Dandie Dinmont Terrier Breed Origins and Caracteristics
The Dandie Dinmont Terrier is a relatively old breed that was born in the border between Scotland and England. Its origin is not clear. We suppose it is the result of a cross between the otterhound, beagle and a hard-haired terrier. But the breed existed in 1700. In general the canine breed received the name of their place of birth or the breeder who contributed the most to its creation. But the Dandie Dinmont Terrier owes its name to literature. In 1814 the novel Guy Mammering of Walter Scott appears telling the destiny of a farmer and breeder Dandie Dinmont and this book described the pack of his terriers that belonged to this fun breed and which virtues were narrated in the novel.
The Dandie Dinmont terrier is educated, brave, it has powerful jaws and its barking is loud which allows it to do its job underground. One of its characteristics is the line of the back, slightly tilted forward, so that the rear legs are a bit longer than the front legs.
The Dandie Dinmont terrier is an affectionate, loyal, mischievous dog, it has a fun appearance. It is a marvelous companion and at the same time it is an excellent auxiliary dog that is capable of many instinctive qualities and besides it does not require special care. It should be combed and groomed every day though. It is indispensable to cut its hair regularly and progressively
Size: 20-28 cm. Weight: 6-11 kg. Colors: pepper and salt (1) or mustard. The pepper and salt can have some patches that go from dark bluish gray to light silver gray. The head (the piece of hair) must be cream, as light as possible; the legs and feet are a little bit darker than the head but lighter than the rest of the body.
The intermediate tones are always preferred (mixed colors). The upper part of the tail is covered with hard hair which is darker than the lower part, which has to be darker than the body. At the end of the tail, the hair gets progressively shorter. The standard of the breed indicates that tail must be curved as a scimitar.
The hair has 5 cm long and it is made of mixture of hard and soft hair. The ears have bangs that can measure up to 10 cm that generally appears when they are puppies (3).
