Patterdale Terrier

The name comes the village of Patterdale in the Lake District where the breed was first developed by Joe Bowman, Master of the Ullswater Hunt (a combination of the previous Patterdale and Matterdale hunts, amalgamated in 1873). Joe was already a breeder of Border Terriers and familiar with the local Fell (also known as Lakeland) terriers. He combined the two breeds, using blue-black Border Terriers with Black and Tan Fell terriers to create his ideal ‘go anywhere, all purpose’ terrier. 

Later, Joe’s work was continued by Cyril Breay and Frank Buck, all with the same objective, to produce a useful working terrier that could go to ground, hold off fox or badger until they could be dug to, not back down if attacked and kill smaller quarry such as rats. Due to the terrain hunted, these dogs also had to keep up with either horses or men on foot, across rough terrain that would have caused shorter legged terriers to struggle or need to be carried.

Bowman, Breay, and Bucks Patterdales all originally had wire coats, the smooth and broken coats being a much more modern addition to the type.   

Today’s Patterdale may be smooth coated or broken coated, they may be shorter legged or broader headed than Bowman envisaged. They may in fact be crossbred with other terrier types, since function was always more important than pedigree to working terrier men.  

The Patterdale is now found across the UK and also in the US, where they’re used to hunt groundhog, racoon, fox and nutria, and often can be found competing in Barn Hunt and Terrier Racing too.  

The only Kennel Club to recognise Patterdales as a breed is the United Kennel Club in the US, where they were first listed in 1995.

You’ll need to really love terriers, and understand their determined and feisty nature. Ideally, you’ll be able to provide a suitable outlet for their desire to hunt - a stable yard with a muck-heap full of rats would do nicely, but there are sports and competitions such as Barn Hunt (very new in the UK, popular in the US) that may also fit the bill. If you do not want a hunting terrier, you will have to provide acceptable outlets for their hardwired need to chase and kill prey. A secure garden (that you don’t mind holes being dug in!) and access to lots of rural walks is a must, and a good degree of skill in training the harder to motivate, sharp natured dog will be necessary. 

Patterdale Terriers origins lie in high energy, high stamina working dogs, bred to work hard whatever the weather. While it is tempting to think that the working lifestyle can be recreating with long walks or runs and playing games the reality is this will rarely suffice as it does not provide the mental stimulation and enrichment necessary to keep them happy and content. Provide walks, runs and training that recreate hunting, finding quarry, chasing and ragging/shaking behaviours. Keep it varied and interesting with you as the source of the most exciting rewards and opportunities, but also provide plenty of quiet downtime away from highly stimulating environments or your Patterdale will never sleep!

Whilst the Patterdale will fit into any sized home including boats and caravans, a reasonably sized and very secure yard or garden is vital. This breed is easily capable of digging, climbing and jumping, and should not be unsupervised anywhere without secure fencing. The Patterdale is a busy and clever dog, but will find densely populated urban dwelling overstimulating and stressful, so they are best suited to rural or semi-rural homes. 

A Patterdale terrier’s diet should be focused on high-quality food and a regular feeding schedule. Your dog’s diet needs to have the right balance of all the main nutrient groups including a constant supply of fresh water. It’s important to conduct regular body condition scores to ensure you keep your dog in ideal shape and remember to feed him at least twice daily and in accordance with the feeding guidelines of his particular food. 

Patterdale terrier grooming may vary depending on the coat type. Broken and wire coated types will benefit from hand stripping which is easy to learn, and helps maintain a tight, weather proof coat whilst preventing a build-up of dead coat and loose undercoat. Smooth coats need a brush through once or twice a week to maintain skin condition. Whichever coat type you have, it’s a good idea to check paws, ears, eyes and genital regions after each walk, so a quick brush at this time will help you spot any injuries or foreign bodies. 

To train the Patterdale Terrier you’ll need a thorough understanding of positive reinforcement-based methods, particularly in how to use the behaviours your dog enjoys as rewards for doing the things you ask. Motivating a Patterdale to want to work with you may be difficult, although they do like their food and will work for it, but attempts to force a Patterdale to bend to your will, is likely to end in disaster. Patterdales enjoy chasing, following scent, catching and ‘killing’ and so scent based games and tug-based games will work really well. 

Patterdales are not going to suit the average family. Their tolerance for typical small child behaviours and mistakes will be low, their speed to react to defend themselves and the ferocity with which they will defend themselves will be high. This is a dog for those who work or spend a lot of time outside, can take their dog with them, and who either have no children, or have older children/teenagers who can follow instructions closely. While they may get on with other household dogs, and possibly cats, if introduced early this is unlikely to apply to strange dogs or cats, and certainly will not apply to small furry caged pets. 

While many dogs are traditionally thought of as being good with children, all dogs and children need to be taught to get on with and respect each other, and to be safe together. Even so, dogs and young children should never be left alone together, and adults should supervise all interactions between them.