In the formative days of the breed, the Toy Fox Terrier tended to be rounder of head and shorter of leg, with a barrel-like, sausage-shaped body. Today’s terriers are more refined of bone, leggier, squarer of body and flatter of skull; they have more of a “racehorse” style.
      The Toy Fox Terrier has naturally erect ears. Ears of the smallest puppies are often first to go erect, although they may flop up and down during the first 12 weeks. The erect ears and tail are indicative of the alertness of this cocky breed. 
      Tails are docked with a full three-fifths taken off at 3 days of age. An occasional Toy Fox Terrier is born with a naturally bobbed tail, but seldom are these tails of the proper length.
      The coat is short and satiny, requiring only an occasional brushing. Most TFTs are tricolored with a solid white body or with an occasional black spot on the body, but white should predominate; white and tan or white and black dogs are equally acceptable. In the tricolor the head should be black with tan along the sides of the muzzle and tan eye dots, and some dogs have a white blaze starting on the head and running between the eyes. 
       Most adult Toy Fox Terriers weigh 5 to 7 pounds, and dogs over 7 pounds are disqualified from UKC show competition. The average height is 10 to 11 inches at the shoulder, and the length of body should be the same, giving the dog a square look, when viewed from the side. TFT's over 11.5 inches are disqualified from competition in AKC conformation shows.
        Some pet owners and hunters prefer a larger, 8- to 10-pound dog, which occasionally appears in any breeding program, but some wee 3-pounders also crop up in litters. Regardless of size, the Toy Fox Terrier temperament should remain the same, as should its vigor and hardiness.