Border Terriers, Share your thoughts please

[pokesaladannie]

We live on a 50 acre farm with horses. Someone is usually home but we do go to competitions through the summer. We have a cattle dog that lives the good life, very much loved and well exercised as she is a velcro girl that keeps up with the biking, hiking, skiing and horse chores that are part of our life.

So, I have seen a few border terriers at horse shows and wondered what info you can share about this breed. They seem less “obnoxious” (said with love) than Jacks and other very busy, independent terriers. Are they easier, healthy dogs to live with? Some seem very leggy and others are low riders almost like a mini airedale. What’s that about? TIA.

[Highflyer1]

You might want to try posting in the Menagerie forum. I don’t think Border Terriers are super common in the US and I’ve never met one but they are cute. I think any dog breed can be a good farm dog with the right training.

[fledermaus]

I’ve never owned one (I’m a herding breed person) but they are on my short list if I ever ventured out of the herding breeds. Small but tough, natural appearance, not nearly as aggressive and high-energy as a Jack, intrepid and easy-care, no real health problems special to the breed, quiet and unassuming – for a terrier. They like to dig. I’m sure they are good ratters, like any terrier. They are reputedly one of the most trainable and obedient of the terrier group. Yes, they’re uncommon. The way to suss out those uncommon AKC breeds is through the AKC Border Terrier breed club. They can give you the contact info for breeders local to you.

I like this online source of info about breeds: https://www.yourpurebredpuppy.com/reviews/borderterriers.html

[pony_grandma]

I looked at the breed in the past but breeders told me they chase and run. I do keep an enclosed turnout yard but in general I need a dog that knows home base and hangs around.

[fledermaus]

@pony_grandma

I looked at the breed in the past but breeders told me they chase and run. I do keep an enclosed turnout yard but in general I need a dog that knows home base and hangs around.

A reason why I’ve stuck with herding breeds …

[Hightale]

I have Border Terriers and they are great farm dogs - if you train them (same with any dog!)
The two I’ve had are / were very different in personality.
The first was a grumpy bitey little barsteward who could sulk for days or be your cuddly best pal. Could go for days with boundless energy.
He was a rescue and we were his third home before he was a year old - he was THAT challenging
Great around the horses, brilliant at keeping rodent population down, bit of a wanderer but good recall.
Number 2 is a dream. Sweet friendly personality loves everyone and everything.
She is more careful around the horses, quickly sussed who she needs to stay clear of.
Again a wanderer, but super recall. Just the right amount of energy, comes out with me to do they hay run and muck picking. Hops on and off the quad at will.
She’s one of the best farm dogs I’ve ever had - the other are Rotties.

[Weezer]

When I read “50 acre farm”, my first thought is coyotes. Given the terrier’s independence and love for exploring, I would worry that the small dog would get scooped by a coyote.

[BWP]

Well I live in the Scottish Borders so, unsurprisingly there are hundreds of them around!

Tough, headstrong, independent little things in the main. Every other dog on the ‘missing dogs’ pages here is a BT.

[frugalannie]

I had a next door neighbor who bred them but I was a Labrador Retriever (field type) owner at the time and three big dogs were enough for me.

There was a breeder nearby and there were several BTs in horse homes who were great, well trained and stayed near their people when off leash. Good farm dogs

Later, when we switched to Cairn terriers, i happened upon a rescue Border through a very trusted source. That little female bonded to me so strongly that my DH couldn’t walk her if she as much as heard my voice elsewhere. She HAD to be with me. Sweet, active, played well with others. I still miss her.

[AskMyAccountant.17]

If you didn’t find one and did up going the Jack route I’ve now sold probably 4 other puppies from my breeder, Nodie WIlliams in Louisiana. She has rough coat and long-hair. Hers have the best temperaments, mine would sit with me all day.

[GraceLikeRain]

Strong willed and independent. At least in the US there are lines known for significant dog aggression. I’m in schnauzers but a respected breeder friend did both borders and schnauzers. She used to say that she never thought twice about letting her schnauzers go into runs as a group or hanging out unsupervised but she would never turn a back on two female borders. Her dogs were strong performance and conformation dogs but not overly friendly or trustworthy. I haven’t cared for the ones I’ve met from other breeders as well.

[Posting_Trot]

I own two Borders, one (older) male and the younger female. They are very much people dogs, and in my opinion, they’re not dogs that you’d want to just let out and not supervise them. They’re happy dogs, but they’re also busy-minded, and they love to hunt. If you’re not there to supervise them, they’re going to get into trouble. If you have coyotes, that could be an issue, but so could a porcupine, skunk, and you-name-it type of wild critter. They’ll also eat literally almost anything they come across that even remotely resembles food, and you really don’t want to have to clean up after that.

