Dandie Dinmont Terrier

Description
          The Dandie Dinmont Terrier is a low to the ground, longer than he is tall, little dog. The large head has a topknot that is in proportion to the body. The skull is broad between the ears, gradually tapering to the eyes. The muzzle is deep, with a well defined stop. The large teeth meet in a scissors bite. The moderately, large nose and the lips are dark in color. The large, round, wide-set eyes come in dark hazel with dark eye rims. The 3 to 4 inch (7-10 cm.) ears are pendant, set low and wide, hanging close to the cheeks.
          The legs are short with the back legs being a little longer than the front legs. The "scimitar" tail looks like a curved sword and is about 8 to 10 inches (20-25 cm.) long, thicker for about 4 inches then tapering to a point. Dewclaws may be removed when puppies are three or four days old.. The coat is about 2 inches (5 cm.) long with with a mix of soft and hard hairs. Hair on the underside is softer in texture and the head is covered with an even softer, silky topknot.
          Coat colors come in pepper (dark bluish black to a light silvery gray) or mustard (reddish brown to a pale fawn). Mustard puppies are born with a dark brown coat which lightens into varying shades of red when it reaches an adult. Pepper puppies are born black and tan, that silvers later in life. Pepper coats have a silver topknot and mustard color coats have a cream colored topknot.

Height:  8-11 inches (20-28 cm.)
Weight:  18-24 pounds (8-11 kg.)
Life Expectancy: About 12-15 years.




Temperament
          The Dandie Dinmont makes a great companion dog, affectionate and happy-go-lucky. Lively, bold, brave, independent and intelligent. Because of this terrier's hunting instincts, it should not be trusted with non-canine pets, such as hamsters, rabbits, pet mice and guinea pigs. It will be okay with cats that it is raised with from puppyhood. They are not difficult to train, if you are firm and consistent. Makes a good watch dog, but needs to be told, after getting your attention with the first warning bark, it is time to be quiet and let you handle the rest.
          Because of this breeds small size, a lot of Dandie Dinmont Terriers develop small dog syndrome, human induced behaviors, where the dog believes he is king of the home. Led to believe they own the humans and everything else around them, and do their best to keep and defend what they own. This causes many varying degrees of behavior issues, including, but not limited to stubbornness, determined, willful, guarding, separation anxiety, hard to obedience train, reserve with strangers, snapping, biting, dog-aggressiveness, and obsessive barking, as the dog tries to keep his humans and everyone else around him in line. 
          These are not Dandie Dinmont traits, but behaviors brought on by the lack of a firm consistent pack leader, who provides, rules, and limits to what they are and are not allowed to do, along with the lack of a daily pack walk. As soon as the humans take the control away from the dog, and the dog's instincts are met, the negative behaviors will begin to subside and the Dandie Dinmont will be a wonderful, trustworthy, family companion.  

Living Conditions: The Dandie Dinmont Terrier is good for apartment life. They are fairly active indoors and a small yard will do as long as you take them for daily walks. Likes to chase, be careful when taking them off the leash. 





Exercise
          Training must be strong and demanding so the Dandie Dinmont Terrier learns early-on (starting about 5 weeks old) that he is not going to be the boss. As long as this dog understands he is not the pack leader, all will be fine. Once a dog, any dog, gets the notion he is the alpha in the group, you’ve got problems ranging from separation anxiety to food bowl aggression. This is not the Dandie’s nature, but it will happen if his training is not done right. Be firm but calm and nice about it. Use clicker training and the positive reinforcement the is the best way to get your training across to a difficult dog. The process is very simple and effective.

note: This is a fairly easy breed to train and they can learn agility as well as obedience and manners with the clicker.

Grooming

          The Dandie Dinmont needs to be brushed regularly. They should have professional grooming. Dead hair should be plucked out once or twice a year. Show dogs require much more grooming. This breed sheds little to no hair.

Group: Terrier, AKC Terrier

Recognition: CKC, FCI, AKC, UKC, KCGB, CKC, ANKC, NKC, NZKC, CET, APRI, ACR, DRA, NAPR

Health Problems

          Due to the breed's elongated body, there can be back issues within the breed specifically with intervertebral discs in the dog's backs. These discs can sometimes "slip" resulting in spinal disc herniation. Any symptoms relating to this can depend entirely on what part of the dog's back is affected, and can range to paralysis with loss of bladder and bowel control in the worst cases.

           Following work by the breed clubs to ensure that any reoccurring health issues are dealt with, there are no especially common conditions affecting the Dandie Dinmont Terrier. However, minor issues affecting the breed can include hypotiroidsm, primary closed angle glaucoma and cushing's syndrome. In order to combat glaucoma in the breed, the breed clubs recommend that Dandies should have a procedure called a goniouscopy conducted on them at regular intervals throughout their lives. The Dandie is also at slightly higher risk of canine cancer than average. The average life expectancy of a Dandie Dinmont Terrier is 11–13 years.

Energy level: Medium energy

Exercise needs: Medium
Playfullness: Moderately playful
Affection level: Moderately affectionate
Friendliness toward other dogs: Friendly
Friendliness toward other pets: Friendly
Friendliness toward strangers:Shy


Origin
          The Dandie Dinmont is an old terrier dating back to the 1700s originating from the border area between England and Scotland. The breed may have been developed from the skye terrier and the now extinct Scotch Terrier (not to be confused with today's Scottish Terrier). 
          The breed was popular among the gypsies and was used by farmers to kill vermin. With its short legs it was able to go to ground hunting badgers and otter. In 1814 Sir Walter Scott wrote about the breed in is famous novel "Guy Mannering". In the book there was a character named Dandie Dinmont, and that is where the breed got it's name. It was recognized by the AKC in 1886. Some of the Dandie Dinmont's talents are vermin catcher, hunting rabbit, otter, badger, martens, weasels, and skunks.

Ease of training: Easy to train

Watchdog ability: High

Protection ability: Not very protective

Grooming needs: Moderate maintenance

Cold tolerance: Medium tolerance

Heat tolerance: Medium tolerance

Note

          The wrong food can cause chronic health problems all through your dog's life. Itching, hot spots, dry hair, oily hair, excessive shedding, ear infections, loose stools, gassiness that can clear a room... you might never think to connect these health issues with feeding the wrong food.

          The wrong vaccinations can make your dog terribly sick and too many vaccinations can weaken your dog's immune system, which leaves him more vulnerable to illness.

          The wrong flea products can be toxic – yes, even "natural" flea products.

Neutering and spaying at the wrong age can result in bladder control issues (incontinence) later in life.

          The wrong chew toys cause vomiting, diarrhea, choking, intestinal blockages, even death.

          Taking your dog to the wrong vet means an unhappy lifetime of drugs, chemicals, and medications, with their high costs and all of their side effects.

 

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