Lakeland Terrier Profile

overview

Created to be a practical working terrier, the Lakeland hails from England's beautiful but rugged and mountainous Lake District, where his job was to hunt and kill the foxes that plagued farmers. He's small, square, and sturdy, with a deep, relatively narrow body that allows him to squeeze into rocky dens after his prey.

Lakies, as these lively, feisty little dogs are nicknamed, are affectionate, friendly, and self-confident. They're characterized by a rectangular head, an intense and sometimes impish expression, v-shaped ears that fold over, and a docked tail carried up. They have a double coat: a thick, hard topcoat to protect them from thorns and a dense undercoat to keep them warm in the hail, sleet, snow, and rain of their home region. Alert and ready to go, Lakies often look as if they're standing on their tiptoes.

The Lakeland is cheerful and energetic, but like any self-respecting terrier, he can be willful and determined. Nonetheless, his people are enchanted by his charm, intelligence, and sense of humor. Lakies have a lot of courage and confidence. They generally get along well with children and other dogs, but are reserved with strangers. Being terriers, they are prone to chasing small animals, so it's advisable to socialize them with cats and other small animals from an early age.

Like many terriers, Lakelands can be difficult to housetrain, and they have their own thoughts about what constitutes proper behavior, which may not be the same as yours. Also, some like to dig, bark quite a lot, and guard their toys and food. Therefore, they need to have firm, patient training from an early age. They are intelligent dogs, so be sure that your training has lots of variety to keep them challenged. Also, you must be fair in your training techniques. All terriers have a sense of fairness and are willing to be corrected when it is merited. But if the correction is harsh or undeserved, they are likely to growl and rebel.

Using proper training techniques, you'll find that your Lakeland is quick to learn. Because he has a great deal of energy, you might want to consider training him for obedience or agility.

Lakies are small dogs, so it would seem that they would be good for apartment dwellers. Unfortunately, their propensity for barking might rule that out, unless you put in the time to train them to be quiet.

Grooming is moderately time-consuming. They need to be brushed two or three times a week and "stripped" periodically to keep their coats in proper condition.

Although they have many fine qualities, Lakelands are uncommon and aren't readily available. Expect to spend some time on a waiting list, as much as six months to a year, if you want one of these charming terriers.

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