Dandie Dinmont Terrier
The Dandie Dinmont Terrier is the only breed named after a fictional character: Dandie Dinmont, the farmer in Walter Scott's novel Guy Mannering, whose pack of these terriers made…
About the Dandie Dinmont Terrier
The Dandie Dinmont Terrier is the only breed named after a fictional character: Dandie Dinmont, the farmer in Walter Scott's novel Guy Mannering, whose pack of these terriers made the type famous after 1815. They were bred along the Border to work badger and otter, and they have kept a low, long, weasel-shaped body ever since.
Height is only 20 to 28 cm over a body about twice as long, topped by a large head with a soft, silky topknot, and the colour is either pepper or mustard with no other shade permitted. Weight runs to about 8 to 11 kg. This is among the most vulnerable of the native terriers, with very few puppies registered in a year, so a stud is often chosen for the pedigree it brings as much as for its type.
That long back means intervertebral disc problems, and a straight question about back trouble in the dog and its relatives is the most useful one you can put. Glaucoma occurs in the breed, so an annual eye examination that includes gonioscopy is worth requesting. Add a patella assessment and a question about thyroid function. Given the tiny population, ask the owner to calculate the coefficient of inbreeding before anything is agreed.
Health & breeding
We check every hip, elbow, eye and DNA result you give us against the Royal Kennel Club’s public records by hand, and we record who checked it and when. The Royal Kennel Club’s public records may not include all the screening a dog has had, so a dog with no Royal Kennel Club record showing is not necessarily untested.
Breed Right’s summary — under The Royal Kennel Club Health Standard
Health tests for the Dandie Dinmont Terrier
This panel is Breed Right’s summary of the testing that matters for the breed under The Royal Kennel Club Health Standard. The Health Standard is the Royal Kennel Club’s guidance for breeders, not a registration rule. It describes tests to ask about — it is not a report on any individual dog. The Royal Kennel Club’s public records may not include all the screening a dog has had, so a dog with no Royal Kennel Club record showing is not necessarily untested.
Good Practice — the Royal Kennel Club’s minimum before breeding
The tests the Royal Kennel Club says breeders should, at a minimum, complete before breeding.
| Test | Type | Scheme | What’s involved |
|---|---|---|---|
| Eye testing (BVA/KC/ISDS) | Screening scheme | BVA/KC/ISDS | Result printed on the eye certificate. |
| Gonioscopy (BVA/KC/ISDS) | Screening scheme | BVA/KC/ISDS | Grade 1–3 on the certificate; 1 is normal or mild. |
At stud now
Dandie Dinmont Terrier stud dogs
No Dandie Dinmont Terrier studs are listed right now
When a Dandie Dinmont Terrier on the Royal Kennel Club Breed Register is listed at stud, it will appear here.
Also available
Dandie Dinmont Terrier litters
No Dandie Dinmont Terrier litters are listed right now
Litters appear here as breeders list them. Check back soon, or browse other breeds.
