Lee Border Terrier

1. Auflage 2012
ISBN: 978-1-59378-700-4
Verlag: CompanionHouse Books
Format: EPUB
Kopierschutz: Adobe DRM (»Systemvoraussetzungen)

E-Book, Englisch, 155 Seiten

Reihe: Comprehensive Owner's Guide

Courageous of heart, active and game, this little working terrier known as the Border Terrier delights his owners with his friendly, happy disposition as well as his unwavering work ethic. Historically bred to follow the horses on the hunt, this is an energetic, purposeful terrier that is smart and resourceful, requiring an owner who can keep up with his quick mind and body.

Muriel P. Lee, a well-known author in the pet field industry, started her writing career in the 1980s with the still very popular The Whelping and Rearing of Puppies, A Complete and Practical Guide. She has written many breed-specific books for several publishing houses and is the editor of two international canine magazines, Just Terriers and Just Frenchies.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Lee, Muriel P.

Weitere Mitwirkende

Francais, Isabelle

Leseproben

The spirited and plucky Border Terrier is a family dog, compact enough to fit in well with either country or city living.

INTRODUCING THE BORDER TERRIER

A “plucky” terrier! Regardless of what book you read, the one-word description of this breed is always the same—plucky! Roget’s Thesaurus offers synonyms for plucky: “resolute” and “courageous.” Webster defines plucky as “spirited and marked by courage.” As plucky, resolute, courageous and spirited a breed as this may be, the Border Terrier is an excellent family dog, good for country or city and nicely sized to fit into any size home.

This book will tell you about the history, description and breed standard of the Border Terrier. You will also learn about puppy care, training and any breed concerns. This may not be the breed for everyone, as terriers are active, busy dogs. However, if you like a game canine that will be a true companion to you and your family, this may be just the dog for you. And, as is true with most other breeds, once you give your heart and home to a Border, you will remain a devotee to the breed for a lifetime.

FROM THE BORDER COUNTIES TO THE WORLD

The Border Terrier is one of the oldest terrier breeds in the British Isles, tracing its roots back to the 18th century. He belongs to the group of dogs known as terriers, from the Latin word terra, meaning “earth.” A terrier is a dog that has been bred to work beneath the ground to drive out and exterminate small and large vermin, rodents and other pests that can spoil the tranquility of the country landscape. The Border Terrier was bred specifically to drive out foxes.

Originally bred to hunt foxes, the modern Border Terrier is a fine pet. While not traditionally considered “lap dogs,” they do enjoy a cuddle with their favorite people.

Britain lays claim to most of the known and recognized terrier breeds. An exception is our handsome bearded German friend, the Miniature Schnauzer, as well as a few others. Most of the terrier breeds were derived from a similar ancestor and, as recently as the mid-1800s, the terriers fell roughly into two basic categories: the rough-coated, short-legged dogs of Scotland and the longer-legged, smooth-coated dogs of England. The Border Terrier falls a bit between these two groups, as he hails from the border between the two countries and he has a medium length of leg.

The Border Terrier combines the best of both terrier worlds—Scotland and England, the two countries credited as the birthplace of most terriers.

The Border Counties are the four northernmost counties of England: Northumberland, Cumberland, Westmorland and Durham. The Border Counties of Scotland are the southern counties of Roxburghshire, Dumfriesshire, Selkirk, Peebles and Berwickshire, land of sheep and woollen mills. Between the English and Scottish counties lie the rugged and wild Cheviot Hills. The farmers of the area, reliant upon their sheep and wild game for food, found that, if the vermin and foxes were not controlled, their existence in the wild lands would indeed be difficult. The terriers, “earth dogs,” were developed to keep the vermin and fox population under control.

A close relative of the Border Terrier is the Lakeland Terrier, shown here. The Lakeland can be colored variously, including black, blue, red, liver and wheaten.

The family of border terriers, those bred along the border, were the Lakeland Terrier, Border Terrier, Bedlington Terrier and Dandie Dinmont Terrier. Of the four breeds, the Border Terrier has changed the least from its origins, retaining its toughness, size and general outline from the early 1800s. Throughout the century, the breed was found in nearly every home along the border.

BORDER TERRIER CLUBS OF GREAT BRITAIN

The Border Terrier Club in England was founded in 1920. Activities include the Championship Show at Carlisle, the issuing of Working Certificates and publication of a newsletter.

The Southern Border Terrier Club was founded in 1930 to promote interest in the breed in southern England. A registry of working Border Terriers is published in their yearbook.

