The German Hunting Terrier owes its creation partially to the Germany’s obsession with the idea of perfection and purity of everything that concerned the German nation. The dog was the part of much greater plan of re-establishing presumably disappeared German species of animals and getting rid of any western influences.

The work of creating a pureblood German hunting dog has been primarily done by three enthusiasts of hunting with Fox Terriers namely Walter Zangenberg, Carl Erick Grunewald, and Rudolph Friess. They strived to bring back excellent hunting skills into the Fox Terrier’s nature since at that point much of its hunting drive was sacrificed for the sake of the outer appearance for the conformation events.

The history of the German Hunting Terrier began after World War I when Zangenderg was granted a litter of almost black Fox Terriers. The litter included two female and one male and these dogs formed a fundament for the future breeding experiments of three avid hunters. Between two World Wars Walter Zangenberg, Carl Erick Grunewald, and Rudolph Friess worked intensely to hone and perfect the overall look and hunting capabilities of the German Hunting Terrier. It’s a well-established fact that they repeatedly crossed the Fox Terrier with the Old English Terrier. It’s also suggested that the Welsh Terrier also played a certain role in creation of the breed.