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Patterdale Terrier Dog Breed Introduction
Patterdale Terrier is a small-sized working terrier that originated in Northern England. It is more of a type than breed since it is a product of culminating working terrier breeds indigenous to the United Kingdom. Patterdale Terriers may either have any of the three coat varieties; smooth, broken, or rough coat. All the three coats are coarse, dense, and double-layered. The coats are harsh to the touch and weatherproof.
The Patterdale Terriers are gaining recognition as companion dogs by being considerably tractable and more laid-back than some other working terrier breeds. However, due to their high-intensity work, these dogs may tend towards being too energetic for an inactive household life. Due to the high prey drive, Patterdale Terriers should not be trusted with small pets like gerbils, hamsters, or birds. These dogs make excellent pets for experienced owners who are looking for a high-energy companion.
If isolated or left alone for long periods, Patterdale Terriers may have behavior problems such as destructive chewing, digging, or excessive barking. This dog has a distinctive wedge-shaped head when viewed from the front. Patterdale Terriers are treasured for their tenacity and courage. They also have a small and flexible chest allowing them to squeeze through tight spaces to pursue quarry. The powerful jaws and teeth and the strong neck, helps this dog to hold the prey at bay.
Patterdale Terrier History
The Patterdale Terriers originated in the Lake Region of Northern England. The origin of this breed can be traced back to cross breeding of the now extinct Northumberland Pit Terrier and The Old English Terrier. Later on, Red Fell Terriers were used by Joe Bowman in an effort to refine the breed even further. Cyril Breay helped this breed to gain notability by refining it further using the best dogs of Northern England.
Poachers bred Patterdale Terriers across Northern England for hunting and dispatching the red fox. They were also used to protect livestock especially sheep from predators in hilly and rocky Lake District. These dogs made their way to the United States where they are used for hunting fox, nutria, groundhog, and raccoon. The United Kennel Club recognized Patterdale Terriers in January 1995, although the breed remains unrecognized by the American Kennel Club.
Patterdale Terrier Lifespan
The Patterdale Terriers have a lifespan of 12 to 15 years.
Patterdale Terrier Grooming
The Patterdale Terriers are low-maintenance breed regardless of the coat type. The smooth coat need a quick brushing every week using a rubber mitt or a hound glove to remove dirt and loose hair. The broken and rough coat require weekly brushing using a slicker brush. Pay special attention to longer hair on the ears, muzzle, and face to prevent matting especially for rough-coated Patterdale Terriers. Always spritz the coat first with a water conditioner solution or a detangling spray before brushing the coat.
The Patterdale Terriers are relatively clean dogs that need a bath every 2 to 3 months unless they roll in something stinky. While bathing your pet, use a dog shampoo and conditioner to bath and moisturize the coat. After a bath, remove the grooming products from the coat using lukewarm water to prevent skin irritation. Use a clean damp washcloth or unscented canine wipes to wipe the eye corners.
Trim the nails of Patterdale Terriers fortnightly using nail clippers or grinders to prevent overgrowth, splitting, and cracking. Brush the teeth of a Patterdale Terrier at least twice a week if not daily to remove tartar buildup. Clean the ears on a weekly basis using an ear cleanser solution and cotton balls to remove debris or wax buildup. Make a habit of checking the ears for signs of infection such as redness, odor, and a dark discharge.
Patterdale Terrier Shedding
The Patterdale Terriers shed all-year round at low to moderate levels. Although, the shed hair is more noticeable during Spring and Fall. The smooth-coated variety tends to shed more as compared to broken and rough-haired Patterdales.
Patterdale Terrier Coat | Coat Type
The Patterdale Terriers may either have a coarse and dense double coat that is either smooth, broken, or rough. The smooth coat has short and glossy hair. The broken coat is coarse with some longer whiskers on the chin and muzzle. The rough coat has longer hair overall including on the ears, muzzle, and face.
Patterdale Terrier Hypoallergenic
The Patterdale Terrier is not regarded hypoallergenic. It has a moulting coat that sheds at low to moderate levels all-year round. Shedding allows dander and fur to spread around the house triggering allergic reactions.
Patterdale Terrier Training
The Patterdale Terriers are confident, bold, energetic, and working dogs bred to hunt independently. Therefore, it may be a bit difficult to obedience train this breed. Patterdale Terriers need a firm, consistent, and gentle training, otherwise they will dominate the owners. Pack leadership helps parents to establish and identify themselves as pack leaders.
A working pecking order helps a Patterdale Terrier to achieve its full potential by understanding it is under the leadership of a trusted, respected, and loving leader who will make decisions for the well-being of the entire pack. Early training comes in handy. It helps the puppy to soak in all the desirable behaviors before it gets inclined towards bad behaviors. Use positive reinforcements method such as clicker training, playtime, petting, treat, toy, and verbal praise to aid in training.
Avoid use of harsh correction methods to correct bad habits through yelling, beating, shoving, or kicking the dog. Instead, ignore the pooch or use treats to encourage desirable behaviors. Keep the training sessions short, upbeat, and challenging for a span of 5 to 10 minutes distributed throughout the day. Raise a well-mannered and well-adjusted Patterdale Terrier through socialization training. This training starts from the age of 3 to 16 weeks.
