Lakeland Terrier
The Lakeland Terrier is one of the dozens of races from the United Kingdom and that belong to the Terriers group, where we have dogs of all sizes, colors and with the common denominator of having fought against wild animals.
- Weight: Around 8 kilos
- Hair type: medium and very hard length
- Character: affectionate and sociable, very active
- Health: very strong, although some genetic diseases can suffer
- Life expectancy: between 12 and 14 years
Origins
The origins are in the United Kingdom, specifically in the Los Lagos region, in an area very close to Scotland, where by its mountainous terrain the fox could not hunt on horseback, but was done on foot.
Therefore, it is said that the Lakeland Terrier is much more resistant than the Fox Terrier, with which he has a great resemblance, since while the first one took in a bag on the horse, the lakeland was always on foot running.
There is already proof of him since the beginning of the 18th century And it seems that it arose from a mixture between the English Black and tan
A breed made to work
This breed was created with the purpose of hunting vermin in the areas of complicated access, something that stood out because he not only pointed to the hunter where the dam was located, but was able to kill them.
His energy was such that he could even eliminate the foxes, which gives us an idea of the force that the primitive Lakeland had.
Now it's not like that And its appearance is due to several crosses with other terriers, such as Fox Terrier, the Airedale Terrier, the border terrier and the Bedlington Terrier, the latter dog that may have provided such a graceful constitution to the race that concerns us.
As for the recognition by the Kennel Club, it is quite old, since it was made in 1921, although the Race Club differs and says it was in 1928, something that does not matter and demonstrates that this dog has been recognized for a century.
Main characteristics
Within the terriers, the Lakeland is one of the medium -sized ones and has a very proportionate appearance that gives a sense of strength, but without looking like a coarse animal.
This grace is provided by a very fine and resistant bone skeleton, which provide the characteristic speed to the race and its liveliness.
They have an average height to the cross of about 35 cm and the weight does not usually pass the 8 kilos, which contributes to the seeing a dog that is made to run.
His head and jaw give him a most characteristic appearance. The first is rectangular, while the second is almost as long as the skull and is very strong as it is actually, because this animal has a good bite.
As for the mantle, a large number of colors such as black and fire, blue and fire, red, bluish, locking, reddish, etc. are admitted.
The layer is double, very dense the first, attached to the body to give heat and isolate it from the elements. On the contrary, the second is hard in order to protect it from the attacks of the vermin, the branches or the skewers.
The appearance it has in the exhibitions is real, but If we want it to look at the same way you have to go to the hairdresser from time to time, since you have to cut your hair in several areas and leave you more on your eyes.
Character
They have a fun, very nice and quite mischievous character. That with its owners and acquaintances, since with strangers and with other animals completely changes, so that it is important to carry out an early socialization, which will avoid problems later.
It is not strange that it is aggressive with dogs, so we will have to be careful with the walks and with what other animals we put together. The same goes for other pets, since we must not forget that it is a hunting dog that was in charge of killing shade.
With children it is good, but it is better not to leave it with the little ones in the house. He is not very patient, and he will not tolerate him to hit him, they throw him out of his ears, etc.
They are barking dogs and that makes them excellent guardians, although they will not limit themselves to barking, but will not hesitate to attack that person or animal who tries to enter their home.
Another of its peculiarities is that They love to explore and access everywhere. Therefore, if we want not to enter any area, we will have to close it well, they will try to sneak into it.
Care
Unlike other dogs, the lakeland You have no special needs when keeping your hair in perfect condition. In fact, brushing it once or twice a week will be more than enough.
Because of the type of hair that dirt has, it is not usually stuck to it, so the bathrooms can be spaced a lot in time, shortening the periods between each of them if we have it inside the house and begins to smell.
Yes it will need physical activity. In fact, whenever we can each of the walks have to pass half an hour, and if there are small animals like cats it is better to go with a strap, because its hunting instinct will not take long to come out.
The eyes and ears do require a little more attention and We should be cleaned often with gauze and physiological serum, thus avoiding infections that are more common if the dog goes for a walk to the field.
Feeding
You have no special food needs and we can give you any I think for small breeds, finding many high quality brands in the market.
This type of feed Bring a croquette adapted to the mouth of these races, although the truth is that with the force that the Lakeland possesses in the jaw can with any type of feed that we put.
There are some brands that have presentations for Fox Terrier. If we want we can give them, since it looks a lot like this race, but it is not necessary to be so specific.
Yes, we have to look at the quantities not because I will gain weight, but so that it is not very thin. Therefore, we will always put the amount destined for active dogs, getting to overcome it if we go out with him for a walk to the field and can run free.
We can talk about this with the veterinarian, although we see if it is well weight or is a bit to get to the one that is ideal.
Health
Like any terrier, Lakelands have an iron health. Despite this, they do not get rid of certain genetic pathologies and perhaps one of the weakest parts of the race are the eyes. Therefore, we commented that they had to be cleaned often.
Among the eye diseases to which the breed is prone we have the dislocation of lens, cataracts or glaucoma. Therefore, the veterinarian should check his eyes at least twice a year.
The bones do not get rid of Some diseases such as rotula dislocation, which causes pain and limp, being able to try several ways and having to operate in the most serious cases.
There is another pathology of the bones that is known as Legg-Calvé -perthes disease. That makes the part of the femur that is housed in the dog's hip degenerates in a very fast way, which is because the blood does not reach it well.
There are no more notable diseases and although they may seem too many, the truth is that Lakeland is one of the strongest dogs we can find.
Adopt
In Spain it is difficult to adopt a lakeland, since they are not abundant unlike other similar terriers such as Fox Terrier, which there are many specimens that are used mainly in hunting.
Anyway, we can do a network search. There are specialized search engines that track dogs for Spain and Also associations dedicated to finding adopters for the terrier.
We can go to them, since they are the ones that can best help us when adopting an animal of this race. In fact, they will know if it is usually common to see the Lakeland for adoption or is an impossible mission in our country.
If in Spain we do not find any, which will happen with almost total security, it is best to go to the United Kingdom, where there will be available specimens.
The Internet has facilitated everything, so from home we can look in protectors of that country and get in touch with them, being able to raise a distance adoption if possible, something that is feasible by logistics.
There are specialized companies in the transport of pets, and if we do not find any or do not want to send it we can always go to pick it up, in which case we will have to inform ourselves about the regulation of animal transfer now that the United Kingdom is no longer part of the EU by the Brexit.
We have the possibility of flying to the United Kingdom for very little money, and Being the lakeland a small dog may let us bring it in the cabin.
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