The Northern Border Terrier Club was founded in 1946 to encourage breed interest in Durham and Northumberland. It provides an illustrated standard for newcomers to the breed.

Border Terriers, at one time called Elterwater Terriers or Coquetdale Terriers, were bred as early as the 18th century by Lord Lonsdale at Lowther. Early paintings and prints depict dogs that strongly resemble the Border Terrier. The Rural Sports published a print in 1807 of a horseman with a small dog trotting alongside, a dog that looks very much like the present-day Border Terrier.

The primary purpose in the early years was to produce dogs that could go to ground and bolt a fox. Crossbreeding in the early years was common as the breeder attempted to produce the very best working terrier for his purposes, with no regard for color, size, coat or length of leg. This was the harsh truth with all of the terrier breeds and it was stated, “Unless they were fit and game for the purpose, their heads were not kept long out of the huge butt of water in the stable yard.” Those who bred and kept dogs had a specific working purpose in mind when they bred for certain traits: either long legs for speed or short legs for going to ground, a double coat for protection against the elements and a powerful set of teeth for the bloody task.

The Dandie Dinmont Terrier is another breed of the Border Counties, known for his unique head and silky coat, seen in “flavorful” shades of pepper or mustard.

The 1935 American Kennel Club Book of Terriers noted the following about the Border Terrier: “With the hills at their disposal and miles from habitation, stock were subjected to the ravages of the big and powerful hill foxes and the Border farmer and shepherd required a dead game terrier to hunt and kill them, with length of leg sufficient to follow a horse, yet small enough to follow a fox to ground.” These are dogs that are designed for use, not for beauty.

James Dodd, Joint Master of the Haydon Hunt, noted that he knew about Border Terriers from family letters as early as 1800, having himself owned the breed for 60 years; his grandfather had owned the breed before him. Mr. Dodd, a well-known breeder, thought that the breed was descended from the old Bedlington Terrier and from crossbred Dandie Dinmont Terrier types. Mr. Dodd remained active in the breed for many years and had exhibited many dogs when the breed was finally recognized by England’s Kennel Club.

Bedlington Terrier puppies, representing another of the Border breeds. Bedlingtons have profuse topknots on their heads and hair that forms tassels on the ends of their ears.

Another Northumberland Border family was the Robsons, many of whom were well known Masters of the Border Foxhounds. John Robson was Master of the Border Foxhounds when the pack was formed in 1857, and members of the family were masters of the pack as late as 1954, almost a century-long connection with the breed.

Tom Horner, in Terriers of the World, wrote, “The Robson and Dodd families intermarried several times, forging even closer ties with their great interests—the hunt, the hounds and the terriers working alongside them.” Because of Mr. Robson’s long association with the Border Foxhounds, the breed eventually became known as the Border Terrier.

In time, the owners of this hard-working breed wanted to show their prize specimens and to prove to one another just which dog was the best. The first show where Borders were shown was in 1881 at the Agricultural Show in Bellingham in Northumberland, and the Borders were shown in the classes for working terriers.

With the worry that the breed might become unsuitable for the work for which it had been bred, a group of fanciers formed the Border Terrier Club and drew up a standard for the breed. In 1914, the breed applied to The Kennel Club of England for recognition and was turned down. Following World War I, application was again made and recognition of the breed was approved in 1920. Both the Dodd and Robson families made major contributions to the Border Terrier in writing the standard and in getting the breed recognized by The Kennel Club. In the same year, The Kennel Club granted official recognition to the Border Terrier Club. At that time, it was estimated there were about 1,200 Borders in the border region, although only 150 had been registered.

HUNT MASTER

The Master of the Foxhounds tended to the dogs that were used in the hunt. He fed them and nurtured the sick or injured, but, more importantly, he trained the dogs to run in a pack with the horses. Traditionally, hunting meant fox hunting and it was a social and sporting function through which the hunter, from the aristocrat to the gentry to the farmer, established local bonds. The sport included the horses and the riders, the hounds for chasing down the fox and the Border Terrier for bringing the fox out of the hole.

The first Kennel Club-sanctioned classes for Borders were held at the show in Carlisle in late September 1920 with, appropriately, a Dodd family member presiding as judge. The first champion of the breed was Ch. Teri, gaining his championship in 1921 at the age of five, winning one of his Challenge Certificates (CCs, awards toward an English championship) under Jacob Robson. Teri was described as a red dog with a good head, plenty of bone and, of course, a very game spirit.

After World War I, three breeders came to the fore: Adam...