Border Terrier

Good-natured and determined, with a strong urge to chase.
A Border Terrier
Photo: Samuel Cockman
Adult male
9.6–12.3 kg
21–27 lb
Adult female
8.2–10.3 kg
18–23 lb
Lifespan
14.2 yrs
Class · Family
also Companion, Field

What it's like

In temperament the Border is good-natured and determined, with a strong urge to chase small animals. It is often described as less quarrelsome with other dogs than many terriers.

Day to day
Activity
A good daily walk and play
Intelligence
Learns readily, likes games
Handler demand
Needs steady training
With people
Affection
Affectionate on its own terms
Loyalty
Friendly with everyone
Independence
Cooperative, with its own ideas
Around the home
Sensitivity
Hardy, takes a busy home in its stride
Voice
Barks to alert, then settles
Prey drive
Likely to chase small pets
Breed explains only about 9% of how individual dogs differ in behaviour1. Meet the dog. A good breeder breeds for temperament as well as health, and matches each puppy's personality to the right home2,3.
Is a Border Terrier right for you?
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Living with one

A Border's coat is usually hand-stripped about twice a year, pulling out dead hair that comes away easily, and the new coat takes eight to ten weeks to grow in. Clipping only shortens the dead hair and can cost the coat its texture and colour.

Size and growth

A Border Terrier is a small dog, heavier than a Pug and lighter than a Cocker Spaniel. Males end up clearly heavier than females. It is one of the heaviest small breeds.

That explains its build: it is longer in the leg than many terriers, yet narrow enough that the standard asks for a body that can be spanned by hands behind the shoulders. The head is often likened to an otter's. The coat is harsh and dense over a close undercoat, in red, wheaten, grizzle and tan, or blue and tan, and the skin is thick and loose, which is said to help protect the dog in a fight with a fox.

Puppy growth

Reference curve · community data appears as owners log
By about 5 months, a male Border Terrier puppy is already as heavy as a grown Jack Russell. They grow fastest between 3 and 4 months old.
Fully grown
10 mo
Both sexes, at 99% of adult weight10
Male
Female
Shaded: expected range
0510152m4m6m9m12m18m
0510152m3m4m6m9m12m18m
Age
Male
Female
2 months
2.4–3.1 kg 5.3–6.8 lb
2.3–2.9 kg 5.1–6.4 lb
3 months
3.3–4.2 kg 7.3–9.3 lb
3.0–3.7 kg 6.6–8.2 lb
4 months
4.7–6.0 kg 10.4–13.2 lb
4.0–5.1 kg 8.8–11.2 lb
5 months
5.8–7.4 kg 12.8–16.3 lb
4.9–6.1 kg 10.8–13.4 lb
6 months
6.7–8.5 kg 14.8–18.7 lb
5.5–6.9 kg 12.1–15.2 lb
7 months
7.3–9.4 kg 16.1–20.7 lb
6.0–7.6 kg 13.2–16.8 lb
8 months
7.9–10.1 kg 17.4–22.3 lb
6.4–8.1 kg 14.1–17.9 lb
9 months
8.2–10.6 kg 18.1–23.4 lb
6.8–8.5 kg 15.0–18.7 lb
10 months
8.5–10.9 kg 18.7–24.0 lb
7.0–8.8 kg 15.4–19.4 lb
11 months
8.8–11.2 kg 19.4–24.7 lb
7.2–9.1 kg 15.9–20.1 lb
12 months
8.9–11.4 kg 19.6–25.1 lb
7.4–9.3 kg 16.3–20.5 lb
15 months
9.3–11.9 kg 20.5–26.2 lb
7.8–9.8 kg 17.2–21.6 lb
18 months
9.6–12.3 kg 21–27 lb
8.1–10.2 kg 17.9–22.5 lb

Health and lifespan

Vets record these more often in Border Terriers than in crossbreeds. Cushing's syndrome (serious) is much more likely, and corneal ulcers more likely. Gum disease and underactive thyroid are slightly more likely; these three are moderate. These are figures for the breed as a whole, not a prediction for your dog.
Listed by likelihood level, highest first, then by how serious it is, then by name.
  • Cushing's syndrome
    Much more likely
    Impact: serious
  • Corneal ulcers
    More likely
    Impact: moderate
  • Gum disease
    Slightly more likely
    Impact: moderate
  • Underactive thyroid
    Slightly more likely
    Impact: moderate

Lifespan

In UK vet records, the typical Border Terrier lived to about 14 years, longer than the typical small breed.

Where it comes from

The Border Terrier comes from the hill country on either side of the England–Scotland border, where it was first known as the Coquetdale or Redesdale Terrier. Farmers and shepherds kept it to hold down the foxes that threatened their sheep, and once foxhunting became an organised sport it ran with the hunts, bolting foxes that had gone to ground. Its name probably reflects long service with Northumberland's Border Hunt17.

The Border Terrier was shaped by working hunt servants and farmers along the Anglo-Scottish border rather than by show breeders. The Robson and Dodd families are usually credited with fixing its type during the nineteenth century. It remained a working dog after many other terriers had moved into the show ring, and the Kennel Club recognised it only shortly after the First World War, the same year its breed club was founded. Hunting with a Border Terrier meant keeping pace with horses over rough hill ground and then following a fox underground.

Breed standard

The Border Terrier is judged against standard no. 10, in group 3, Terriers5.

Questions people ask

General guidance for dogs rather than a measured Border Terrier figure: most females have a first season somewhere between six and fifteen months, and cycles then settle to roughly every 180 days. Smaller breeds tend to start earlier and larger ones later, so a small breed is most likely at the early end.

Compare with related

Parson Russell Terrier
Terriers · Small
Cairn Terrier
Terriers · Small
Jack Russell Terrier
Terriers · Small
Norfolk Terrier
Terriers · Small
Or compare the Border Terrier with any breed you choose
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Sources

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Parts of this page were written by AI ·