Please show me your Patterdale terriers

[Rainandclouds]

We are hopefully getting one of these next month, does anyone else have one? We already have a Jack Russell so are used to the terrier ways! If anyone had both, how do they compare? We also need a name for the little chap, he is a light brown / gingery colour

Why do you want a patterdale?

I have one, sorry I really wouldn’t recommend it. Patterdale are notoriously pains in the ass, and good tempered one quite frankly is an exception to the rule. Okay I’ll try and be positive 😂

Pros
Incredibly intelligent - mines an agility dog and he’s amazing at it
Adaptable energy wise - on to go on our walks but totally lazy and chilled round the house
Healthy and long lasting
Quirky terrier characters which you obviously like if you’ve got a JRT

Cons
When talking about my patterdale I often say he’s an amazing working dog but a terrible pet. Lots of patterdales are innately hard work - the majority end up reactive to other dogs for example, no matter how much socialising etc you do. Mine had lots of socialisation, exactly the same as my other dogs, but as he’s got older he’s becoming increasingly bad tempered with other dogs, particularly if they try to play with my other dog who he sees as ‘his’. I can’t let him off lead around other dogs now, and I strongly believe this is just his temperament. By all accounts, he’s quite a ‘good’ patterdale as he walks calmly around other dogs, wouldn’t go looking for a fight etc, many other patterdales can be much more reactive.

With patterdale, it’s absolutely a big part nature, as well as nurture. In the same way that collies innately herd, patterdales are little working dogs who have got a strong drive to finds small furrys and kill them. They’re often not hugely interested in strangers and mine guards my house intensely.

He’s super bright, highly trained but stubborn when he wants to do something he wants to do, so it’s really hard to get him to stop barking at the window for example. We wouldn’t ever be able to have a small furry pet as he’d kill it, I’ve no doubt.

I think patterdales are more ‘rough and ready’ than JRTs, they’re a lot of dog and not polished ‘pets’, those working traits are strong. If you’re after a family pet, I’d seriously think about doing some further research. The FB patterdale groups can be a good place to find honest information.

Don’t get me wrong - I love my boy. He’s curled up next to me right now, but he’s not a dog I can take to busy cafes, or let him off for a fun play in the park, or have other peoples kids around. And mines a good one - he’s had lots of training, socialisation, and care. On the FB groups they affectionallly call them twatterdales and that so sums them up 😂

Here’s a few pics of mine in his element 😂

Isn’t Patterdale a loose term for any smallish black terrier? They’re all different.

My last girl could fly at speed through a cat flap.. if it moved she wanted to kill it and had zero recall (rescued at 4) she was a lovebug in the house..but outside wanted to attack everyone and everything. Spent a fortune on secure fields....some were more secure than others..... survived launching herself at a minibus..it was moving we bought a new harness * . She loved on all children I the house and was the sweetest doggo inside but tbh I dredded every single walk with her...even just to the car.

@SkeletonSkins

He is gorge! What are all his rosettes for?

They’re incredibly intelligent and very wily. Consider child proofing any low cupboards, fridges etc. They need a lot of mental stimulation to keep them out of mischief.... mostly out anyway.

Be careful if walking offlead, they can lose their heads and all training if they see something running.

They’re wonderful, tricky, smart, loyal and loving. I’d have another in a heartbeat 💗

Everything @SkeletonSkins has written is what I've heard about them

I have a neurotic rescue Parsons JRT type there are a lot similarities although without quite the same the drive level to kill thankfully however we won't be getting kittens because of her she gets angst enough at the cat running around.

I always thought Cairn and Patterdales were the hardest work from all the terriers??

We would like one for running (Cani cross) and agility, will also be for ratting. Our JRT was great but is getting a bit old so not as quick on his feet anymore

I think my boy is a parsons JRT cross with French bulldog. All that fierce prey drive and hyper vigilance. Stubbornness, wilfulness- yes, I know exactly what you want me to do and I will, when I'm ready- and cussed neuroticism. I mean, I love him, I really do, but man he's hard work!

Ratting?
We had a dog who was a Jack x Patt, and would have cheerfully slaughtered any rodent that presented itself. Two of her brothers stayed on the farm where she was born, as ratting dogs.

Ours was a very nice dog, great with kids, no interest in other dogs, slaughtered any rodent she got near; one of the ratting brothers was, iirc, a bit iffy with people. Another brother was a locally infamous little shit: who has gone down in local lore..

Honestly, I think JRTs are lovely, but prone to being little shits, and Patterdales even more so. A JRT will have laid some useful groundwork for you.

[quote queenofthenorthwest]@SkeletonSkins

He is gorge! What are all his rosettes for?[/quote]
Agility! It’s his total passion, he lives for it. However I once had a judge say to me, as I arrived at the start line, ‘you should get first prize just for getting this far with a patterdale’!

