Border Terrier dog breed

Border Terriers are greedy dogs. They’ll continue to eat and eat and eat if given the chance. This means they can easily become overweight. It’s best to split your dog’s daily food into 2 or 3 meals. If they have multiple mealtimes, it will keep them feeling full throughout the day.

Border Terrier puppies should be fed small amounts 4 times a day. Puppies have small tummies so can only eat little but often. Ask the breeder what dog food they have been using and continue to feed your puppy the same food. If you want to change, you’ll need to do so slowly. Add small amounts of the new food to the old food, gradually increasing the new and reducing the old.

Like you, your dog needs to gain nutrition from their diet. You can find all the nutritional content on the back of the dog food packaging. There are also guidelines on how much food your dog needs in a day. Make sure you weigh the food to prevent over or underfeeding your dog.

The Border Terrier has a short, rough, double coat. It sheds minimally but the loose hair will need to be hand stripped every 6-8 weeks to help it fall out. This can be done using your fingers to pull the loose fur out, or you can use a shedding brush or glove.

Their coat is weather resistant meaning that your dog won’t get soaking wet in mist or rain. The water will run off their coat rather than seeping in. This is good news for you because it means your dog won’t need washing often. You’ll be able to towel dry when wet, without the need for a bath. You will only need to bath your dog when they start to get a bit smelly or are very dirty. Bathing them too often will soften their rough coat, which will reduce its weather and dirt resistance.

Border Terriers don’t need to be regularly groomed. If their fur is cut it will lose the rough texture needed to make the coat naturally protective. It’s best to strip their coat. Their natural shedding stops the hair from growing too long. Brushing your dog’s coat will keep it healthy and clean.

You may be surprised to find out how much exercise this breed needs. Be prepared that a Border Terrier will need an hour of exercise a day. Their high energy levels need to be burned off with a good run around off the lead in a secure area.

Dog exercise is an important part of your dog’s health as it provides both physical and mental stimulation. Dogs who don’t get enough exercise can become depressed.

Through dog training, they can learn to be obedient dogs, but they’re stubborn so you’ll need to be patient. Use their love of food to your advantage. During training, use small treats as rewards. One useful training tip is to start toilet training when your dog is young. It’s much harder to house train an older dog because they’ll be used to toileting indoors.

Also known as ‘Retinal pigment epithelial dystrophy (RPED)’. This hereditary condition affects the dog’s vision, causing loss of sight in the central field of vision. The condition starts to have an effect at 3-4 months old. There is no treatment for this condition, but the progression can be slowed down with supplements. The dog can still have a good quality life and is unlikely to become completely blind.

A normal heartbeat consists of “lub” and “dub” sounds, which are the heart valves closing as blood circulates. If there is a “whooshing” sound, it means there is a disturbance to the blood flow. This is known as a heart murmur. Not all affected dogs show signs of a heart murmur, but your vet can detect the sound during health checks. Signs that you can look out for include coughing, rapid breathing, tiredness, collapsing or reluctance to go for a walk.

Treatment depends on the cause of the heart murmur. In some cases, the heart murmur is a result of heartworm disease or a congenital condition. Surgery and/or medication may be needed to help improve your dog’s quality of life and lifespan. If there is no sign of heart disease, your vet will monitor your dog to make sure no signs occur.