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Jack Russell Terrier
Small, fearless and almost never tired. Bred to bolt foxes for hunts, a Jack Russell will dig under a fence, square up to a dog five times its size and still want a game afterwards.
Smooth, broken and rough coats all shed; the broken and rough types can be hand-stripped. A cat raised alongside one may be tolerated, but rabbits, guinea pigs and the neighbour's chickens are prey, full stop. Ask breeders about DNA tests for primary lens luxation and late-onset ataxia.
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Parson Russell Terrier
The leggier, squarer relative of the Jack Russell, standing around 33 to 36 cm and built to keep up with horses before going to ground. Same fire, more stride.
A Parson needs serious daily exercise and a job, whether earthdog, agility or flyball, or it will invent its own, usually involving the flower beds. Coats are smooth or broken, and the broken coat strips beautifully. Prey drive is high and same-sex pairs can squabble. Health testing mirrors the Jack Russell's, including lens luxation and ataxia DNA tests.
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Rat Terrier
America's farm ratter, developed from fox terriers, Manchesters and other small hunting dogs, and recognised by the American Kennel Club in 2013. Rat Terriers tend to be more biddable than the British earth dogs: keen to please, quick to train and happy to curl up with the family once the work is done.
The short, smooth coat needs little more than a weekly rub with a rubber mitt, though it does shed. Small furries remain targets. Slipping kneecaps (patellar luxation) are the main inherited worry in an otherwise robust breed.
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Norfolk Terrier
One of the smallest working terriers and one of the most sociable. Norfolks are generally easier with other dogs than many of their relatives and tend to be cheerful rather than quarrelsome.
Tell one from a Norwich by its folded, dropped ears; the two were shown as a single breed until the Kennel Club separated them in 1964. The wiry coat needs hand-stripping two or three times a year. It still digs and still hunts, so bury the bottom of the garden fence and never trust one off lead near rabbits.
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Norwich Terrier
Prick-eared where the Norfolk's ears fold, the Norwich is an affectionate, bustling little dog that usually gets on with other dogs and adores company.
The breed carries a known breathing problem, Norwich Terrier upper airway syndrome, which can cause noisy breathing and poor tolerance of heat and exercise despite the normal-length muzzle. Ask whether the parents have had airway checks, and skip hard exercise on hot days. The coat is hand-stripped like the Norfolk's, and small pets are still fair game.
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Border Terrier
The terrier most first-time owners can genuinely live with. Border Terriers are usually gentler and more tolerant of other dogs than most of the group, and many share a home happily with a cat they were raised with, though anything small that runs outdoors is still quarry.
The otter-like head and harsh coat stay neat with hand-stripping two or three times a year. Ask breeders about canine epileptoid cramping syndrome, sometimes called Spike's disease, which causes episodes of cramping and in some dogs is linked to gluten sensitivity.
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Cairn Terrier
Toto in The Wizard of Oz was a Cairn, and the breed has exactly that scruffy, game charm. Cairns are hardy, independent and curious, more inclined to investigate than to pick a fight, but one that has spotted a mouse will not hear a word you say.
Diggers by trade, they take their name from the rock piles they worked. The shaggy weatherproof coat is meant to look natural and needs light hand-stripping rather than clipping. Ocular melanosis, an inherited eye condition that can lead to glaucoma, is worth asking about.
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West Highland White Terrier
Bright white, confident and far more vocal than its cuddly image suggests. Westies are sociable with people, bossy with other dogs and keen hunters of anything small.
Skin is the breed's weak spot: Westies are prone to atopic dermatitis, so ask about allergies in the line and budget for vet visits. Puppies can also develop craniomandibular osteopathy, a painful jaw-bone condition. The white coat is real work; hand-stripping keeps it harsh enough to shed dirt, while a clipped coat stains and softens.
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Australian Terrier
Australia's own terrier, bred from British wire-coated stock to keep homesteads clear of rats and snakes. It is small and sturdy, with a ruff round the neck and a soft topknot, and a temperament that is spirited but generally less argumentative than the Scottish breeds.
The harsh coat needs only occasional tidying and stripping, which makes it one of the lower-maintenance wire coats here. Expect a strong urge to chase small animals, and a dog that likes to be at the centre of family life.
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Scottish Terrier
The dignified one. Scotties are reserved with strangers, loyal to their own people and often compared to cats for their independence; they do not beg for approval and do not appreciate rough handling.
They can be prickly with other dogs, and prey drive is strong. The hard black, brindle or wheaten coat needs regular stripping or clipping, with the beard and leg furnishings combed out. Two breed issues matter: Scottie cramp, a non-painful inherited movement disorder, and a much higher risk of bladder cancer than most breeds, so regular urine checks in older dogs are sensible.
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Skye Terrier
Long, low and wrapped in a straight coat that can reach the floor, the Skye is one of Britain's rarest native breeds, with fewer than a hundred puppies a year registered with the Kennel Club. Expect a waiting list.
The temperament is loyal and brave but wary of strangers, so early socialising matters. That coat is never stripped: it needs thorough brushing right down to the skin every week. Go gently with stairs and jumping while puppies grow, as those short legs and long back need protecting.
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Dandie Dinmont Terrier
The softest-looking terrier, with a domed head, silky topknot and long curved body, and named after a character in a Walter Scott novel. Dandies are calmer and quieter indoors than most terriers, but do not mistake that for a lack of grit: they were bred to tackle otters and badgers and keep the deep bark and the chase to prove it.
The pepper or mustard coat mixes hard and soft hair and is hand-plucked. Ask about glaucoma screening in the parents, and stop that long back leaping off the sofa.
