The Bedlington terriers are one of those small terrier breeds which were originally bred for hunting. The dog has descended its name from North East England’s mining town naming, Bedlington, Northumberland. This dog has been used as a fighting dog and a sport dog from very early times.
The dog is very calm and composed in nature but remains very attached to the owner all the time and prefers to have all the attention of the owner alone.
It possesses a friendly kind of nature towards all animals but can also work as a great guard dog, as its sense of intuition works much better than other breeds when it comes to detecting any unknown movements.
Here’s a detailed description of the Bedlington Terrier along with key takeaways, perfect for potential owners:
The Bedlington Terrier: A Whimsical and Loyal Companion
- Origins: The Bedlington Terrier hails from Northumberland, England, where it was prized as a hunter of vermin and badgers. Its unique appearance and spirited nature have made it a beloved breed today.
- Appearance: This distinctive breed sports a pear-shaped head, arched back, muscular build, and a curly coat, often described as “lamb-like.” They come in blue, sandy, and liver colors.
Bedlington Terrier Temperament
- Playful and Affectionate: Bedlingtons are playful with their families and demonstrate a deep affection for their owners.
- Friendly: They are known for being generally friendly towards children, other dogs, and even strangers.
- Protective Instincts: Despite their small size, Bedlingtons can be protective of their loved ones.
- Alert and Vocal: They can be prone to barking, especially if they sense a threat.
Important Considerations Before Bringing Home a Bedlington Terrier
- Grooming: Their unique coat requires regular professional grooming to maintain its shape and health.
- Moderately Active: They need daily exercise to stay happy and healthy.
- Potential Health Issues: While generally healthy, they can be prone to eye problems and a liver condition called Copper Toxicosis.
- Training: Their intelligence and occasional stubbornness mean consistent, positive training is important.
- Not Hypoallergenic: Despite their minimal shedding, their coat requires significant upkeep that might not be suitable for those with allergies.
Key Takeaways for Potential Owners
- Adaptable: Bedlington Terriers do well in apartments and various climates.
- Good for Some New Owners: Their intelligence and eagerness to please can make them suitable for dedicated first-time dog owners.
- Socialization is Key: Early socialization helps them develop good manners around other dogs and people.
- Family-Oriented Dog: They love companionship and being part of the family.
- A Unique and Fun-Loving Breed: Their whimsical appearance and playful personality make them delightful companions.
If you’re looking for a loving, spirited, and unique dog with a touch of stubborn charm, the Bedlington Terrier might be the perfect breed for you!
Contents
Adaptability
Adapts well to apartment lifestyle (Rate: 4 out of 5)
The Bedlington terrier dog is one of those dog breeds which adapt well to an apartment lifestyle.
As compared to other breeds, the size of this dog is quite small, which makes them adapt well in a small and narrow place. Small animals can mostly adapt well to such a narrow environment and can even stay happy and calm while being in a crate.
Now, the fact here is just that the dog easily adapts to the apartment lifestyle. It doesn’t mean that it will not require any mental stimulation
The owner is suggested to always take care of the small animal outdoors, the pet during playing sessions, and his toys to play with during his lonely time.
Good for novice owners (Rate: 3.5 out of 5)
The Bedlington terrier dog and the Bedlington puppies are recognized as one those dog breeds that suit the best for novice dog owners.
These are among most terriers with a high level of intelligence, and high energy level, which makes them rapidly do any kind of task.
Even the adult dog of this Bedlington Terrier breed doesn’t require any kind of harsh training to be a dog of proper principle.
Compared to most other animals, dogs are recognized to be the best companion for humans and easier to go with the behavior of this canine, and its perfect grabbing skills make him better for novice owners. As the novice owner will not have to put much effort into proper training of the canine.
Can tolerate being alone (Rate: 3 out of 5)
The Bedlington terrier is one of those dog breeds which can tolerate being alone for a couple of hours. This can be mainly because of the calm and composed nature of the canine, which can be due to the harsh training methods it goes through in learning all the good behaviors.
Now another fact the owners have to notice is that when the canine’s level of tolerating exceeds, he will eventually suffer from separation anxiety and may even turn destructive. This lamblike breed is so attached to its owners that they can’t maintain a distance from them for a long time.
Can tolerate cold weather (Rate: 3.5 out of 5)
The Bedlington terriers are one of those purebred dogs which do well in cold weather. This better cold tolerance of the Bedlington Terrier dog breed is mainly because of its coat having hard and soft hair.
The coat having hard and soft hair of the canine doesn’t let the freezing temperature outside get absorbed in the body of the canine, which protects the canine from the cold weather and keeps it protected from diseases like nausea and many other fungal infections.
Can tolerate hot weather (Rate: 4 out of 5)
The Bedlington Terrier dog breed is also seen to perform very well in hot and humid weather.
Although the dog is a good tolerant of the hot weather outside, it is still suggested to the dog owners to avoid vigorous exercise sessions during extremely hot conditions.
An overdose of exercise sessions might lead to severe heart attacks in the canine, which can be even disastrous for its health.
