Dandie Dinmont Terrier breed guide

Weighing no more than 24 pounds, Dandie Dinmont Terriers are alert, intelligent watchdogs with a big baritone bark, tough but dignified big dogs in a little body. They are rough-and-tumble with lots of energy but very adaptable and eager to please.

A patient, positive reward-based approach brings good results.

The Dandie Dinmont Terrier lives 12 to 15 years. No breed is completely disease free but the Dandie Dinmont Terrier comes closer than many, with lymphoma developing in a rare few.

Responsible breeders do genetic testing on breeding dogs.

The Dandie Dinmont does not shed, but the coat must be stripped of dead hair at least a couple of times a year, either by hand by the breeder or by the owner with a special stripping tool. Long hairs may be plucked daily from some areas.

A half hour or so of exercise twice a day, a brisk walk or a ball across the yard, suits it best. It should always be on a leash or in a securely fenced area, since even the best trained will dart away to chase perceived prey.

The terrier that became the Dandie Dinmont debuted in written history around 1700 as a rough native terrier owned by border hunters in the Cheviot Hills between England and Scotland, especially good at dispatching otter and badger.

Sir Walter Scott admired the breed and created a farmer named Dandie Dinmont in his 1815 novel Guy Mannering, a character who keeps a pack of pepper and mustard terriers.