To socialize Patterdale Terriers, expose them to a wide variety of people, animals, places, sight, surfaces, smell, situations, experiences, and sounds such as baby crying sounds, doorbells, lawn mowers, vacuum cleaners, sirens, washing machines, and whistles. Enrolling a Patterdale in a puppy class also serve as a form of socialization. Start teaching basic command words like come, sit, stay, lie down, heel, and drop it one at a time to avoid overwhelming the dog. Effectively housebreak Patterdale Terriers by creating a feeding schedule, crate training, and potty training.
Patterdale Terrier Hunting
The Patterdale Terriers are working dogs that were bred to hunt independently. They were bred for hunting and dispatching red fox. This breed make excellent hunters due to the flexible and small chests that allow the dogs to squeeze through tight places to pursue a vermin from a quarry. Patterdale Terriers also have strong necks, powerful teeth and jaws that help them to hold the game at bay. This breed not only excel in hunting but also in terrier racing and dog agility.
Patterdale Terrier Temperament | Personality | Traits
- Confident.
- Energetic.
- Bold.
- Gentle.
- Affectionate.
- Sensitive.
- Intelligent.
- Loving.
- Eager to please.
- Independent.
- Active.
- Determined.
- Alert.
- Playful.
Patterdale Terrier Exercise
The Patterdale Terriers are active and energetic dogs that need daily exercise in form of long walks and playing fetch. Due to the high prey drive, Patterdales should play in a safely secured yard and go for walks on a leash. This breed will also make an excellent jogging, hiking, hunting, and biking companion.
Patterdale Terrier Barking
This is a less vocal breed. However, it will tend to bark due to its hunting nature hence making an excellent watchdog.
Patterdale Terrier Height
The Patterdale Terriers have a height of 10 to 15 inches ( approx. 25 to 38 cm ).
Patterdale Terrier Weight
The Patterdale Terriers have a weight of 12 to 20 pounds ( approx. 5.4 to 9.07 kg ).
Patterdale Terrier Size
This is a small-sized working terrier that has a weight of 12 to 20 pounds ( approx. 5.4 to 9.07 kg ) and a height of 10 to 15 inches ( approx. 25 to 38 cm ).
Patterdale Terrier Behaviour Problems
The Patterdale Terriers are prone to destructive behaviours such as destructive chewing, digging, and excessive barking if they are isolated or left alone for a long time.
Patterdale Terrier Bite Force
Reportedly, Patterdale Terriers have a bite force of 100 to 200 PSI.
Patterdale Terrier Health Problems
The Patterdale Terriers are healthy and robust dogs. Although, they may suffer from certain health problems such as hip dysplasia, dry skin, hypothyroidism, lens luxation, and Inverterbral Disc Disease.
Apart from Patterdale Terrier, other dog breeds include:
Patterdale Terrier Food | Dog Food
The amount of food that Patterdale Terriers feed on depend on their activity level, age, metabolism, size, and body build. Patterdale puppies tend to have a high metabolism rate as compared to adults and senior dogs. Therefore, a pup needs to feed 3 or 4 times a day from when it starts weaning until the age of 6 months. From the age of 6 months, Patterdale Terriers should feed on two meals a day for the rest of their lives with snacks and treats in between. However, Patterdale owners should watch out for calorie consumption and weight level to avoid overfeeding their pets.
Patterdale Terriers may feed on dry food, wet food, home made, or a raw diet depending on the budget and time of the pet parent. Regardless of the food type, the owner should ensure that the dog feeds on a balanced diet. This allows it to maintain a good health eventually allowing it to develop cognitively and physically. If the Patterdale parent decides to feed the dog the commercial dry or wet food, he or she should ensure the first three ingredients are proteins from a known source.
The commercial dog food should never contain preservatives, chemicals, additives, Meat by-products, generic meat products, and fillers. The same goes to the snacks. Feed a Patterdale with food for small-sized puppies, adults, and senior depending on its age. Make a habit of regularly checking the physique of your fur baby to know whether it is overweight or underweight.
If you can easily spot the ribs, chances are the dog is underweight. Although, if the ribs are not visible but you can feel them without pressing hard, the Patterdale has an ideal weight. If you cannot feel the ribs, the pet is obese. After getting a puppy from a breeder, the owner is likely to switch to another quality food. They should gradually do this over a period of one month by mixing both old food and new food. As the weeks progresses, the amount of old food reduces as the new food increases until the Patterdale Terrier is only feeding on new food during the fourth week.
Patterdale Terrier Long Hair
The Patterdale Terriers may either have a smooth ( short hair), broken, or rough (long hair ) coat. A broken coat has longer whiskers on the nuzzle and chin. The rough coat has longer hair overall especially on the muzzle, ears, and face. Both short-haired and long-haired Patterdale Terriers have a dense and coarse double coat.
Patterdale Terrier Black | Colors
The Patterdale Terriers may have a bronze, black, liver, red, black and tan, or liver and tan coat colors. Occasionally, some may have a brindle coat color but never fully white. any other colors or large patches of white away from the chest suggest cross breeding particularly with Jack Russell Terrier.
What Is A Patterdale Terrier
This is a small-sized working terrier that was developed in Northern England in the early 18th century.
Are Patterdale Terriers Aggressive
No. Patterdale Terriers are not naturally aggressive dogs. Although, they need extensive socialization to ensure they get along well with other dogs especially large-sized dogs due to the small dog syndrome.
Patterdale Terriers Quick Facts
- They were recognized by United Kennel Club in the United States in January 1995. AKC is yet to recognize the breed.
- The Patterdale Terriers are energetic and active dogs that need experienced owners.
- This breed has a high prey drive. It should go for walks on a leash or in a secured area.
