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.

History

The Border Terrier originates in, and takes its name from the Scottish borders. Their original purpose was to kill foxes and rodents, but they have been used to hunt otters and badgers too. The first Kennel Club Border Terrier ever registered was The Moss Trooper, a dog sired by Jacob Robinson's Chip in 1912 and registered in the Kennel Club's Any Other Variety listing in 1913. The Border Terrier was rejected for formal Kennel Club recognition in 1914, but won its slot in 1920, with the first standard being written by Jacob Robinson and John Dodd. Jasper Dodd was made first President of the Club.

Appearance and Size

Identifiable by their otter-shaped heads, Border Terriers have a broad skull and short, strong muzzle with a scissors bite. The V-shaped ears are on the sides of the head and fall towards the cheeks. Common coat colors are grizzle-and-tan, blue-and-tan, red or wheaten. Whiskers are few and short. The tail is naturally moderately short, thick at the base and tapering. The Border Terrier has a double coat consisting of a short, dense, soft undercoat and harsh, wiry weather and dirt resistant, close-lying outer coat with no curl or wave. This coat usually requires hand stripping twice a year to remove dead hair. It then takes about eight weeks for the top coat to come back in. For some dogs, weekly brushing will suffice. The Border Terrier stands around 12 to 15 inches at the shoulder and weighs about 12 to 15 pounds.

Personality

Border Terriers are affectionate, intelligent, even-tempered, and obedient dogs. They tend to be alert and fearless. Border Terriers generally get along well with other dogs; however, if they dislike another dog, they do not hesitate to start a fight and, as with most terriers, it can be difficult to stop them. Some borders can have a a submissive attitude towards other dogs, and therefore the use of aggression towards other dogs is very low.

Wikipedia and GNU

The content of this entry is from the Wikipedia article "Border Terrier" licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License.