Tell me everything there is to know about Border Terriers!

[TheCunnyFunt]

We are going to meet one at a rescue on Saturday, he's 3 years old and described as a giddy kipper, who is very happy and loves everyone.

At home there is myself (SAHM), DH who works full time, DD who is 4 and is at school full time and our greyhound who sleeps full time :o

I've researched BT's but that can only get you so far, I figured MN would be a good place to hear some real life experience! My friend has a BT x Patterdale who we see fairly often so I have a bit of experience with them but I'd like to hear others views.

I'm so excited, there's been a lot of interest in him so we'll be very lucky if we get to adopt him :)

[Dieu]

Aww, good luck! He sounds lovely and I hope it works out. They seem to be super popular where I live. Must admit that I've yet to meet one that's friendly towards my puppy or I, but that could just be bad luck!

[TheCunnyFunt]

Thank you :) It says he's great with other dogs so hopefully that won't be a problem. However I'm used to having an unfriendly dog, my hound is fussy where his canine friends are concerned :o

[parrotonmyshoulder]

Ours was certainly giddy. Lived till she was 19. Never learned a reliable recall in her long life! Also awful on the lead. But adorable, sweet and friendly, very cuddly.

We introduced a kitten when the BT was about 10. They slept in a basket together for the next 9 years.

She was my childhood pet. If I had her again, I think she'd be trainable. Mum didn't really have time to do it properly, I suppose. I remember being the only pair in the dog training class to fail when I was about 11!

[BertrandRussell]

Ours is just gorgeous. She is a bit silly - giddy kipper is a fantastic description (my mil's name for my DS!) but sooooooo loving and cuddly. They are very hard to train- ours has good recall but that's just about it. As someone once said "She's not very well trained- but very well brought up" Which is a sort of compliment! She is fine with cats she knows. Not very good with other dogs- but is submissive and pathetic usually, rather than aggressive.

Warning- they have to be hand stripped every 6 months or so, which take ages and costs a fortune.

[TheCunnyFunt]

Is hand stripping easy to do yourself or is it best to let the professionals do it?

[parrotonmyshoulder]

A professional job. For sure. Unless you get trained yourself.

But you might find a few hours apart every six months is a welcome respite!

[Wolfiefan]

My DM handstrips her dog
I have to say her Border is not dog friendly and recall is .. (Well she stays on the extending lead!)
She is lovely with people but a bit highly strung for me.

[Archer26]

I have a 4 year old border, giddy kipper is a great description!

He is a brilliant house dog as are a lot of border terriers it's seems . He loves nothing more than cuddles on our lap and is very affectionate with our baby DS.

However he is a nightmare with other male dogs. A few other posters seem to have said the same. He was attacked by two boy dogs when he was a puppy though so I think it scarred him. Great with girl dogs, a right flirt. He has terrible recall too so we very rarely let him off the lead but luckily he has free rein of our garden.

We get him hand stripped 2-3 times a year by a local lady. I have attempted it myself but as I was learning it took so long and I got cramp!

He is intelligent and full of character. Brilliant brilliant house pet. Just wish we could cure him of his boy dog fear.

[Archer26]

Sorry, forgot to say stripping costs us £30. You can have them clippered instead of stripped but their coat then loses its top protective layer and becomes much softer and less hardy. It's a personal choice though.

Ooh I'm so excited for you. This thread has just started a convo with my DH about maybe getting a girl bt.

[DartmoorDoughnut]

We have a 4 year old BT, he's a cuddle monster and will climb up you for them bless him. He's a chopsy fucker but that's it, he's been attacked by black labs just out of the blue and since then he decides to shout at other dogs to try and scare them off, that's the sum of his aggression though, he got beaten up by a 10yr old cocker spaniel the other month poor sod! We get him clipped, we're not showing him and he hates being stripped, half the time and half the cost! Put a coat on him when he's just been done and it's miserable weather though. He walks to heel better than my collie but goes deaf for fox poo lives happily with the collie and the cat and the baby

[Snoopysimaginaryfriend]

Our border is only 16 weeks so we're still getting know him. He's very eager to please and knows sit, lie down, roll over, paw and we are working on stay. He loves absolutely everyone and everything and can't understand why people going to work don't have the time to stop and play with him. He loves being cuddled and both him and one of our cats will climb on top of me every evening for a snooze. He needs to get better on the lead, which is difficult because he wants to say hello to everyone and he absolutely adores other dogs, even the bulldog who sat on him last week

[DorynownotFloundering]

Love a border! Hope you get him!

[TheCunnyFunt]

This is him, isn't he absolutely scrumptious?

[TheMightyMing]

Here's my boys x 2 -feisty and naughty - but we love them more than the world. Do it do it do it xxx

[TheMightyMing]

Archer- if your dog is castrated then it is perfectly normal for them to them to be scared of/ aggressive with non castrated male dogs. Our dog walking group does not permit entire males for this reason.

[TiggeryBear]

My in laws have a Border, he's delightful! As a previous poster has said "not very well trained, but well brought up" his recall is appalling & he's not allowed of his extending lead now! (Unless in the enclosed garden) But he knows sit, lie down, paw, although he now struggles with lie down as he's developing arthritis, he's about 10 years old now. He's rather dim, but so friendly. He gets on well with most dogs & loves people & getting fussed. He's become a right lap dog of late, wants to be cuddled in the evenings & will do anything to squidge himself on to the sofa beside you.

[BertrandRussell]

This is how ours prefers to sleep......

[Godstopper]

We have 4 yr old Scrabble (female).

Loves all people, but not insanely jumpy (like our Staffy). Unpredictable with other dogs, so we don't allow her off-lead. Has super-confident exterior, but is actually quite a nervous dog, and that has led to fear aggression. That said, her size is an advantage as I rarely get looks, and it's very manageable.

Excellent in the house. Snoozes between walks. Has mad bursts of energy in the evening - that's playtime.

Recall - 99% in all situations. However, I should stress it took about a year for that to happen, and it's not a natural thing for them to return rather than go off causing trouble! Lots of walks were just about getting the recall right.

She got up to doing advanced obedience, but we removed her after the dog issues. Very trainable, but suspect it takes a bit more work than many dogs as they are not the most biddable breed.

Wouldn't change anything. She falls asleep on the end of our bed everyday, and always makes us smile :)

[BertrandRussell]

Mabel has never in her whole life sat like that! Scrabble is a good name- ours was rejected as a hospital visiting dog because of the scrabbling..

[TheCunnyFunt]

Well we've been to visit him, unfortunately he's far too bouncy and barky for us, DD and our current dog hated him, they were hiding behind me the whole time!

Anyway, they put that dog away and then brought out a lovely little BT girl who is the polar opposite of the other one, she was quiet, calm and very sweet. So we're hopefully going to go for her instead :)

[DartmoorDoughnut]

The right dog is out there for everyone, glad you may have found the right match for your family fingers crossed!

[InkleWinkle]

Is it a Border rescue you were at? We would like a border but I would like to look into a rescue one rather than getting a puppy.

[DartmoorDoughnut]

Border terrier welfare are the only one I know of www.facebook.com/BorderTerrierWelfareUk/

[TheCunnyFunt]

No, not a Border specific one, just a local one that also runs the boarding kennels where I send my dog on holiday. They just happen to have two BT's in!

[TheMightyMing]

Aw don't , I love my two BT more than life and can't bear to think of them being unwanted :( good luck with your little girl xx