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Sealyham Terrier
A sturdy white terrier from Pembrokeshire, now on the Kennel Club's list of vulnerable native breeds. Sealyhams have a clownish, easy-going streak at home and a stubborn one in training, and they can be bossy with other dogs.
The white coat needs regular hand-stripping or clipping and a beard that wants washing after every meal. Primary lens luxation, a painful eye condition with a DNA test, is the key health question to put to a breeder.
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Cesky Terrier
A deliberate cross of Sealyham and Scottish Terrier, made by a Czech breeder after the Second World War to hunt in the Bohemian forests. The result is the mildest terrier here: the breed standard calls for a calm dog and penalises aggression, and Ceskys are generally quieter and easier with other dogs than their parent breeds.
The long, silky coat is clipped and scissored, never stripped, and wants daily brushing. Scottie cramp turns up occasionally, and good breeders screen for lens luxation and other eye problems.
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Glen of Imaal Terrier
Ireland's quiet terrier, from the Wicklow Mountains, with a long body, bowed front legs and a reputation for being far less excitable than its cousins. Glens are tough and persistent but rarely yappy.
Do not let the calm fool you: they were bred to tackle badgers and can turn on other dogs if provoked, especially dogs of the same sex. The medium-length harsh coat is hand-stripped. A DNA test exists for the breed's form of progressive retinal atrophy, an inherited blindness, and any good breeder will have used it.
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Manchester Terrier
A sleek black-and-tan ratter from Victorian Manchester, where it worked the mills and the rat pits. It looks almost like a small sighthound and is more sensitive and attentive to its owner than many terriers, but put it near a rat or a squirrel and the old job takes over.
The tight, glossy coat is about the easiest here: a weekly wipe and it shines. It feels the cold, though, so a winter coat is sensible. The breed carries von Willebrand's disease, a bleeding disorder with a DNA test.
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Miniature Schnauzer
Strictly a German farm dog rather than a British terrier, but shown in the American Kennel Club's Terrier Group and terrier enough in spirit to belong here. Miniature Schnauzers are among the most trainable and people-focused dogs on this list and usually get on with other dogs, though they are keen barkers and still chase small animals.
Show dogs are hand-stripped, but most pets are clipped every five to eight weeks. Ask about high blood fats, which raise the risk of pancreatitis, and bladder stones.
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Lakeland Terrier
Bred in the Lake District to work alongside the fell packs, the Lakeland is a confident, cheeky terrier with a very high opinion of itself. It is lively and playful with family, often bossy with strange dogs, and suits an owner who enjoys a battle of wits more than instant obedience.
The dense wiry coat sheds little and is hand-stripped to keep it weatherproof. Prey drive is high, so introduce cats with care and keep small pets well out of reach.
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Wire Fox Terrier
The show ring's favourite terrier, with more Westminster Best in Show wins than any other breed, and the breed of Snowy in Tintin. Away from the ring it is an energetic, opinionated dog with a short fuse around other dogs and a hunter's eye for anything furry.
Hand-stripped, the dense wiry coat is a groomer's showpiece; clipped, it loses that crisp outline and colour. Owners need good fencing, a sense of humour and time for a lot of daily exercise. Primary lens luxation runs in the breed, so check the parents' eye results.
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Smooth Fox Terrier
All the Fox Terrier personality, none of the stripping. The Smooth shares the Wire's alert, eager and noisy temperament, and the two have been shown as separate breeds for decades.
A rub with a hound glove keeps the dense, flat coat tidy, though it sheds steadily on furniture. Smooths are bold with other dogs and relentless with small animals, and they need plenty of exercise and training to keep them out of trouble. A good fit for anyone who loves the Fox Terrier character but would rather not book a groomer.
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Welsh Terrier
Picture a compact Airedale in black and tan. The Welsh Terrier is usually a little steadier than the Fox Terriers but no less spirited: affectionate, playful and keen to work, yet independent enough that a reliable recall takes patience.
The wiry coat sheds very little and is hand-stripped or clipped every few months. Small pets will be chased. Glaucoma and lens luxation are the breed's eye concerns, so ask what the parents have been screened for.
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Bedlington Terrier
Named after the Northumberland mining town a few miles north of Newcastle, and the one that looks like a lamb. Under the curly, scissored coat is a fast, lithe dog with a sighthound's build and serious chase instinct; a Bedlington can be gentle on the sofa and ruthless with a rabbit.
The coat sheds little but needs clipping and scissoring roughly every six weeks. Copper toxicosis, an inherited liver disease, has a long-standing DNA test, yet some cases occur without the known mutation, so ask about liver health across the line.
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Staffordshire Bull Terrier
A fixture of British family life and one of the most misunderstood dogs here. Staffordshire Bull Terriers are famously affectionate with people, children included, and sturdy enough for rough-and-tumble play.
Other dogs are a different matter: many Staffies are intolerant of dogs they do not know, so thorough socialising and a solid recall are essential. The short coat needs almost nothing. DNA tests exist for L-2-HGA, a metabolic brain disorder, and hereditary cataract, and responsible breeders test for both.
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Bull Terrier
The egg-shaped head makes it unmistakable, and the personality is just as distinctive: clownish, physical and stubborn. Bull Terriers adore people and need plenty of company, but they can be pushy with other dogs and are prone to compulsive habits such as tail chasing and spinning.
The flat coat is easy. The health questions are not: white Bull Terriers have a higher rate of deafness, so ask for hearing test results, along with kidney and heart screening of both parents.
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