Patterdale Terrier

The Patterdale Terrier is a small working terrier from the north of England, named after the village of Patterdale in the Lake District. It descends from the northern terriers of the early 18th century and is as much a type as a breed, the outcome of generations of working terriers native to Britain. It is known as a working dog, not a show dog.

History

The Patterdale’s roots are traced to crosses of the Old English Terrier, the original black terrier, with the Northumberland Pit Terrier, which is now extinct. Later, in the Lake District, Joe Bowman, master of the Ullswater hunt and an early Border Terrier breeder, bred from the best red fell terriers and local hunting terriers he could find. The dogs became widely known only after Cyril Breay, a schoolmaster and huntsman, refined them further using the best terriers in northern England. All Patterdales today are believed to descend from Breay’s dogs.

The type was shaped by the country it worked in. The northern hills are sheep land, and farmers there used terriers to control foxes, which they saw as a threat to lambs and small stock. Fox dens in the fells are among rocks, where digging down to a dog is seldom possible, so the terrier had to drive the fox out of a crevice or kill it where it lay. Using hard terriers on foxes in this way was made illegal in England and Wales by the Hunting Act 2004. Patterdales have also been used for badger baiting, which is illegal in the United Kingdom.

In the United States, Robert Burns founded the Patterdale Terrier Club of America in 1993 as the breed’s first registry. The United Kennel Club recognised the Patterdale on January 1, 1995. Neither The Kennel Club in Britain nor the American Kennel Club recognises it.

Appearance

The Patterdale is a tough, active, compact and well-balanced terrier. The American club’s standard gives a height of 25 to 38 cm (10 to 15 in) at the shoulder, with weight in proportion, so that the dog looks neither weedy nor heavy. Because it is a working terrier first, scars from work are not counted against it in the club’s shows.

The coat is coarse and comes in three types: smooth, which is very short all over; broken, with longer hair on the body but a smooth head and ears, perhaps with some whiskers; and rough, with longer hair everywhere, including the face and ears. The colors are black, red, chocolate, and black and tan. Red can run from tan to deep rust, and chocolate dogs have a brown nose. Some white on the chest and feet is acceptable.

Temperament

Patterdale puppies tend to be bold and confident beyond what they can actually handle. Like other terriers bred for demanding work, the adults have a great deal of energy and a strong urge to chase prey, and they can be difficult to socialize. They are kept as pets, but may be too energetic for a quiet household.

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