Lakeland Terrier
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Lakeland Terrier Dog Breed

Other names:
Lake Land Terrier

This hard-working little dog is the epitome of a "big dog in a small package". The Lakeland Terrier, or Lakie, is bold and confident. When not patroling the house and yard for vermin you can find him/her curled up on a lap, however, a bored, underexercised one may be unraveling your toilet paper or digging a hole to middle earth in your garden. Ideally, potential homes will have plenty of space, both indoors and out. Lakies are great for active owners and do well with well-behaved, gentle kids. They are friendly with strangers and other pets if socialized early. Members of this breed will require effort to groom but are considered hypoallergenic. The breed is exceptionally healthy-- most live 12-15 years with few health issues.

Lakeland Terrier Breed Details

This page is designed to give you the 101 on the Lakeland Terrier dog breed in a quick list of pros and cons. Lakies are rare in the United States and many other countries, in fact, many passerby on the street may mistakenly think you have a small Airedale or even a Wire Fox Terrier. The breed hails from the Lake District of northern England and has the thick, wiry weather-resistant coat to prove it. Although originally bred to hunt fox that plague herds of sheep, they can make great companions for outdoorsy individuals/families and excel in earth dog competitions and even therapy work! If you are considering the breed, its necessary to consider the following facts about Lakeland Terriers:

Pros
Good for owners with allergies
Great with polite children
Friendly with other dogs
Rids property of pests
Keeps themselves busy
Good travel buddy
Loves water
Very smart
Good alert dog
Intuitive and loving
Can excel as a therapy dog
Cons
Not good with small, non canine pets
Can be shy around strangers
Boredom leads to destructive behaviors
Moderate grooming required
Fenced yard is ideal
Training and housebreaking may be difficult
Experienced owner is best match
Type
Purebred
Lifespan
12 - 15 yrs.
Height
13 - 15 in.
Weight
15 - 18 lbs
Friendliness
OverallFamily FriendlyChild FriendlyPet FriendlyStranger Friendly
Maintenance
Easy to GroomEnergy LevelExercise NeedsHealthShedding Amount
Behavior
Barks / HowlsEasy to TrainGuard DogPlayfulnessWatch Dog
Ownership
Apartment DogCan be AloneGood for Busy OwnersGood for New OwnersIntelligence

Lakeland Terrier Breed Description

The Lakeland Terrier is a working dog and has been employed as such for the last few centuries. These dogs were bred to keep their owner's land free of foxes and other pests that may harm the flocks of sheep grazing there. The breed was accepted to the AKC in 1934 and is a member of the Terrier Group. The breed is not for the faint of heart so we recommend reading through the following Lakeland Terrier information before bringing a Lakie into your home.

Lakies are very smart and will always be a step (or five) ahead of you. They are natural problem solvers and will independently find themselves jobs to do. This could be a blessing if you have a lot of pests on your property or it can be a curse if they aren't given their due amount of attention and exercise. Lakies aren't very treat motivated so be ready to give them the praise they already know they deserve. Owners agree that Lakelands don't need much repetition to learn something new and will quickly lose interest if you don't move along to something new. One fascinating example is the similar story shared by many Lakie owners: their Lakeland was bitten by a fox and remembers from then on that every fox must be hunted down!

Members of the breed are friendly and confident around visitors and strangers if socialized from the time they are puppies, otherwise they may be shy or weary around newcomers. Likewise, they do well with other dogs if brought up with them. The typical "Terrier fire" may be a bit too much for cats to handle as they resemble the prey Lakies have been bred to hunt for hundreds of years.

Finally, Lakeland Terriers will ideally live with an active owner/family that has a spacious house and fenced yard. They can adapt to other areas but it will be difficult to give them the exercise and sense of purpose they need in a tiny apartment. Lakies love long walks, hikes, hide and seek type games and practically any body of water!

Lakeland Terrier Variations

The breed doesn't have any official variations. This is already a small breed, so breeder's offering Miniature Lakeland Terriers (or Toy) should be researched fully before purchasing a puppy. Sometimes the smallest dogs produced are bred to produce even smaller puppies that are usually prone to more health issues over their lifetime.

Lakeland Terriers are short haired for the most part. They do have longer hair on the face and backs of the legs, however, this can be trimmed to produce an all over short look, if desired; keep in mind the coat should be left natural if you hope to show your Lakie at competitions. The Lakeland Terrier is wire haired, naturally, with a rough outer coat so if you come across a smooth haired Lakeland Terrier it either is not a purebred or has had its outer coat trimmed or stripped away.

There is much discussion about difference between Nuttall, Middleton, etc. Lakeland Terrier lines. Many breeders claim there is a difference between how their line of Lakies performs and behaves vs another breeder's line. If this is important to you www.lakelandterrierclub.org.uk has a list of contact information for Lakie breeders in the UK-- same goes for www.akc.org in the US.

Lakeland Terrier Temperament

The Lakeland Terrier temperament is primarily confident, bold and hard-working so they need an owner who can match them. An active individual or family would be ideal, bonus if you have a fenced yard! Members of this breed are smart little problem solvers, as they were bred to protect flocks and exterminate vermin; they need jobs to do. If you don't have a large property or big fenced yard for them to patrol this will likely mean getting outside with them for an hour or two every day. Owners say they are intuitive and are very loving and comforting when need be-- some excel as therapy dogs!

The Lakeland Terrier is a smart dog that doesn't need a handful of treats and constant repetition to learn a command, however, rather they expect their efforts to be recognized. Praise them, them give them something else to do. If not given their due amount of exercise and attention they can be quite mischievous (a natural Terrier trait); excessive digging, barking and general mess-making may result.

Not all Lakeland Terrier characteristics and personality traits are challenging. They make great travel companions whether you're going a few miles in the car to a picnic or flying 2,000 miles for your family vacation. If socialized early they get along well with visitors and other pets. Children and Lakies make quite a fun pair if the child is taught how to properly handle a pet; they will be patient with a child's curiousity but as soon as it turns into rough pulling, hitting, etc. they won't tolerate it for long.

Living Requirements

Living with a Lakie is both rewarding and challenging. One good thing is that Lakeland Terriers are hypoallergenic. While no dog can truly be free or allergens, Lakelands' coats don't shed so they will drop less hair and dander than most other breeds. This also means they require medium effort to groom since the dead hair will need to periodically be removed by stripping or clippering. Many owners of wiry-coated Terriers take their pet to a professional groomer which will add to the costs of owning your Lakie.

Lakeland terrier puppies will need early socialization and obedience training. Some owners maintain they are a little difficult to housetrain. They need an hour or two outdoor playtime daily and potential owners will, ideally, have fenced yards. If your Lakie didn't grow up with other dogs or cats in the house, you may want to rethink introducing new pets. Likewise, if you plan on having frequent visitors and taking your Lakie to crowded places, early socialization is a must so they aren't shy and suspicious of new people.

Lakeland Terrier Health

The Lakeland Terrier breed has few common health concerns and none are well documented, and most will live 12-15 years. A few things you can do to ensure your Lakeland has the best possible chances for a long, healthy life are:

  • Check the ears weekly for dirt and debris to prevent infections.
  • Brush the teeth as often as possible-- start when they are puppies.
  • Continue to make yearly check up appointments with your veterinarian.

Related Pages

About this Article

Authored by:Dog-Learn
Updated:February 1, 2019
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