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A Border Terrier is a small, rough-coated breed of dog of the terrier group. Originally bred as fox and vermin hunters, Border Terriers share ancestry with Dandie Dinmont Terriers and Bedlington Terriers. Though the breed is much older, the Border Terrier was officially recognized by the The Kennel Club in Great Britain in 1920, and by the American Kennel Club (AKC) in 1930. In 2006, the Border Terrier ranked 81st in number of registrations by the AKC, while it ranked 10th in the United Kingdom.
Appearance: The Border Terrier has a double coat
consisting of a soft undercoat and harsh, wiry outer coat.
Colours include grizzle and tan ( a sort of salt and pepper
look), blue and tan (sometimes looks almost black), red
grizzle, and less commonly, wheaten. The coat needs to be
stripped by hand (not clipped) regularly, as the top coat
becomes long and shaggy and eventually dies.
Borders being shown generally have a short coat that has
been stripped and is starting to grow back. Never clip a
border terrier only around the face area where there is
scraggy bits of hair. If you clip a Border Terrier around its
back it can ruin their fur and make it go curly and you will
not get the normal shape fur back.
Temperament: Border Terriers are friendly and
playful, and can make good family pets as they are generally
good with children. They are best kept by people who have had
dogs before and know how to maintain human social dominance
over them. They are highly energetic dogs, and so unless a lot
of time can be devoted to them, they are generally best kept
with other dogs of similar temperament. Ideal companions would
be other Border Terriers, Collies, and most Spaniels.
Border Terriers are relatively easily trained, although
they can develop a cat-like independence and when kept as part
of a group of dogs, can have difficulty recognising that each
dog has a different name (they occasionally respond to them
all). Some members of the breed make a highly effective
alternative to a doorbell, due to their sharp hearing and the
distinctive frenzied barking that results when they hear
someone approaching the door. They are best kept in pairs or
small groups, or with dogs of other breeds. Their dominant
personalities can be used to the advantage of the owner if
larger dogs are also kept as, like all terriers, they will
generally occupy a high position in the 'pack', subordinate to
the owner. This is especially true if a Border Terrier is an
adult and the larger dog a puppy when introduced. However if a
large dog comes into the family, although it is already an
adult one, the Border Terrier starts to "test" his
new companion, and if there's no objection from the side of
the larger dog, maintains his leadership. This can need firm
handling as fights can break out- a squirt from a water gun
often does the trick.
Border Terriers are generally unsuitable for homes where
there are rabbits, cats (except Maine Coons), smaller breeds
of dogs, or other similar pets, as they will attack and kill
all animals smaller than themselves; they were bred for this
purpose. Exceptions to this are where the Terrier was
introduced to the other animal as a puppy. Despite this
instinct, they are generally amicable with other dogs, and
often develop strong friendships with dogs they meet
frequently. Nevertheless, in case they don't like another dog,
they don't hesitate to start a fight and, as it is the case
with most terriers, it's not easy to stop them. One has to
train the Border Terrier carefully from the beginning so that
he learns a correct social behaviour with other dogs
(especially with dogs that are of bigger size!).
Any toy given to a Border Terrier needs to be virtually
indestructible. Solid, tough rubber toys such as rubber rings
are suitable; however, certain individuals might have a
fascination for other objects found in their environment, some
of which the owner might not have wanted to be dog toys.
Health: Border Terriers are generally hardy and
long-lived dogs with few health problems; however, they also
have a very high resistance to pain and so a Border Terrier,
when it is unwell, will very often appear perfectly healthy.
Consequently, any sign of illness should be taken very
seriously. Due to their low percentage of body fat, Border
Terriers are very sensitive to anesthetics and therefore care
should be taken in selecting a veterinarian that is aware of
this and is cautious in administering anesthesia.
In addition, due to their instinct to kill and consume
smaller animals, Border Terriers often destroy (rather than
play with) their toys especially toys that are insufficiently
robust and often eat such toys in the process. A Border
Terrier can remove the squeak from a squeaky toy within 30
seconds, and reduce such toys to fragments within a matter of
minutes.
This tendency can cause the appearance of illness as a
result of the subsequent indigestion; typical symptoms include
lethargy, unwillingness to play, a generally 'unhappy'
appearance, lack of reaction to affection, and inability or
unwillingness to sleep. These symptoms are generally very
noticeable; however, they are also present just prior to
Border Terrier bitches being on heat. Food-grade liquid
paraffin is often an effective solution to digestive problems
caused by the consumption of dog toys.It might not be the best
idea to give a border terrier thin plastic toys they chew them
up very easy.
Border Terriers occasionally have genetic health problems.
Some of these include:
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