Broadly, there are the long legged and short legged varieties. Then the coats are smooth, broken, and long hair. Our Daisy was a rescue we found and she likely only has some(a bit?) Jack Russell in her background, but we don't like to embarrass her.

Tommy on the other hand(he came pre named, I did NOT name him after me), is a short legged long hair Irish version.

I like the hunting dogs for all their quirks. These were bred long ago for hunting fox and chasing rats out of barns in their past. They'll go underground for their prey. Tommy is unusual for a terrier when it comes to retrieving in water, he has the heart of a Chesapeake Retriever, just not the feet nor stamina. But you can't keep him out of the water.

When our last dog, a Springer Spaniel, also a great boat dog, died after many years of sailing with us, I only asked my family(they were getting another dog no matter what I said) that we consider less animal weight. This turned out to be a real help for dogs that sail. They're as easy going from dinghy to deck, water to dock, as a six pack of beer( alittle heavier at 14 or so pounds).

When they shake soaking wet, it's as violent as shaking the dish towel. They're agile and able on deck. The biggest hurdle is, they have huge personalities that are at times more of a challenge than a bigger dog. But I'm a life long dog owner so I enjoy that about them. I love all dogs though, they're great companions.