LAKELAND TERRIER Breed Standards
Once known as the Patterdale, Fell and Elterwater Terrier, the Lakeland Terrier originated in the Lake Region of northern England, and was originally bred to catch small vermin and control the fox population around farms. It is one of the oldest surviving working terrier breeds. Known to pursue prey deep into tunnels, it is said that in 1821 Lord Lonsdale’s Lakeland Terrier followed an otter 23 feet under rock; extensive blasting was required to retrieve it.
In 1912 the first club for the Patterdale Terrier was established in Cumberland County, England, though the outbreak of World War I prevented any further serious interest until 1921. It was then that the name Lakeland Terrier was chosen and the standard drawn up. American Kennel Club recognition came in 1934. Since then, the breed has had great success as a show dog and moderate success as a pet, and has appeared in print and on television as Nickelodeon Magazine’s Roving Reporter and Mascot.
SKILLS: The Lakeland Terrier was bred to hunt vermin in the rugged shale mountains of the Lake District of northern England. He is a small, workmanlike dog of square, sturdy build. His body is deep and relatively narrow, which allows him to squeeze into rocky dens. He has sufficient length of leg under him to cover rough ground easily. His neck is long, leading smoothly into high withers and a short topline ending in a high tail set. His attitude is gay, friendly, and self-confident, but not overly aggressive. He is alert and ready to go. His movement is lithe and graceful, with a straight-ahead, free stride of good length. His head is rectangular, jaws are powerful, and ears are V-shaped. A dense, wiry coat is finished off with longer furnishings on muzzle and legs.
SIZE: The ideal height of the mature dog is 14½ inches from the withers to the ground, with up to a one-half inch deviation either way permissible. Bitches may measure as much as one inch less than dogs. The weight of the well balanced, mature male in hard show condition averages approximately 17 pounds. Dogs of other heights will be proportionately more or less. The dog is squarely built, and bitches may be slightly longer than dogs. Balance and proportion are of primary importance. Short-legged, heavy-bodied dogs or overly refined, racy specimens are atypical and should be penalized. The dog should have sufficient bone and substance, so as to appear sturdy and workmanlike without any suggestion of coarseness.
COAT: Two-ply or double, the outer coat is hard and wiry in texture, the undercoat is close to the skin and soft and should never overpower the wiry outer coat. The Lakeland is hand stripped to show his outline. (Clipping is inappropriate for the show ring.) The appearance should be neat and workmanlike. The coat on the skull, ears, forechest, shoulders and behind the tail is trimmed short and smooth. The coat on the body is longer (about one-half to one inch) and may be slightly wavy or straight. The furnishings on the legs and foreface are plentiful as opposed to profuse and should be tidy. They are crisp in texture. The legs should appear cylindrical. The face is traditionally trimmed, with the hair left longer over the eyes to give the head a rectangular appearance from all angles, with the eyes covered from above. From the front, the eyes are quite apparent, giving the Lakeland his own unique mischievous expression.
Color - The Lakeland Terrier comes in a variety of colors, all of which are equally acceptable. Solid colors include blue, black, liver, red, and wheaten. In saddle marked dogs, the saddle covers the back of the neck, back, sides and up the tail. A saddle may be blue, black, liver, or varying shades of grizzle. The remainder of the dog (head, throat, shoulders, and legs) is a wheaten or golden tan. Grizzle is a blend of red or wheaten intermixed in varying proportions with black, blue or liver.
CARE REQUIRED: The Lakeland Terrier should have its coat plucked two or three times each year by pulling the old hair out by hand. Remove loose hair also from the ear passages and trim excess hair between the pads of the feet. The coat of show dogs will require more intensive grooming. This breed sheds little to no hair.
CHARACTER: The typical Lakeland Terrier is bold, gay and friendly, with a confident, cock-of-the-walk attitude. Shyness, especially shy-sharpness, in the mature specimen is to be heavily penalized. Conversely, the overly aggressive, argumentative dog is not typical and should be strongly discouraged.
EXERCISE: These dogs need to run and play off the leash at regular intervals in a safe area. They are certainly suitable for sports activities such as catch and agility skills.
SOCIAL BEHAVIOR: The Lakeland Terrier is good for apartment life. It is very active indoors and will do all right without a yard.
TRAINING: The Lakeland Terriers may be difficult to housebreak, but tend to learn quite easily otherwise. Make sure that the training is full of variety and offers the dog a challenge.