If they were raised around horses, they’d probably learn to respect them, but because of their size I’d be a bit wary. (I don’t take my dogs to my boarding barn because I’ve never liked it when other boarders brought their dogs).

In the house, they want to be around you, preferably in your lap.

I think they’re a dog for a real terrier person. They are not as driven (and neurotic) as the Jack Russells I’ve known, but they’re never going to be super laid back either, and they can be quite in your face/loud/barky around other dogs. I understand the aggression comment made by another poster above, but my experience has often been that there’s something about the way that terriers present themselves in the world that makes other dogs want to attack them. Prior to my Borders, I had two Wheatens, so I’ve had some experience with terriers and dealing with other people’s off-leash dogs.

They are great dogs, but not for everyone. I wouldn’t have any other breed.

[pokesaladannie]

Oops … sorry I didn’t have this in the correct place. Don’t have the skill set to put it where it belongs in “The Menagerie”. Interesting to read about aggression and wandering. My usual remedy of “A tired dog is a good dog” might curb wandering but I really don’t want a dog aggressive addition to my life. Nothing ruins your day like breaking up a dog fight.

[Mouse_amp_Bay]

Had a border terrier (conformation) breeder as a neighbour, none were dog aggressive. Tough independent little buggers, excellent ratters and true terrier type. That being said, great with horses (learned boundaries, stayed out of the way), not destructive from what I heard, great snuggle house dogs. My friends who have them love them.

Smart and people oriented, put the time into them and you will have a wonderful dog.

[Doodlebug1]

Also in the UK and agree! Roughly equal split between ‘we were walking off leash and bam! disappeared’ and ‘dog was in the (secured) garden and has decided to leave home’.

My family have owned borders and I think HighTales dog #2 has been our dominant experience until the dog feels that another dog is a threat. (That threat can absolutely all be in their head). One of ours pinned a full size, fit, working lab to the floor by the throat and would’ve killed it if people hadn’t heard just because it was in the stables as a legit guest and Border didn’t approve. Another badly damaged another terriers leg because it dared to come up to my dad. Both dogs were leashed, in a public place, but still damage was done. Both lived within the home pack of around 3-4 dogs with no issues.

Characteristically they are bred to be brave and fierce. Their role was to flush foxes that had gone to ground (as well as generic ratting). So they had to be brave enough to take on a fox and torment it enough that it decides going above ground to where it knows a pack of hounds is, is the preferred option. Ours have been excellent ratters.

Long legs is ‘correct’ as the breed, shorter legs are normally crossed with JRTs. Quite a wiry frame and narrow chest is also correct. Sometimes you see those bred as pets as being quite barrel chested and unlikely to fit anywhere near a fox hole

So, in summary, lovely, smart, intelligent, people cuddlebugs and if you’ve got the right farm set up and can absolutely control who comes near - OR - you can really commit to a lot of socialisation, not just as puppies but critically at around 2.5-3 years (both of the aforementioned were dreamy with other dogs and well socialised until suddenly they matured to adults and weren’t. Incidentally, they weren’t related so it wasn’t a genetic temperament trait from parents).

Someone described theirs as jumping on and off the quad bike at will, which made me smile absolutely! So quick, agile and coordinated and determined to be with their human - but equally able to hop down and independently explore something that interests them. Describes them to a tee! Add to that their selective deafness and that they’ll only come back to the quad once they hear the engine moving and know you mean it - at which point a streak of black will hurtle up and on and nestle against you as if you hadn’t spent the last 5 minutes calling them!

[Willesdon]

Much nicer people than Jack Russells, they enjoy their humans, enjoy cuddles, are strong and healthy though sometimes a bit delicate in the stomach, not yappy, intelligent with busy brains that can find trouble if not properly channeled. Generally good with stock. Trainable.Their wirey coats require stripping as clipping ruins it, but otherwise care is straightforward. Two worst points. 1) Some will hunt and, given their confirmation, they can run fast and for considerable distances. When hunting they do have very selective hearing. However, they are also bright enough to find their way back to their human, eventually. 2) Like every other terrier, they can sometimes be aggressive towards other dogs, even if they are well socialized. They can be fine for years and suddenly take another dog into dislike and go for it. Size generally means human intervention works.

I see far more Border Terriers than JR around my home town and most owners seem to like the breed very much.

ETA correct spelling

[ET_s_Home]

Proof that they can do anything: https://youtu.be/KIBrQS0vCiM?si=44vDMwGZeQH1IioR

[Posting_Trot]

The dog in that video is having the time of his life!

[Willesdon]

Just to enable ownership of a Border Terrier… meet Martha.

[Posting_Trot]

Okay, since we’re going there: a picture of Ruby and Perkins looking noble