...it's kind of like a frequently asked questions section but with added information. I hope you have a good sense of humour.
So you want a Border Terrier, hopefully you won't want one just because you have seen one in an advert being totally un-Border like, or because you've seen them in a film doing cute things like talking.......enough said!
Border Terriers are often put forward as a good choice of family pet for the following reasons...
...but lets explore these things further.
Yes the Border is a good handy size, easily tucks into the family estate car with the kids and luggage when going on holiday, well you didn't think you were leaving them behind whilst you did all the fun stuff did you?
Coat...hmmm...well there's hand stripping, clippering the coat or leaving au natural.
Hand stripping is usually done by a breed of human who are essentially masochists and want to partake in showing the dog. If you want to show and don't mind repetitive strain injuries to the wrist, fingers, back and neck, welcome to the club, stripping is the thing for you.
Clippering the coat can be done a couple of times of year without sending you into the red on your bank statement, just phone your local grooming parlour for a price, drawbacks of this method are that the coat loses it's weatherproofing, not good if you are into hill climbing on rainy days, also as the soft undercoat is exposed it will attract and hold dirt, so baths may be in order.
Au natural, Borders can get very 'wooly' if the coat is left to it's own devices, a good wide toothed comb and a brush are needed and of course you will get the bi-annual moult as with many other breeds, also it is said that Borders can be kept by people with allergies, I'm not so sure about this as I itch like crazy when I touch mine whilst they are moulting, best thing in these cases is to go and visit and handle the breed before you buy.
Borders can live easily into their late teens and even into their early twenties, the oldest one I've ever heard of lived to be twenty two, so common sense here, please don't buy one for your 70+ parents/grandparents.
Activity levels, this breed needs plenty of exercise, yes they can be couch potatoes but you show them a lead and they are up and at 'em, they are just as happy going 3-4 miles a day as 30 miles a day, but remember they were bred to follow a pack of hounds over hill and dale keeping up with a horse!!!
Kids...yes Borders do get along well with children providing you're not one of these people that think that the dog should be a breathing robot toy putting up with anything your little darlings want to do to them... no dog will stand this kind of treatment, if in doubt, buy the kids a stuffed toy.
Good with other dogs, generally this is true as the breed was bred to mix with a huge pack of dogs and not pick a fight, however any breed is only as good as the work YOU put in to socialise them early on.
Things generally not pointed out about the breed are the following, if they are not brought up with small fluffy animals then it's a good bet, as a hunting breed, that they will want to kill and eat small fluffy animals, that squirrel the kids like to feed may well end up as lunch for the dog one day, neighbourhood cats can be targets too.
Not all Borders reach their hunting potential but out of four of my girls, three are excellent catching rats, mice, pheasant, rabbit, and wood pigeon. In one case my first girl's mother fed herself during pregnancy by catching swallows and house martins flying around the yard! You have been warned!!
Linked with the hunting drive is a great curiosity combined with no fear, match that with an ability to squeeze through any gap that a small kitten could get through and it all adds up to potential disaster for your pup.
Last but not least, interest in hunting can kick in quite late with this breed, so one day you are out in the woods with Fido sniffing around, next you are standing there, lead in hand, dog has vanished, all too often never to return. I will only let my dogs off in areas where there's not too much going on for them to hunt, and teaching a good solid recall is an absolute MUST.
The biggest killer of this breed is a road traffic accident..need I say more? Your garden must be totally escape proof, if you're not sure what I mean by that, think of a dog that can jump like a kangaroo, climb like a cat and dig like a JCB...now you've got it :) and I'm not going to start on their ability to steal, just say that defrosting meat needs a shelf on the ceiling.
Still reading? You really must be keen and probably do want a Border, so I will say that as a breed they are huge amounts of fun, loving, loyal (unless they see a cat) super intelligent little dogs, with a huge personality.