Lakeland Terrier
A fell terrier from the Lake District, kept to follow a fox into rock and stop it taking lambs. Narrow through the chest, and unbothered by any weather.
Photo by Томасина, CC BY-SA 3.0
Overview
The Lakeland Terrier comes from the fells of the Lake District, where it was bred to follow fox into rock crevices in country too steep for horses. It had to have enough leg to travel the fells with the hunt and be narrow enough to enter rock.
It is one of the smallest of the long legged terriers and one of the gamest, and it is closely related to the Border and the Welsh Terrier.
Temperament
Bold, confident and busy. Lakelands are affectionate with their families, good with older children, and they are proper working terriers.
They dig, they bark and they chase, and they can be dog aggressive particularly with the same sex. They are clever and independent and they train with food rather than authority. They are also famously self assured and quite unbothered by anything.
Care and grooming
The hard wiry coat needs weekly brushing and hand stripping two or three times a year. It should not be clipped. They shed very little.
The breed is generally healthy. Lens luxation and Legg Calve Perthes disease occur, and lens luxation has a DNA test. Twelve to fifteen years.
Living and exercise
An hour a day plus play and mental work. They are far more energetic than their size suggests.
A fence sunk into the ground. The breed is on the UK vulnerable native breeds list, so finding one takes some effort.
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