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 wordterra, 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 Sc