standard to 6-10 kgs (13 to 22 1/2 lbs). This is reasonable,
since most of the dogs were in the upper range of the standard and some beyond it. There is no difference in the sexes. The length is moderate and the height is about 10-12". Moderation
is the key in all aspects of the breed. FCI adopted a new standard in Feb. 1996 which has a weight of 6-10 kgs and several disqualifications. The NCTC standard has 3 disqualifications.

Temperament of the Cesky Terrier

The temperament of the CT 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.

Judging the Cesky Terrier in the U.S.

Since the Cesky Terrier was developed from two known terrier breeds (Scottie and Sealyham), it is often compared to these breeds and to other small terriers. There are some definite differences in this breed that must be noted.
     One of the biggest problems that the owners, breeders, and exhibitors have is with having judges understand the differences. The topline has a rise over the loins, and is not level from the withers to the base of the tail. This seems to cause the most trouble in judging. People often ask how the CT got this topline when the two "parent" breeds have level toplines. Well, anyone who has been around the terrier show ring knows that many of the toplines of the parent breeds are not as level as they look, and have been groomed to appear level.
     The tail carriage is the second feature that must be understood. Most terrier breeds should carry their tails straight up, and are faulted if they do not do so. The CTs may carry their tails down, level or up. They should not carry the tail tightly over the back like a squirrel, but any other position is acceptable.
     The soft coat is another area in which the CT is different. This caused us a lot of trouble in the early years in this country, but it is becoming accepted and known. The CT does not have a wire type of coat.
     Color may be our next area that causes confusion. Many of the first imports to the U.S. were light or even too light in color--some fading to a look of being "optically white" as Mr. Horak called it. Now there are some very dark CTs, and judges have questioned this coloring. We, as breeders, are delighted with the dark coloring, because it is needed to keep a good depth of color in the breed. Mr. Horak said in his writings that "dark charcoal-almost black" was one of the colors in the breed. It can also take two years to lighten, and it can be so gradual that a dog may appear black unless he is in bright light, or standing next to a truly black dog.