Thus, it is suggested to the dog trainer to keep the exercise sessions of the small dogs short during the hot and humid days to keep the canine healthy and fit.
All Around friendliness of the Bedlington terrier
Affectionate with the family (Rate: 5 out of 5)
These active dogs from the breed Bedlington terriers are one of those dog breeds which remain very affectionate towards their owners and its family.
This can be mainly because of the nature of this ideal dog of being a loyal companion and also because of its habit of being close to them from a very early age.
Even the young kids of this breed, Bedlington terriers, keep on urging for some quality time with their owner as it is the only thing that makes them feel relaxed.
Thus, it is suggested that dog owners induce quality time with the pet in its schedule for proper mental stimulation of the canine.
Friendly with the kids (Rate: 3.5 out of 5)
This pure breeding dog’s Bedlington terriers are found to be friendly, playful, and protective towards the kids.
This can be mainly because of the obedience training of the canine and its habit of living in a house with kids from a very young age.
The dogs from the Bedlington terrier club are found to be so protective when near the kids that the owners can even go for keeping the kid with the canine for a couple of times without worrying.
Because the canine is enough to take care of the kid in a proper manner without harming the child in any way.
Friendly with other dogs (Rate: 3 out of 5)
This dog breed from the Bedlington terriers, just like the other breeds, remains friendly with unknown dogs. But the fact noticed here is that, being friendly with the other dogs, the canine gets still gets anxious after seeing a stranger’s dog running on the street.
These kinds of circumstances can be very annoying for dog owners, so the owner needs to have proper knowledge of how to handle such kind of situations.
It has been suggested to the dog owners to make the dog learn proper leash behaviors by using positive reinforcement techniques and food rewards to maintain the interest of the canine in the training sessions.
Friendly with strangers (Rate: 3.5 out of 5)
The Bedlington terriers are those hunting badgers that remain playful and friendly, even towards strangers. The breed Bedlington loves to be among humans all the time, due to which they get friendly and affectionate even towards nature.
No special training is required to make this friendly and affectionate towards strangers; they have this in their nature.
Now, in some cases, the dog’s sweet gesture towards the canine might even get excessive, which can sometimes be troublesome for both the unknown visitors of the home and the owner.
But this can be simply controlled by distracting the pet with some methods like throwing a treat by his side or keeping him in a crate.
Health and grooming requirements of the Bedlington terrier
Amount of shedding (Rate: 4 out of 5)
The shedding amount of the Bedlington terrier is the most unique among all the other dogs because its thick coat with hard and soft hair doesn’t shed at all.
Thus, based on this, it can be said that this dog of the breed Bedlington terriers will be the best choice for owners who are allergy sufferers and want to maintain a clean environment in their homes.
Now, as the canine doesn’t shed at all, the owner has to also adopt a regular grooming schedule to limit the growth of the canine’s hairs.
A professional groomer is required for the grooming of this dog as he will have the knowledge of the needy things for proper maintenance to keep the canine’s coat’s healthy.
The drooling potential of the canine (Rate: 4 out of 5)
The Bedlington Terrier dog breed is considered to be one of those small dogs that drool excessively when gets bursts out of emotions. It happens mainly because the salivary gland of the canine is related to the release of adrenaline in the body of the canine.
When the canine gets overexcited, happy, or energetic, the salivary glands of the canine get stimulated, which leads to excessive drooling in the case of the canine.
This can lead to drooling spots here and there in the house, which can be more difficult for the owner to handle, as the owner has to adopt regular cleaning schedules of the house to make the home environment disease free.
Easy to groom (Rate: 4 out of 5)
The Bedlington Terrier dog breed is one of those dogs which are relatively easy to groom. Many dogs require attention during the grooming schedule to have a unique and appropriate appearance.
But the dog of this breed requires special attention, as it has a unique type of coat which, if it can’t go through proper grooming, might give an awkward look to the canine.
It has been especially suggested to the dog owners to go for the grooming requirements like shampoos and moisturizers as per the pH level of the canine body to avoid the risk of getting affected by some fungal infections or to prevent the coat of the canine from getting dry.
General Health (Rate: 4 out of 5)
The general health of the Bedlington Terrier is unique to many of the other breeds, like the Dandie Dinmont Terrier. Mostly the terrier dogs of the same breed, like the Dandie Dinmont terrier, used to suffer from the common diseases which most dogs suffer from during their entire life.
But in the case of the Bedlington Terrier breed, the health problems the canine suffers through are quite different. As it includes diseases like retinal dysplasia, distichiasis, and patellar luxation, which, if left untreated, might even get disastrous for the health of the canine.
The dog hasn’t inherited this from the parental traits, and the risk of getting this disease transferred in the progenies is also very less. Thus the owner should not worry about having affected progenies in such a case.
Potential for weight gain
The Bedlington terrier dog breeds, just like most of the other dogs, are effective weight gainers. This mostly happens when the dog loses control over his routine and diet.
Most of the time, it was also the fault of the owner because when the owner induces high-quality dog food without checking the nutritional requirement of the canine, it leads to excessive weight gain, which can be troublesome for the canine.
