CHAPTER XLVI 

 THE BORDER TERRIER 



WHEN law and order were established on the Borders, the warlike 

 and thieving instincts of its inhabitants found vent in fox-hunting, 

 brock-hunting, etc. As the Cheviot Hills abound in craggy holes 

 and wet moss-runners, good hardy Terriers were an absolute 

 necessity, and the result was the creation of two now extremely 

 different varietiesof dog the Border Terrier and the Dandie Dinmont 

 though both originated in the same place. The latter, brought 

 into prominence by Sir Walter Scott, became a fashionable pet, got 

 into the hands of fanciers, and is now often useless for sporting 

 purposes. The former were bred by the old Border yeomen and 

 shepherds (who all kept their hounds or hound) purely for work. 

 Nothing was used for breeding purposes that would not go to ground 

 and face the hardest bitten fox in existence, and the Border Terriers 

 have retained to a great extent the original characteristics of the late 

 Ned Dunn's and Yeddie Jackson's dogs. 



They stand about i4in. high, are narrow in front, not more than 

 i5in. round the girth, and weigh about i5lb.* They have hard coats, 

 smooth or broken (the former is preferable), as the case may be. In 

 colour they are red or grey brindled, or with dark blue body and 

 tan legs. Occasionally odd liver-coloured ones are found, but the 

 first named is the favourite colour. The head is considerably 

 shorter than and not so strong as that of the Fox-terrier, and the 

 ears are half-pricked. As Border Terriers are wanted to bolt, not to 

 worry, foxes, their jaws do not require the strength of the Fox-terrier. 

 Bitches ought not to average more than i4lb. weight, and dogs i61b. 

 to i81b. The colour of the nose should be black or flesh-coloured. 

 The tail should be undocked. 



Nose (or scenting qualities) is one of the strongest attributes of 

 the Border Terriers, and a really good dog can tell by merely hunt- 

 ing round the strongest earth whether or not there is a fox at home. 

 Several have been known that would not go to ground unless there 

 was a fox at home, and some of the brightest ornaments of the breed 

 have never been known to make a mistake in this connection. 



* Weight, height, and girth measurement are the averages for dogs and bitches, 



