Cross Breeds

The Border Terrier has a double coat consisting of a soft undercoat

Summary: The Border Terrier has a double coat consisting of a soft undercoat and harsh wiry outer coat Colors 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 Border Terriers are friendly and playful and can make good family pets as they are generally good with children If you have two border terriers one of them will be top dog meaning that they are more in charge This is not a bad thing it s how they go along and also one of them or both could protect each other from different dogs 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 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 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 TERRIER

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