Dandie Dinmont Terrier

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Breed Details

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Breed Rating

Breed Details

General

The Dandie Dinmont Terrier originated in Scotland and was bred to hunt down rodents, rabbits, weasels, badger, skunks and otters. These dogs are a mixture of the Skye Terrier and the Scotch Terrier which gives them their unique elongated body shape.

This breed is friendly, loving and make good family pets. They interact well with children and are highly devoted to their owners but are not a needy breed.

The Dandie Dinmont will enjoy their own space but will also cherish the time spent with their owners as they are affectionate and thrive on the attention they get. Although this breed is a great companion, they will need to be socialized with smaller animals such as cats when they're puppies to ensure they will be stable around them as adults.

The Dandie Dinmont Terrier is a unique looking dog that has a body longer than they are tall. They have large floppy ears and a short muzzle. The body of this breed is compact and muscular, giving them the agility and strength to hunt down animals that are almost the same size as them! The Dandie Dinmont will come in 2 colouring of fur that will be a darker version when they're born and lighten as they age.

Color

As adults this breed will come in a light red called mustard or a silver and black colouring called salt and pepper. As puppies the salt and pepper variety will be black with tan markings and will fade to the black with silver markings. The puppies with mustard colouring will be a dark brownish red and will fade to light reddish as adults.

Coat

The Dandie Dinmont has a double layered coat that is short and has a soft texture to the touch. The top coat is a bit more coarse and weathery while the undercoat is fluffy and plush. They have large silky tufts of fur on their chest, underbelly and head. These dogs have distinctive fur on their face that resembles a mustache, and the fur on their head makes them look as if they're having a bad hair day!

Personality

The Dandie Dinmont Terrier is a wonderful pet that is defensive of their families and territory. They are a caring and adventurous breed that will find fun things to do while their owners are not present. These little dogs, despite their size pack a lot of punch! They have been used as guard dogs because their fearless attitude and deep bark will often ward off strangers if the dog itself is not seen! This breed would do better in a home with no other animals as they can become very jealous around dogs and other family pets. Although they enjoy their independent time, the Dandie Dinmont will still need a large amount of attention from their owners and are not be a breed to be left at home alone too often. These energetic dogs will be more aloof around people they've never met but after a few meetings will warm up quickly.

Care

The Dandie Dinmont Terrier will need a minimal amount of grooming to keep their coat looking great. Brushing about 2-3 times per week and bathing every 2 months will be perfect for this breed. Their coat will needed to be plucked once a year just to remove the dead fur. This breed is prone to epilepsy, hypothyroidism and inter-vertebral disc disease. The Dandie Dinmont Terrier might also inherit a couple of eye diseases such as luxating lens, and glaucoma.

Training

The Dandie Dinmont Terrier will need a very firm hand when training as they are stubborn dogs. Sessions should be kept short and made fun because this will encourage them to want to learn. Although repetition and daily practice will be needed, basic obedience is not high on their list of 'to do' so owners will need to be patient and stay consistent. They are very intelligent little dogs and will learn quickly but are not highly motivated to do so.

Activity

This breed will need about a half an hour of exercise daily which could be time spend in an off-leash dog park or on a long walk. Chasing a ball or just playing with other dogs will tire this breed out effectively. The Dandie Dinmont Terrier will do well in an apartment and will not need a back yard but access to one would be a bonus. When walking this breed, the owner should always have a leash just in case they decide to chase after a small animal.