Bedlington terrier

Bedlington terrier is a medium-sized dog with a characteristic appearance: dense, yarn-like, soft hair, fairly light, shapely body structure, which he owes to the addition of whippet blood. Contrary to the appearance of the “nice sheep” he can be independent and stubborn.

Nature

Dedicated to the whole family, the Bedlington Terrier is particularly attached to the chosen person. He likes children. This gentle everyday dog ​​can react violently to the sight of escaping prey or to a challenge from another dog – then the wolf wakes up in the sheep. However, a well-mannered Bedlington usually doesn’t cause fights.

It should be socialized with other dogs from an early age. Despite the strong hunting instinct, he gets along well with domestic cats. His relations with familiar dogs, with whom he has already established a hierarchy, are also good.

Skills

Bedlington terrier is now a companion dog. Works well as a watchman. It is not noisy, but will alert you when strangers arrive. Fast and agile, at home, however, behaves calmly – as long as he has the opportunity to run on a walk.

Bedlington terrier. Training and education

He is an intelligent but independent dog. He doesn’t have much strength with him, so he is considered stubborn. Much more can be done with gentleness and rewarding desired behavior.

Who is this race for?

It can be recommended to most people who do not expect absolute obedience from the dog, but are consistent and patient enough to raise this stubborn man.

Advantages and disadvantages

Disadvantages

• stubborn and quite independent
• has a strong hunting instinct
• needs a lot of traffic
• can be feisty of strange dogs
• the coat requires regular care

Advantages

• nice companion dog
• accepts pets with whom he grew up
• good watchman
• he is not barking
• It doesn’t molt

Health

Bedlingtons are healthy and resistant. They tolerate both hot and cold well. They are long-lived and maintain good conditions even in old age. They have liver disease due to intolerance of too much copper in the food, which leads to liver cirrhosis and attacks the nervous system.

In addition, there are hereditary anatomical defects, e.g. deformation of the sternum, concavity and convexity of the ribs, palpable and visible fracture of the tail, narrowly set inward canines of the jaw.

Feeding

Bedlington terrier has no particular nutritional requirements – it can be fed with ready-made foods as well as meals prepared by itself.

Care

The care of the garment is the most demanding. To keep the dog’s typical appearance, it requires professional haircut once every two months (also in winter), and every few days – brushing. Of course, if we do not want to display the dog, we can cut it short.

Bedlington terrier. History

Bedlington terrier is one of the many old terrier breeds from the British Isles. Its origin is well documented. It is known that terriers already existed in the 15th century. Their appearance was varied – their own type of dog was bred in every region, even city or estate. Most terriers, however, had a rough coat.

A description of a dog that may have been the ancestor of modern Bedlington can be found in John Meyerick’s “Domestic dogs and hunting dogs” from 1861. To this day it is not known where the characteristic, atypical for terriers, soft and woolly coat of these dogs came from. Perhaps it is the result of a cross with some shaggy sheep.

This hypothesis may be supported by the fact that the unguarded Bedlington resembles a small Old English Sheepdog. Dogs of this type were popular among Gypsies and poachers, especially around the English-Scottish border – but even noble-born valued them because of their hunting instinct and willingly rented to hunt small animals.

Bedlington terriers have common ancestors with dandie dinmont terriers, perhaps also with kerry blue and soft-coated wheaten terriers . Initially they were called rothbury terriers (from the name of the city in northern England).

Lovers of the breed were not only the nobility, but also miners, among others from the town of Bedlington. Dogs exterminated rats in mines and competed in races organized by miners. Probably then, to add the speed, they crossed them with whippetami why bedlingtony owe a characteristic similar to Greyhound construction.

Template

Bedlington terrier – group III FCI, section 1, reference number 9

• Country of origin: Great Britain
• Character: lively, brave, intelligent, gifted with hunting instincts, gentle towards people
• Size: approx. 41 cm (average 38-43 cm)
• Weight: 8-10.5 kg
• Coat: thick and fluffy, protruding from the skin, but soft, tends to twist, especially on the head
• Ointment: blue, light brown (called pink) or sandy, there may be arson; puppies are born black, blue, liver or sandy; then the coat brightens, while the pigment remains only in the skin
• Lifespan: 12-16 years
• Vulnerability to training: average
• Activity: he likes movement very much, but adapts easily to living in an apartment if he has the opportunity to run out
• Resistance/susceptibility to diseases: very resistant
• Possibility to buy a puppy: litters are born sporadically, it’s best to order a puppy beforehand

Interesting facts

Bedlington Terriers starred in the popular pre-war Polish comedy from 1937, “The Minister of Dance.”