Welsh terrier - History, appearance and health
Terriers are a group of races of the most curious where we can find from companion dogs that spend the day sleeping on the couch, to animals that are the terror of rats and even cats.
Within this second type is the Welsh terrier, a dog that is very strong and that we know as soon as I see him that he would be able to clean a house in a short time.
- Size: small, from 37 to 37 cm, which makes it ideal for living on a floor
- Weight: between 7 and 9 kilos, keeping a good proportion with its size
- Hair type: Very hard, as if it were wire. It is very dense, protecting your skin very well
- Character: It is very cheerful and sometimes somewhat aggressive with dogs. It can be a bit nervous and does not get along with other pets.
- Health: iron, as in all terrier who have been selected to work for years
- Life expectancy: Around 13 years
History of the Welsh Terrier
The area in which it originated is clear if we attend to its name, and it is believed that its most direct ancestor was the black terrier and hard hair fire, which was extended throughout Britain two centuries ago.
This is just a theory, since as with the vast majority of races, unless its origin has been documented, it is almost impossible to know it exactly.
What we do know is that in the 18th century, in northern Wales there was a terrier very similar to the one now, and in fact it is often said that it is the oldest race in the United Kingdom in a series of research on the country.
In the eighteenth century it was a dog that was used to hunt otaries, foxes, will and all kinds of animals in burrow, as with a good part of the terriers, whose origin is underground, in the galleries of other animals.
We had to wait until the nineteenth century, at the year 1886, so that the Kennel Club English recognized the race, although after this it continued to cross the Fox Terrier.
It seems that the intention was to create a dog as stylized as possible, getting the Welsh terrier to become an Airedale Terrier of a mini size, since it looks a lot like the largest terrier that exists.
Right now it is a company dog, away from its initial work, although it is barely seen outside Wales and the United Kingdom, being more numerous in the exhibitions than on the street.
It does not go through its best moment, because there are hardly 300 puppies a year, so that its long -term survival is threatened, something that we hope will be solved, because losing a race is a tragedy.
Appearance of the Welsh Terrier
As soon as you see the Welsh terrier we realize that we are facing a strong and muscular dog, a compact animal that is capable of everything and has great energy.
This helps that it is very square, having a height to the cross almost identical to the length of the body, which makes it a very functional animal that is difficult to suffer from bone problems.
He has a wide head with triangular ears, but perhaps what stands out in his testa is his eyes, which show us a cheerful and brave look, pillo and without giving a feeling of being aggressive.
The tail is no longer amputated and carries it erect, somewhat curved and the hair is made up of two layers, as is the case in many terriers. The exterior is very hard and is the one that is responsible for protecting it from the aggressions of the field, such as the rain or the punctures of the plants, while the interior is dense and similar to wool, preventing it from passing cold
Its appearance in the photos is not entirely natural and if we want it to look like this, we will have to go through the hairdresser in order to shape it, which will be black and fire or a combination of the fire with a somewhat more off black, pulling the gray.
Temper
The Welsh terrier cannot hide its origins, so that their behavior is similar to that of other terriers, although in this case its owners say that it has been feding a lot.
Tolerates very well the training thanks to the fact that it is very ready, but it is convenient not to tire it with very long sessions, so we will have to take it to anywhere where nothing distracts and teach it in very short periods.
Welsh terrier can show aggressiveness with other dogs, but never with people And he has a very pronounced hunting instinct, as he is logical, because he continues to remember his Origin of a Micuera dog.
That means that it will pursue small animals until they are hunting, and that it can be a quarrelsome with both dogs and cats, so that it is not the best race if we want it to live with more pets.
In order that these problems do not appear, or are mild, there is no other than to socialize it very well since childhood, making it live with other animals and thus get used to your company.
It is not an adequate dog for a floor, since it has a tendency to bark a lot, and if we have it in a garden you will dig holes. If that does not care, it will be one of the best dogs if we like to go out daily and do activities in nature.
Welsh terrier health
It has an iron health, as it cannot be less because it is an terrier. Its only weak point is the eyes, since it has genetic predisposition to glaucoma, although it is possible to test in order to know if our dog is prone to suffering from this disease.
For the rest, it will settle for routine visits to the veterinarian, in order to vaccine and deworm it.
Feeding
Food is not any problem and Simply acquire a feed for dogs small, which bring the proper croquette size that is very important, because they make the dog mastique their food well.
As usual, You have to buy the best I think we can afford, going to premium brands of those that we do not find in supermarkets, but only in specialized stores.
There are specific feed for some Terriers like Jack Russell, of a similar size, but it is not necessary to be specialized food in terriers, and in fact it is more an advertising maneuver than anything else.
Welsh Terrier Care
Among the care to be given to the Welsh terrier is the walk, at least an hour a day, loose and better if it can be for a rural area in which he has freedom.
It has a huge amount of energy, which seems to never run out and a trick to calm down is to take it to an area where you can swim, since you love it. Here you have to be careful, choosing places with little depth that we can reach to take it, because it can go too much into the water.
Hair must also take care of it and we should not be fooled by its rustic appearance, being convenient Brush your hair with a special comb for hard hair at least a couple of times a week.
One of the characteristics of his hair is that he does not fall, so you have to go to the hairdresser two or three times a year in order to cut it and give the way we are all accustomed, helping him to get better the extreme heat times like summer.
If we have no experience with dogs, or have not owned any terrier, We should go with him to a training school, to work with him a professional educator and to give us the first guidelines to instruct him.
It is said that it is one of the less stubborn terriers, but it is convenient to keep it at bay since it is very young, that you know the limits that you should never cross when it is in our presence or with other dogs.
In addition, in some of these centers they have Agility tracks, in which we can enter and have fun with our Welsh terrier, with the obstacles of the mini races, being a good way to burn energy while we do some sport.
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