Sealyham Terrier

Outgoing yet calmer than many terriers, and determined.
A Sealyham Terrier
Photo: Ettore Balocchi
Adult male
10–11 kg
22–24 lb
Adult female
9–10 kg
20–22 lb
Lifespan
13.1 yrs
Class · Companion
also Watchdog

What it's like

In temperament it is alert and outgoing, yet calmer than many terriers, though it keeps the determination of a dog bred to hold its ground. The film director Alfred Hitchcock owned Sealyhams, and two of his own dogs appear with him in his cameo in The Birds. The Kennel Club lists it as a vulnerable native breed.

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
Bonded to its family
Independence
Decides for itself
Around the home
Sensitivity
Hardy, takes a busy home in its stride
Voice
Very vocal
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.
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Living with one

It has a wire or harsh coat. Loose hair stays caught in the coat until it is brushed, stripped or clipped out. Plan on a brush once a week, plus hand-stripping two or three times a year. It needs a moderate amount of exercise compared with other breeds.

Size and growth

A Sealyham Terrier is a small dog, about the weight of a grown Pug. Males end up a little heavier than females. It is one of the heaviest small breeds.

It is a short-legged, sturdily built terrier with a level back and a long, powerful head. The coat is mainly white, sometimes with lemon, brown, blue or badger markings on the head and ears. It has a hard, wiry outer layer over a soft, dense undercoat. Long eyebrows and a full beard give the face its whiskered look, and the folded ears hang close to the cheeks.

Puppy growth

Reference curve · community data appears as owners log
By about 5 months, a male Sealyham 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 weight7
Male
Female
Shaded: expected range
0510152m4m6m9m12m18m
0510152m3m4m6m9m12m18m
Age
Male
Female
2 months
2.5–2.8 kg 5.5–6.2 lb
2.5–2.8 kg 5.5–6.2 lb
3 months
3.4–3.8 kg 7.5–8.4 lb
3.3–3.6 kg 7.3–7.9 lb
4 months
4.9–5.3 kg 10.8–11.7 lb
4.4–4.9 kg 9.7–10.8 lb
5 months
6.0–6.6 kg 13.2–14.6 lb
5.3–5.9 kg 11.7–13.0 lb
6 months
6.9–7.6 kg 15.2–16.8 lb
6.1–6.7 kg 13.4–14.8 lb
7 months
7.7–8.4 kg 17.0–18.5 lb
6.6–7.4 kg 14.6–16.3 lb
8 months
8.2–9.0 kg 18.1–19.8 lb
7.1–7.9 kg 15.7–17.4 lb
9 months
8.6–9.4 kg 19.0–20.7 lb
7.4–8.3 kg 16.3–18.3 lb
10 months
8.9–9.8 kg 19.6–21.6 lb
7.7–8.6 kg 17.0–19.0 lb
11 months
9.1–10.0 kg 20.1–22.0 lb
7.9–8.8 kg 17.4–19.4 lb
12 months
9.3–10.2 kg 20.5–22.5 lb
8.1–9.0 kg 17.9–19.8 lb
15 months
9.7–10.6 kg 21.4–23.4 lb
8.6–9.5 kg 19.0–20.9 lb
18 months
10–11 kg 22–24 lb
8.9–9.9 kg 19.6–21.8 lb

Lifespan

In UK vet records, the typical Sealyham Terrier lived to about 13 years, about average for a small breed. The group was small, so treat the figure as rough.

Where it comes from

The Sealyham Terrier is named after Sealyham in Pembrokeshire, on the river Seal, where Captain John Owen Edwardes developed it to work with his Otterhounds, following otters underground and tackling badger and fox. He culled any dog that would not stand its ground. Recognised in 1911, it had its heyday as a show dog in the 1930s and 1940s; the grooming its coat demands may help explain its scarcity since9.

The Sealyham Terrier took shape on the Pembrokeshire estate of Captain John Edwardes in the second half of the nineteenth century. Edwardes left no record of his crosses, so its ancestry is uncertain; the Dandie Dinmont and the Wire Fox Terrier are among the breeds usually suggested. Its job was to run with hounds and then go to ground. A breed club was formed in Haverfordwest early in the twentieth century, and it later found favour in the show ring.

Breed standard

The Sealyham Terrier is judged against standard no. 74, in group 3, Terriers4.

Questions people ask

General guidance for dogs rather than a measured Sealyham 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

Cesky Terrier
Terriers · Small
Standard Schnauzer
Pinschers & molossoids · Medium
Border Terrier
Terriers · Small
Dandie Dinmont Terrier
Terriers · Small
Or compare the Sealyham Terrier with any breed you choose
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Sources

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