Sealyham Terrier

The Sealyham Terrier is a rare Welsh terrier, small, low to the ground and mostly white, with a rough coat. It was developed as a working dog by Captain John Edwardes at Sealyham House in Pembrokeshire.

History

Edwardes developed the breed between 1850 and 1891 at Sealyham House, near Wolfscastle. The dogs were used to control pests and to hunt small game, badgers in particular. He kept no records, but the Welsh Corgi, the Wire Fox Terrier and the English White Terrier, now extinct, all went into the mix. He wanted a small white dog with a strong jaw and a wiry coat. White was prized because it let the hunter tell dog from quarry in the field.

After Edwardes died in 1891 other breeders took up the Sealyham, among them Fred Lewis, who promoted it. It was first shown in 1903. A breed club was formed in 1908, and The Kennel Club recognized the breed in 1911.

After the First World War the Sealyham became very fashionable in Britain and the United States. Humphrey Bogart, Bette Davis, Elizabeth Taylor, Cary Grant and Agatha Christie owned them. Alfred Hitchcock walks two of his own in a cameo at the start of The Birds.

Numbers have fallen far since then. In 2008 only 43 puppies were registered with The Kennel Club, an all-time low, and the magazine Country Life began a campaign to save the breed in 2011. The Kennel Club has put the decline down to the rise of designer dogs and newer breeds, and to the ban on tail docking, which made the dogs less useful for work.

Appearance

The Kennel Club standard sets the height at no more than 31 cm (12 in) at the withers, and the weight at 8 kg (18 lb) for females and 9 kg (20 lb) for males. The American Kennel Club standard gives about 10.5 in for height and 23 to 24 lb for males.

The coat is double: a dense undercoat under a wiry, weather-resistant outer coat. It is white. Markings on the face may be lemon, black, brown, blue or badger, a mix of brown and black. Heavy markings on the body are discouraged.

Temperament

Sealyhams suit town and country alike. They enjoy company but cope with being left alone. They can be strong-willed, boisterous and sometimes very vocal, and they are affectionate and full of character. They make loyal family dogs, and they can be trained to work as ratters. If taught as puppies, they can get along with other animals, cats and birds included.

Care and health

The coat needs regular brushing with a wire comb to stop it matting, and it sheds very little. Show dogs are stripped by hand so the coat does not go soft. Pets are often clipped.

A British study in 2024 found a life expectancy of 13.1 years. The breed is one of those more often affected by primary lens luxation, an inherited eye condition that can lead to glaucoma and blindness, and a DNA test for it is available. Degenerative myelopathy and atopic dermatitis are also recorded. With so few dogs, keeping up genetic diversity is a concern.

Facts on this page were checked against Wikipedia and may have changed since.