Most of the time, we take weight gain of the canine lightly and go for limiting its diet. But the excessive weight gain of the canine can even lead to more worsen conditions like arthritis, which can be very difficult for the dogs to handle.
Thus, it is suggested that dog owners go for a vet visit first once the dog starts to gain to check it for diseases.
Size (Rate: 3 out of 5)
The Bedlington terrier, also popular as the active family dog, is a medium-sized dog that attains a height of almost 16.5 inches to 17.5 inches during its entire life and weighs around 17-23 lbs. This is an average assumption taken depending on the survey done on the size of these terriers.
Whereas the fact to notice here is that the size of the breed might differ too in some cases, depending upon the way of its lifestyle and the amount of food it consumes per day for proper maintenance of its health.
The trainability of the Bedlington terrier
Quite difficult to train (Rate: 3.5 out of 5)
The Bedlington terrier recognized as a breed by the American kennel club is one of those dogs which are quite difficult to train. This might be because of the little stubborn behavior the canine has; being a little stubborn; the canine is also very intelligent.
So we can’t exactly say that it will be tough for dog owners to train the dog of this breed. If sometimes the canine gets stubborn in behavior, the dog owner can simply handle it by encouraging the pet with some love and care and by giving him rewards for each activity he does properly.
Tendency to bark or howl (Rate: 3 out of 5)
The Bedlington terrier is the first dog of the terrier club, which marks a moderate range. The dog remains sweet and calm with the unknown visitors in the home until they get threatened by them.
The sweet gesture of the canine towards the strangers might be because of the early socialization practice he has gotten from his owner during his early stage of life.
In some cases, the canine may turn aggressive and may bark aggressively, which can be discomforting for the canine’s owner. This behavior of the canine can be simply controlled by some love and care.
Tendency to chew things (Rate: 2.5 out of 5)
The Bedlington terrier, just like most of the other breeds, has a habit of chewing things from their side. Most of the time, the canine shows this behavior when it gets anxious to control its anxiety on its own.
This destructive behavior can lead to a huge loss of the owner. Thus it needs to get prevented. To avoid this destructive behavior of the canine, the owner can simply go for keeping the dog in a crate while left alone, and small animals outdoors can also work great in such cases.
Physical requirements of the Bedlington terrier
The energy level of the Bedlington terrier (Rate: 4 out of 5)
The Bedlington terriers, just like most of the other pets, remain highly energetic during their playing sessions. This canine needs exercise sessions on a reasonable basis to stay healthy and fit all the time and also to maintain good health itself.
The canine is highly energetic, but without proper guidance, he will not be able to understand where he has to spend all his energy so that he can get the benefits of it.
Thus, it becomes the responsibility of the dog owners to guide the pet during the playing sessions and to make him do the necessary movements require for proper bowel movements.
Breed history of the Bedlington terrier
The unique history of the Bedlington terrier is the only factor that attracts most dog owners to it. As per research, this prized hunting dog, the Bedlington Terrier, originated in England, but its actual area of birth is still unknown because it was a guess made by the breeders of that time.
Some shreds of evidence have also proved that this dog has traveled the estates along with the gypsy dog and the Rom when they are passing by. There’s also a belief that for the sake of game hunting, this breed was developed by mixing the breeds Rothbury terriers and the Northumberland fox terrier.
Joseph Ainsley was the breeder and the native of the city of Bedlington who first created this Bedlington Terrier breed in the year 1825.
This became the first dog to become popular across all the social boundaries during that time and was mainly used to get rid of the premises of rats and whippets.
The appearance of the Bedlington Terrier (Rate: 4 out of 5)
This is one of the terrier breeds with a distinguishable posture. The Bedlington terrier has a pear-shaped head along with a bit of muscular appearance, which makes it unique. The stomach is quite flattened and bends towards the upper bone of the rib cage.
The ears of this canine are covered with thick hairs that are bent downwards and have a velvet-like appearance. The eyes of the canine are pear-shaped and mostly brown, whereas the possibilities of the dog having nose colors are both black and brown.
The coat of the canine is quite medium in length and has a curly coat with dense fur over it. This dog is mostly available in blue, sable, and brown colors, and all these three colors of the soft-coated wheaten terriers are in high demand nowadays due to their unique appearance.
FAQ’s
How much exercise a Bedlington terrier requires per day to stay healthy?
A Bedlington terrier will require an exercise session of almost one or one and a half hours per day to stay healthy and fit. But this may also differ depending on the healthy weight and consumption of food per day, so it’s better to discuss with the vet first for scheduling the exercise sessions.
What is the average life expectancy of a Bedlington Terrier?
The average life expectancy of a Bedlington terrier is around twelve to fourteen years, but it may also differ depending on the immunity level of the canine and the proper amount of medications he is getting for the proper regulation of its body organs.
What is the price range of a Bedlington Terrier?
If you are planning to adopt a Bedlington terrier, then it will cost you around $ 1,500. Note that it is just the starting range. The rate might also vary depending on the place from where you are buying the dog.
