Other names:
- Rothbury Terrier
- Gypsy Dog
Country/Date of origin:
- England
- 19th century
Height:
- 15 to 17 inches
Weight:
- 17 to 23 pounds
Personality:
- Softer and more gentle than other terriers.
- Intelligent but can be stubborn.
History:
The origin of the breed is a mystery, but it came to popularity in the mining town of Northumberland, England. Miners brought it underground to clear the tunnels of rats. Used as a poacher’s dog by gypsies who admired its speed and gameness. Probably the result of crosses between Whippets and Dandie Dinmont Terriers. Refined in the 1870′s to its present form.
Body Type:
- Bedlingtons are a dog of curves and arches.
- General appearance is of a racy whippet-like body with a terrier’s coat.
- Head and body are unusually narrow.
- Dewclaws are removed.
- Hanging ears are clipped smooth, except for small silky tassels at the tip. They are never altered.
- Tail, which is held low, forms a scimitar curve and is not altered.
Coat:
- An unusual mixture of hard and soft hairs. The feel is described as linty and is crisp but not wiry.
- The coat tends to curl, and show-dog coats are trimmed to one-inch in length with longer topknot and ear tassels.
- Profuse topknot is lighter than the color of the body coat.
- Lamblike appearance requires expert grooming.
- Allowed colors are blue, sandy, or liver often combined with tan.
Health and Wellness:
- Copper hepatopathy.
- Tear duct abnormalities.
- Eye problems.
What you should know:
- A black puppy will turn into a blue adult, and a chocolate-brown puppy will become sandy or liver. Transformation takes a full year.
- Nonshedding and nonallergenic.
- An excellent watch dog, but a hopeless guard dog.
- Likes to run.
