Best of British terriers

Loyal, intelligent and full of personality… terrier breeds vary enormously, although most are tenacious and have a strong hunting instinct. Kate Gatacre talks to three working terrier owners.

Speaking to terrier owners, it quickly becomes clear that these breeds are intelligent, sharp and can be tricky if not brought up properly. Terriers can have a bad rap, but, as Bob Gibson (see Jack Russells) puts it: "The only reason a dog is crackers is because their owner is."

Glen of Imaal

"They aren't for everyone," Steven Holmes tells me when I talk to him about Glen of Imaal terriers. Terriers can be a handful, so is the Glen that much trickier? Steven is the person to ask – his father had Glens before him and he's had them since the 1950s. "They're more intelligent than a Border collie, more manipulative than a child, stronger than a pit bull and very dominant," he tells me. Steven, based in Gloucestershire, has working strains of Glens, often bringing over lines from their native Ireland. First recognised as a breed in the 1930s, the Glen is thought to have originated in the reign of Elizabeth I.

Always a multipurpose breed, Glens were originally used not only for terrier work on rats, foxes, badgers and otters, but also for herding around farms. Steven attests to this: "Their intelligence is amazing – they'll herd and rat, but I've also known a Glen that picked-up as well as any gundog." According to Steven, they are born clever, but take a long time to mature physically: "They're on the ball from day one, and they look like teddy bears until about 14 weeks. Then they start to change and look pretty ugly until about 18 months. Bitches reach full maturity at three years, and dogs at four."

So what does he look for in a Glen? "It has to look like it can do a day's work, with strong, good bone structure, ears that aren't pricked and a tough coat." A typical Glen will stand around 14 inches at the withers, weighing about 36 pounds. Three colours are still seen today: wheat, brindle and blue. "They're long-lived – I've had one that was 17 years old. I feed mine mostly on meat and tripe, and I find they are much better in a cooler environment, so I kennel them. They need a lot of work – a bored Glen is not a good thing and they can get chronically fat without enough exercise."

"They are the most remarkable dogs I've ever known," he adds. "They have an incredible nose, can swim like otters and are fiercely loyal. They work silently, so they aren't yappy like some terrier breeds, and can hold a grudge against another dog all their lives. They definitely aren't for the 'soft' owner or a first-time owner, but I wouldn't have any other dogs."

Bedlington terriers

It's easy to sneer at the fancy clipping that some show dogs undergo, though often as not, it has its origins in the work the breed was required to do – the Bedlington is no different. "I clip my Bedlingtons to a uniform length, but leave tassels on the ears – they soon wear off and it protects the tip of the ear from getting torn when they're working," Nigel Stock says. Nigel has a pest control business in Yorkshire, which he started thanks in part to having working Bedlingtons, initially helping farmers with rat control. Nigel doesn't like to start working his dogs too early, as Bedlingtons can be slow to mature: "They need careful handling. Unlike lots of breeds, they won't work at nine months old – it's better to wait until they are 15 to 18 months before you start them, and when you do, it needs to be a gentle introduction, on rabbits for example, rather than creatures that bite, like rats." Once the prey drive has kicked in, however, it can be tricky to switch it off. "People think they look like lambs, but once they start hunting it can be hard to call them off – they don't hear you. It can take a while for them to come back down from that." Having said that, Nigel assures me that they do make fantastic family pets, being laid back, gentle around people and great with children.

Originally known as the Rothbury or Rodbury terrier, the Bedlington became known as such in the first quarter of the 19th century. Their curly coat can come in a variety of colours, but, according to Nigel, the quality of the coat is where the show and working strains show a difference. "Working dogs have a darker coat thanks to more dark guard hairs, and show dogs have a more 'linty' coat. The show types look like drowned rats when wet!" However, this is a breed where the physical appearance of a working versus a show-bred dog are not too huge: "You can still do well at showing with working dogs. Typically, a show Bedlington will be lighter and bigger in the body and won't have that prey drive, while those of us working Bedlingtons still want them to look right, but we breed far more on character and working ability."

Jack Russells

Bob Gibson, based in North Yorkshire, knows a thing or two about Jack Russells – his current ones are part of an 11-generation dynasty. "I started in the 1970s with the Jack Russells, and I was terrier man for the Saltersgate hunt. I still do a bit of ratting and I show my Jack Russells." According to Bob, there aren't very serious differences in the showing and working types of Jack Russells. He has the longer-legged versions, which stand at around 14 inches high, and both rough and smooth-coated: "It's the shorter 'Queen Anne' types that can be nippy, in
my experience. I used to judge a lot of shows, and if anyone got bitten it was by a short-legged one!"

The rough-coated Jack Russells don't differ in character to the smooth-coated, according to Bob: "They're all individuals, all their own characters." But, says Bob, they are great family dogs and nice around children: "I've still got four generations and my daughter, who was brought up with them, also has a few. I don't breed to sell – I'd rather give my dogs away to the right person." Bob says hunting instinct can differ from dog to dog: "There are those you can call back, but those that would stop all day in a hole. Some have that instinct and some don't.

"A lot of people think rough-coated terriers are tougher and will be able to cope with bad weather. One of my best, a bitch, had a coat like coconut matting, but if there was bad weather, she'd want to hide in my coat, while one of the smooth coated ones could go all day in snow."

Originating from dogs bred by Reverend John Russell in the early 19th century, the Jack Russell should have predominantly white colouring, with black, brown and tan markings. A tough breed, the Jack Russell, like all terriers, "needs mastering," says Bob. "Terriers are intelligent and are best worked under one boss. If one of mine growls, I growl louder. I run 20 terriers together, and I treat them like children, all the same, because you'll
have trouble if you show favouritism!"