OP if you want a dog for an agility/Cani cross, I’d consider another JRT, or maybe a border terrier. I’d be worried about how shitty most pats are with other dogs - not all, but most. I love mine to bits and he’s an amazing agility dog, but my god, never again.

This is our patterdale x , he’s lovely . Very high prey drive and not good with large dogs if he’s on a lead but aside from that he’s a brilliant family dog and I would definitely have another . He loves running around offlead and wallowing in puddles like a hippo . I do think the main problem with them tends to be that they are quite solitary and prefer to be only dogs .

We had a Patterdale who went for everyone he could get near. He lunged, snarled, barked and bit anybody or any dog he could. I have never had a dog remotely like him and would never get a Patterdale ever again. We have a JRT now and he is a pleasure.

@Floralnomad Awwww so cute

@XelaM he is . He absolutely loves people and is the most amiable dog I’ve ever had the pleasure of dealing with . We got him as a 4/5 month old stray from Battersea , he had evidently never been in a house and had been docked so it’s amazing that he’s so good natured really .

Has no one mentioned table walking?
We fostered one, he was far too smart for us, would not hurry to get another. We have a jrt now, she has her moments but is much easier to handle.

I have an approx 5 yr old rescue. She’s brilliant with people, children and other dogs. High prey drive- goes mad at pigeons, squirrels etc. She’s very very gentle with my children and loves football. Has very little recall unless one of us holding a ball. She has the run of the garden and we take her to a secured field to let her off the lead. Otherwise we just take her for a long walk each day. She’s pretty chilled and lazy in the house though. If you Google them, you’d probably never choose to have one 🤣She’s not in any way difficult. If you’re on Facebook, there are a few patterdale groups you can join.

This is our lovely Heinz 57 who's mum was a whippet x lab (!) and dad was a patterdale/ border terrier. The terrier is strong in this one.. He's 15 now and still has a really high prey drive, a rat was in next doors garden recently and then wandered into ours.. it lasted about 20 seconds. He never stops, is never have him off lead even at 15 as he would find anything small and furry and kill it instantly.

We have a full border who is a joy, far more biddable.

PS the dna test we had done on him said he was corgi, lab, border terrier and patterdale mix.. he's a weird one !

@Hovverry

Isn’t Patterdale a loose term for any smallish black terrier? They’re all different.

No, the patterdale is a breed in its own right - it's just not recognised in the UK.

But neither were Jack Russells until very recently.

I always thought Cairn and Patterdales were the hardest work from all the terriers??

Cairns? Are you sure?

Cairns are super easy, friendly little dogs. They do bark a bit but I wouldn't describe them as anything close to being difficult.

My Patterdale is the loveliest in the house, cuddly, clean, never steals (even chocolate left out on the coffee table) adores his fellow family dogs, sits on visitors’ knees, and is very chilled.

As soon as he leaves the house he changes. Every muscle tenses as he sniffs the air for a victim; cat, rabbit, mouse, rat, fox, badger and other dogs. Consequently he can rarely be off lead, as although his recall is good, he will only come back once he’s despatched his victim. He loves to go to ground, and this is his truly happy place where he makes happy little snuffly sounds as he digs away, obviously knowing this was what he was bred for.

Pretty much every Patterdale owner I meet says the same thing, one elderly lady Patterdale jumps onto the backs of big dogs and attempts to kill them from there, much like a lion. I have yet to meet an owner who says they’ll have another.

Mine was well socialised and I’ve had dogs all my life, but, despite loving him to bits, I’ll definitely not be tempted by a second one.

The problem with them is they are very much working terriers, designed for the harshest of conditions. Not only to dig out and bolt foxes, but be brave enough to kill them if bolting is not an option, and some to take on badgers as well. It takes a very tough, brave dog to do that, hence their issues when kept as pets.

@Molecule

The problem with them is they are very much working terriers, designed for the harshest of conditions. Not only to dig out and bolt foxes, but be brave enough to kill them if bolting is not an option, and some to take on badgers as well. It takes a very tough, brave dog to do that, hence their issues when kept as pets.

Yes, I'm inclined to agree with this.

When out on walks, I've never met a Patterdale that doesn't lunge, snarl and bark at other dogs, other people, cats et.

They're working dogs and are really not designed to be kept as pets, imo. If they are going to kept as such, they need specialist homes where people have the time, energy and knowledge to look after them properly.

And considering so many lunge, bark, snarl and snap when out and about, I would risk saying that not many of those homes exist at present.

Well mine is a joy and the only other one I know in person is a full patterdale and she is never allowed offlead as she is not good with other dogs but she doesn’t lunge / snarl etc on her lead . I think they are getting a pretty bad write up on this thread . Mine has excellent recall , yes he has a high prey drive but I’m selective where I let him off to keep him and the wildlife safe . Most are excellent with people and mine gets complimented on his behaviour wherever he goes - vet , groomer etc