Dandie Dinmont Terrier

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Dandie Dinmont Terrier

The "mustard" colour of the dandie can be any shade including and between reddish brown and fawn
Country of origin Scotland
Nicknames Dandie
Hindlee Terrier
Traits

Disambiguation: "Dandie Dinmont" is also a character in Guy Mannering, a novel by Walter Scott

A Dandie Dinmont Terrier is a small breed of dog in the terrier family. The breed has a very long body, short legs, and a distinctive "top-knot" of hair on the head.

Contents

[edit] Description

[edit] Appearance

Dandie Dinmonts are between 8 and 11 inches tall at the top of the shoulders and can weigh between 18 and 24 pounds. The dogs are sturdily built with strong bone structure and ample muscular strength. The color is either pepper or mustard. Pepper ranges from dark bluish black to a light silvery gray, the topknot is a silvery white. Mustard can range from a reddish brown to a pale fawn, with the topknot a creamy white.

[edit] Temperament

The Dandie Dinmont is affectionate and fun-loving. It makes a great companion dog. Lively, plucky, determined and willful. Independent and intelligent. Bold yet dignified. Reserved with strangers and protective of family and home. Good with all well-behaved children and babies as long as they are raised with them from puppyhood. Dominance level varies greatly. Some males can be aggressive with other male dogs in the household.

[edit] History

This short legged terrier was developed in the 17th century as an otter and badger specialist in the Cheviot and Teviotdale Hills in the border country of Scotland and England. The Dandie Dinmont Terrier is named after Dandie Dinmont, a jovial farmer in Sir Walter Scott's novel Guy Mannering. Scott also gave the names to the breed's colours, pepper and mustard, which were adopted from the names of Dandie Dinmont's dogs. The Dandie Dinmont Terrier is the only breed to be named after a character in fiction.

In the 1870s, exhibiting dogs became popular. The Kennel Club formed in 1873 and, just after this time, moves were made by Dandie enthusiasts to form a club. On November 17, 1875, at a meeting held at the Fleece Hotel in Selkirk on the Scottish Borders, the Dandie Dinmont Terrier Club was formed. It is one of the oldest pedigree breed clubs in the world.

The first task was to draw up a breed standard and Mr William Wardlaw Reed, a founder member of the DDTC. worked on this, smoothing out the many differences. The following year at the Red Lion Hotel, Carlisle, the standard was agreed and adopted.

The breed was first registered with the American Kennel Club (AKC) in 1888. The Dandie Dinmont Terrier was recognized by the United Kennel Club (UKC) in 1918.

Today the Dandie Dinmont is amongst the rarest and most endangered of all pure breeds/pedigree dogs. The UK Kennel Club list the Dandie as one of the UK's Vulnerable Native Dog Breeds and there is a very real chance of the breed becoming extinct.

[edit] References

[1] [2]

  1. ^ Dandie Dinmont Terrier History. Caledonian Dandie Dinmont Terrier Club. Retrieved on 2008-02-23.
  2. ^ Dandie Dinmont Terrier Breed Standard UK. UK Kennel Club. Retrieved on 2008-02-23.

[edit] External links

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Terriers by FCI section
Large and medium-sized Terriers
Small-sized Terriers
Bull type Terriers
Toy Terriers
Not categorized by FCI
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