Border Terrier - Information on Health, Training, Behavior and Diseases Associated With Border Terrier Dog

The Border terrier dog breed is one of those breeds that can trace it origins to Scotland in the British Isles.



The dog was originally bred from a variety of terriers to eliminate rodents and foxes. As such, they are hunting dogs with a keen sense of individuality and a killer instinct, which in a modern setting might be a health hazard to the dog. There have been many cases of the dog trying to chew and swallow toys that are not robust enough, causing a lot of indigestion and other gastric problems.



This dog breed is highly intelligent because of its hunting instinct but as such is not famed for rescue. In fact, Border terrier rescue dogs are not very popular unless the object of their rescue is in areas where one can find rodents and foxes.

Border terrier dogs are extremely social and pack oriented, showing much love and affection for those it considers to be a part of its immediate pack.



Since they are not very big dogs, they are also considered good pets for those in urban areas. However, since they are hunters, traditionally, they tend to also be aggressive and are likely to bite. This is a trait that the terrier and collie share but the collie usually nips at the ankles of its owners as a sign of trying to lead them to a certain area. However the terrier might bite as a sign of aggression. Curiously, they are one of the few breeds that can get along with cats in the home if they have been raised together. The terriers also display an intellectual side with their almost existentialist demeanor to want to observe people and the environment they are in. Most of these dogs tend to display this behavior when out on a walk, which will consist of moderate exercise along with some people watching behavior. It is actually quite difficult to pull a terrier out of this mood.

This breed of dog is extremely athletic and has a high threshold for pain as well. This enables it to execute tasks and sports that are normally difficult for a breed of its size to do. Some of the diseases that are associated with this breed are hip dysplasia, retinal degradation, heart defects, cataracts, and other such diseases. The dog is very amenable to training and obeys commands very well despite its high sense of individuality