Lakeland Terrier
Description:
The Lakeland terrier is a robust and square looking dog. This dog was actually created to hunt down pests. It has a very narrow and longish body that allows it to work its way into rocky burrows; it has straight and parallel legs which are long enough to allow it to move around efficiently; its head is rectangular, is flat on the top and is moderately wide, and its cheeks are smooth and soft. It has a hard work coat that serves as cover and protection and which is rough to the touch. This dog has an abundant and big beard that decorates its face but it should be groomed and taken care of by a professional. The Lakeland terrier is a small dog whose height is around thirty-six centimeters, or around two and a half centimeters less in the case of the females; its ideal weight is around eight and a half kilograms. Its eyes are somewhat small, oval shaped, well separate and aligned with each other; it has a very strong looking muzzle, its ears are small and are shaped like a v; the forehead should not look too long or too short, the nose should be black, not pink or spotted. Despite its small size it has a very long strong looking and at the same time refined neck. Its body is also strong looking and flexible. The top line of its back is short and straight; its shoulders should look well angled. The colors of this dog vary from black, black and blue, blue and fire, grey and black, liver color, red and golden, etc.
Ideal owner:
The Lakeland terrier is not the most known terrier as far as popularity is concerned, however it is a very confident dog that loves having fun, and is incredibly funny and playful with children. It has an ideal size, not too small so that you could accidentally step on it, and not too big to have in a small house or apartment. As all terriers, it is quite the character and for this reason, it requires a firm hand and the adequate type of training.
Growth:
The Lakeland terrier does not usually have large size litters, and this causes the puppies size to vary. At three months of age the weight of a puppy should be around three and four kilograms, although the males are always a little bigger. The tail of this dog is docked at a young age, however it will be necessary to find out the laws of the country you live in concerning docking and nipping animals. Some puppies are born with short tails as it is. Most Lakeland terriers are born black with fire colored spots, with the exception of the red one that is born with this color all around its body. In the case of the black ones, the spots on their body will not be evident until they are around two weeks old and might not finish defining themselves until the puppy is around two years old in some cases. Some also have white spots on them but try to avoid too many of them. The spots they have on their tummy and paws usually disappear completely. Adolescence is marked with the coat becoming harder which is the transition of the puppy terrier coat to the adult terrier coat. During this time it will be necessary for the owner to brush and groom the dog's coat to help get rid of the dead hair and allow the new coat to come in with no problems. Lakeland terriers can be quite temperamental and discipline might be needed in some occasions, the owner will need to know how to keep its dog vivacious but obedient and sociable at the same time.
General health:
Just like other breeds that have been bred for a long time due to their functionality and not necessarily because of their beauty, the Lakeland terrier is a very healthy dog and is quite resistant to diseases and has very few hereditary problems. Cryptorchidism and inferior prognathism are also amongst some of the biggest worries in this breed, however Legg Perthes and Von Willebrand are the most serious. Although the Lakeland terrier breed has not been bred in excess, its limited base of breeding has allowed breeders to take all lot of precaution and have kept its lineage within the correct limits. This dog can live up to the age of fifteen years, which proves that it is a very healthy and strong dog. The care its coat requires consists in stripping its coat, although this is not as important if the owner only wants to use the dog as a companion dog. Make sure to clean its ears regularly, as well as keep its teeth in check, specifically in those that do not have the right mouth closure; these will also need to get regular check ups to keep the teeth in the right conditions.
