The Jagdterrier, also known as the German Hunt Terrier, was borne of necessity coupled with a desire for a game terrier.  Developed in the early 1920s in Germany, its earliest ancestors, “Werewolf”, “Rauhgraf”, “Morla,” and “Migra,”  the offspring of two hunting Fox Terriers who had inexplicably produced a litter in which all but four pups were black and red wire-haired. Cynologists believe it was a throw-back to a smaller breed of black and red wire-haired dogs that existed in England 100 years before, dogs that were used to retrieve an escaped fox back to the front of the horseman.

The earliest Jagdterrier breeders were delighted to acquire the puppies with the old hunting color, and when bred with well-trained old hunting Fox Terriers with “game,” “Old English Terriers,” and (it’s suggested, Welsh Terriers),  the dark color continued to prevail. Offspring with a lot of white, as well as spotted dogs, were removed from a strict breed program, and proven good hunters were allowed to reproduce. Under the supervision of famed expert of the day, Dr.Herbet Lackner, efforts to create the Deutscher Jagdterrier were well under way, the program conducted on a large scale with strict discipline and control with as many as seven hundred dogs at a time.

The first stud book of the German hunting terriers was released in 1932, and only 32 dogs were recorded. With uncompromising zeal, dogs that did not meet strict criteria were excluded for many. By 1941, over 3,000 dogs were registered. The German Hunting Terrier club which had been officially registered in 1926 (but had suffered with poor results) officially began working again in 1947.

Sadly, as was so often the case with too many breeds, World War II negatively impacted the breed in Germany where only a few Jagd Terriers remained. Once again, dedication lead to a restoration of the breed.  After a few hit-and-miss attempts to reinvigorate using a different breed, by 1951, 32 Jagdterrier puppies from 9 litters were on the ground, and five years later, already there were 144 pups.  Despite breed numbers being low, the 29 Jagdterriers participating in an international contest for burrow hunting dogs surpassed all other breeds in the competition.

Germans used Jagdterriers as police dogs, for rescue operations in water, from fires, and in mountainous areas. They were also used by the military to carry messages through dangerous territory. Needless to say, they were a hunter’s dream.

To our knowledge, there are almost 30,000 dogs now entered in the stud book of the Federal Republic of Germany. The abilities of the breed created for hunting amaze everyone. The dogs can flush and retrieve from land or water, and will retrieve anything they can carry. Jagdterriers have successfully hunted wild boar, performed bloodhound work tracking wounded game 36 hours after the track was made, can herd cattle, and control varmint. Three or four Jagdterriers on a bear have been described to be like a swarm of bees making the bear climb a tree to get away. 

The Deutscher Jagdterrier was recognized by the United Kennel Club inn 1993, the Federation Cynologique Internationale (FCI) in 1968, and is currently an FSS breed with the AKC.