Sharing a family with canine breeds such as the Silky Terrier or the Yorkshire Terrier, the Dandie Dinmont Terrier is another of the breeds that make up the extensive family of terrier dogs. These little ones with long, bushy hair are one of the oldest breeds in the United Kingdom, where they originate from, which is why, after so many years of history, and having shared a home with numerous noble families of the time, it is a real pity that dandie dinmont terriers are classified as a vulnerable canna breed, since it is estimated that only about 300 copies are born a year in Ireland and the United Kingdom. Do you want to know more about this breed that despite being so old is so unknown? Well keep reading, because on our site we tell you all about the dandie dinmont terrier
Origin of the dandie dinmont terrier
The dandies are a very old canine breed, because already in the 18th century there were specimens of it, since it was in that time when the first dandie dinmont terrier dogs were born. Specifically, these puppies were born on the border between England and Scotland. The breed comes from crosses between the Bedlington Terrier, the Skye Terrier and the now extinct Scottish Terrier.
This breed has always been a great unknown, which became somewhat popular among farmers in the area for its ability to kill vermin that brought them economic losses, also for its skills as an otter hunter and badgers. It was in the year 1814 when, thanks to the appearance of the breed in the book Guy Mannering by the author Sir W alter Scott, when the general population began to know this little one.
However, the breed is still not very common, being recognized since 1875, when the Dandie Dinmont Terrier breed club was created, the third oldest in the world. It is registered with the Kennel Club as one of the native breeds of the British Isles in a state of vulnerability, since no more than 300 specimens are registered born per year having taking into account registries from all over Ireland and the UK.
Characteristics of the dandie dinmont terrier
The dandie dinmont terrier is a small dog, weighing between 8 and 11 kilograms, being its height at withers 20 to 28 centimeters. The life expectancy of these dogs is approximately between 12 and 15 years.
The body is elongated, with rounded shapes and flexible limbs. His back is low and curved and his legs are short and muscular. The tail is also short, 20 to 25 cm, thicker at the base than at the tip, and is always straight. The head of this breed is large, but in proportion to the rest of the body, it has strong jaws, highly developed musculature, is wider at the back and narrows in the eye area. It should be noted that the entire head must be covered with hair. The eyes are large, bright and round, of a very intense hazel color. Their ears are set low, hanging and distant from each other.
Despite all of the above, if something stands out among all the characteristics of the dandie dinmont terrier, it is its hair. A dandie's coat is made up of a fur with two layers, a woolly lower layer that serves as insulation and protection and the outer one is harder and somewhat rough to the touch. The hair is distributed in the form of tassels, being longer on the forelegs, where it forms fringes of about 5 cm in length. The colors accepted are pepper or mustard, in both cases the tone is lighter on the fringes of the forelegs, the same as on the lower part of the tail, which forms another fringe of longer and softer hair.
Dandie dinmont terrier character
Dandy dinmont terriers are really determined dogs, displaying a marked independent and enterprising character, while being incredibly brave, and at the same time sometimes even reckless. However, this does not make us think that they are not dogs that do not need attention, because nothing is further from the truth, since they love to be pampered and caressed, to play with them and to share all the family time that possible, since they are really loving!
These little ones are pretty docile and also intelligent, so it will be easy for us to teach them behavior patterns and get an excellent coexistence with children, the elderly, pets, other dogs… As for where they can live, the range of possibilities is quite wide, as they adapt both to small and closed spaces, such as city apartments, as well as to those more spacious and open, such as farms or houses with land
Now that we know the temperament of the dandie dinmont, let's go with its most important care.
Care of the dandie dinmont terrier
Something we will have to pay attention to if we have a dandie as a pet is the care of his fur, because Due to its length and the presence of the two layers of hair, we have to brush it quite frequently to prevent it from getting tangled and accumulating dirt. Thus, optimal brushing is performed daily. As for baths, it is recommended to bathe them once a month, using a special shampoo for them.
An important characteristic of their coat is that, because they barely shed, the dandie dinmont terrier is considered to be one of the hypoallergenic dog breeds, being ideal for people with allergy problems
Apart from this, care for the dandie dinmont will focus on the need for daily exercise, consisting of games and walks, to keep your character so balanced and prevent you from becoming overweight. In the same way, we must feed our pet with a quality diet, rich in animal proteins and that provides it with the necessary energy to remain active and happy.
Education of the dandie dinmont terrier
When it comes to training dandie dinmonts, we need not worry about it being difficult, as these dogs are considered to be relatively easy to train, they are intelligent and attentive, which means that they do not need many repetitions for the desired learning to take place. So much so that the breed has been used on multiple occasions as a therapy dog for different types of patients, such as quadriplegic people, those with cerebral palsy, children with autism and a long and varied etcetera.
Training will be easier if the animal performs enough physical exercise to be calm and relaxed, otherwise the accumulated energy can make training more arduous. The same would happen if the animal is too tired or exhausted. Finally, it should be noted that it is necessary to carry out training techniques that respect the welfare of the animal, so the positive training, rejecting those techniques that involve punishment or violence, is the most appropriate, to educate a dandie dinmont and any other dog.
He alth of the dandie dinmont terrier
These little terriers are prone to certain diseases, one of which is known as syndrome Cushing This disease consists of an alteration of the adrenal glands, which affects the production of the hormone cortisol. The effects of this alteration are: weight gain, reaching obesity, hypertension, skin conditions and osteoporosis, as well as some mental disorders.
Another of the dandie dinmont terrier diseases that can concern us is hypothyroidism, which would lead to an insufficient production of thyroid hormone. One of the symptoms is, again, increased body weight. You can also suffer from eye disorders such as glaucoma, which can lead to blindness, conditions such as cancer or spinal disc herniation, which causes irritation of the sciatic nerve, causing quite intense discomfort and pain.
For all these reasons, it is of vital importance that visits to a trusted veterinarian are carried out regularly, in order to be able to detect the symptoms that show the presence of any of these conditions, or any other not mentioned here. Well, normally in all of them it is very decisive to detect them early, thus being better their prognosis.
