Lakeland Terrier

The Lakeland Terrier is the fell terrier of Cumbria — bred to follow a fox into rock and see the job through underground.

History

It comes from the Lake District, where hill farmers kept terriers to kill the foxes that took their lambs, working alongside hounds on foot rather than horseback. The job required a dog narrow enough to enter a rock borran and hard enough to stay there, and the breed was selected for exactly that long before it was standardised in the 1920s.

Temperament

The breed is known for being bold, self-assured and cheerful, affectionate with its own household and entirely convinced of itself. It is a working terrier with all that implies about other small animals.

Care and training

It needs regular exercise and a secure garden, since it digs. The harsh coat needs hand-stripping and sheds very little. Training benefits from patience and variety.

Health

Generally robust and long-lived, with lens luxation and Legg-Calvé-Perthes disease among the known tendencies. These are patterns for the breed rather than a forecast for one dog; the measured facts are in the panel.