It is difficult to find a more active and positive pet than the welsh terrier. This wonderful dog, appearing in your house, will not let anyone get bored. One of the main features of the breed is an unlimited supply of energy, which must be put somewhere.
The Welsh Terrier also known as the Welshie, is a curious, playful, faithful dog. Representatives of the breed have an innate hunting instinct.
They are able to hunt foxes, rodents and birds. But now the Welsh Terrier is kept as a pet and is practically not used in hunting.
Welsh terrier photos
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Physical characteristics
The Welsh Terrier has a compact physique, the muscles of the representatives of the breed are developed, like those of real athletes.
The growth of adult Welsh Terriers should not exceed 39 cm at the withers, with a weight of about 9 kg.
Distinctive features
- Head: The muzzle is harmonious, elongated with a pronounced smooth stop. The skull is slightly broad and flattened. The jaws are strong.
- Jaws: The teeth are strong and strong. Bite “scissors”. The jaws are massive and deep.
- Ears: The ears are triangular in shape, pendulous. Located high, near the temples.
- Eyes: The eyes are medium, almond-shaped.
- Frame: Strong build, muscular. Harmonizes with the rest of the body. The neck is long with a slight graceful curvature, smoothly turning into the shoulders. Well-developed neck muscles. The back is short, the loin is strong. The chest is quite wide and deep.
- Limbs: Legs are equal, of medium length, proportional, strong. The hocks are lowered. They are strong, straight and freely moving elbows along the body. Muscular elongated hips visually increase the massiveness of the hind legs. The paws are small, cat-shaped.
- Coat: The coat is dense, of medium length, curly. On the limbs it lengthens, forming a “pants”. On the muzzle there are characteristic mustaches and beards. The color is black-red, the presence of gray areas is possible.
Character and behavior
The Welsh Terrier often shows his capricious and insolent character. Dog handlers have noted that the males are much calmer, more balanced and friendlier than the females. Aggression is not inherent in race.
But if a dangerous situation arises, if someone threatens the welsh terrier or its owner, the dog becomes bold and decisive. He is able to give a worthy rebuff to the enemy, despite his small size.
He does not show aggression towards people, including strangers. The guests are even happy, because she prefers to be in the spotlight. But that is on condition that there is no threat of strangers.
The Welsh Terrier does not belong to silent and quiet dogs. Such an animal, with or without reason, loves to bark.
With children
For children, the Welshie is an ideal friend, playmate and protector. You should not leave this terrier alone with small children, but with teenagers, an energetic dog is ready to spend time playing games day and night. The main thing is that parents teach their children to respectfully treat the animal with care.
With other animals
Due to the innate hunting instinct of the Welsh Terrier, it is not recommended to keep small animals in the same territory, especially rodents (rats, hamsters, squirrels…).
A Welsh terrier can coexist peacefully with a cat if he grew up with her in the same house. Due to his arrogance, he doesn’t mind participating in dog fights.
Health
The Welsh Terrier owner should know what health problems his pet is prone to:
- Glaucoma is an enlargement of the eyeball in size.
- Allergy – food or care products.
- Cataract is an eye disease characterized by clouding of the lens.
- Von Willebrand’s disease is a bleeding disorder, accompanied by spontaneous bleeding.
- Epilepsy – the disease is not treatable, but seizures accompanied by seizures can be controlled.
- Dislocation of the lens of the eye – destruction of the fibers of the girdle that normally hold the lens, as a result of which it can freely move between the front and rear cameras of the eye through the opening of the pupil.
- Hypothyroidism is an endocrine pathology.
- Atopy – atopic dermatitis, a disease manifested by allergic rashes on the skin.
Life expectancy
This dog is naturally strong and the owner must maintain his health. The owner must obligatorily vaccinate the animal, carry out regular deworming and treatments against fleas and ticks. The average lifespan of a Welsh Terrier is 12 to 15 years.
Care
Welsh Terriers can live in an apartment, but a private home with a yard is ideal. In the care of animals are unpretentious.
- The hairs are combed twice a week.
- The eyes are examined and cleaned daily.
- The ears are cleaned 2-3 times in 7 days.
- Cutting is necessary once every 2 months.
- The nails are cut 3 times a month.
- Bathe once a month with dog shampoo.
Fun facts
- The Welsh Terrier is one of the oldest terriers in the world.
- welsh terrier is the most obedient and smart dog among other terriers.
- The first welsh terriers appeared more than four hundred years ago, since then the exterior of the breed has not changed.
- In ancient times, Welshies participated in fierce sports. These are not well-known dog fights. In this case, we are talking about a huge enclosure filled with large hungry rats. In this open-air cage the welsh terrier was launched. The dog was supposed to strangle all the rats at the specified time and get out of the fight with the least injuries. The winner is the terrier, who faster than the rest of the participants coped with a huge flock of rodents and did not receive any injuries.
History of the breed
The homeland of the Welsh terrier is Great Britain, or, more precisely, the county of Wales. The indicated breed appeared in the second half of the eighteenth century. Refers to hunting dogs.
The Welsh Terrier is surprisingly similar to the Airedale terrier. Uninformed people call the welsh terrier its miniature copy. This statement is incorrect, there are no common roots between these breeds.
The history of the origin, formation of the breed can be traced by ancient records, paintings, statuettes.
In ancient times, a terrier was called any small dog that had an evil character, strength, coarse hair and with amazing dexterity hunted small predators, rats and mice.
This terrier is descended from an Old English rough-coated Terrier, which is currently an extinct species. For a long time, the Welshie was classified as Old English terrier at shows. But many other terrier species fit into this category.
By 1885, the Welshie was fully formed and received a separate classification in the cynological club of England. From that time on, pure-bred breeding began, and official welsh terrier kennels appeared.
The popularity of the Welshie began to grow. He became known outside his homeland. They began to breed it in America in European countries. In Germany, breeders used the genes of the Welsh Terrier to breed such a breed as the Jagdterrier.
There is an assumption that during the formation of the welsh terrier, dog handlers attracted fox terriers, Lakeland terriers, and Irish terriers to breeding work.