Quick Facts
Origin: England
Height: 13”-15”
Weight: 15-17 lbs
Color: Black, black & tan, blue, blue & tan, grizzle & tan, red, red grizzle, wheaten
Lifespan: 12-15 years
Temperament: Daring, intelligent, tenacious
Overview
The Lakeland Terriers are bold and confident. These pups are best in the hands of owners who are consistent and establish themselves as the Alpha. They were originally bred to hunt fox, badgers and otters; and like all terriers old habits die hard.
Lakelands are best kept away from houses with other small pets, as they will likely see them as prey to which they will have no mercy. They make good watchdogs and will always be wary yet polite to strangers. Their short wiry coat does not shed much.
Lakelands love to be with their owners and are prone to separation anxiety when left alone too long. Be sure to always provide your pup with lots of toys when you are gone, else Lakeland is likely to find fun on its own.
Celebrity Owners
Bill Cosby
Fun Facts
Their name comes from the Lake District in northern England.
Health
Lakeland Terriers are a very healthy breed. Some issues that are unlikely but may occur are:
- Legg-Calve-Perthes disease: This disease occurs at the head of the femur (the ball and socket joint in your dog’s hips. Here, the femur degenerates which can cause the hip to collapse and can cause arthritis.
- Patellar luxation: Luxating simply means out of place or dislocated. Patella is a kneecap. A Luxating patella is a kneecap that chronically moves out of its normal position.
- Allergies: Histamine, which is a chemical in the body associated with immune responses, is released during allergic reactions.
- Primary lens luxation (PLL): Here, the tiny fibers that hold the lens suspended in the eye begin to degrade. Eventually, the lens can fall out of place.
- Glaucoma: Glaucoma is caused by when the intraocular pressure (IOP) in the eye is increased.
- Cataracts: A dog develops a cataract when the lens in its eye clouds. The clouding is caused by changes in the water balance or proteins in the lens.
While you always hope your pet will live a long and healthy life, it is always a good idea to invest in pet health insurance.
Keeping your dog’s mouth clean and problem free goes a long way to your pup’s overall health. Dental hygiene can be the cause or can be the byproduct of other serious health issues.
Visual inspections can be performed to keep track of the signs of potentially waning oral health. These signs can be anything from bad breath to abnormal chewing to loss of appetite.
Keeping ahead of these warning signs can pay dividends. A preventative approach can delay and stop many of the common dental problems from arising.
Oral health can be tackled in five basic steps:
- Brushing your dog’s teeth to prevent an undesirable buildup of plaque
- Feed your dog a diet where the high quality dog food has dental benefits
- Regularly give your dog dental toys and treats
- Use mouthwash, to help where brushing misses
- At the sign of any abnormalities, consult a vet. You can even do it virtually, from the convenience of your home.
Dogs are just like humans in that they can experience anxiety. The degree to which they are susceptible to anxiety and how they deal with anxiety is breed specific. Left unchecked, initial signs of anxiety could give way to an anxiety disorder. The symptoms of anxiety disorders can lead to a myriad of behavior issues.
Knowing the signs and symptoms will best equip you to keep ahead of it and to nip it in the bud at the earliest signs. There are options available to help with anxiety.
Grooming
Lakelands natural coat is hypoallergenic and naturally dirt and water resistant. The coat will require periodic hand stripping and weekly brushing.
Some owners choose to clipper the coat, as finding a groomer who will hand strip is quite difficult. Clippering, while acceptable, will change some of the properties of their coat: dampening the color and loosing some of the dirt and water repellency.
Bathe your pup every 4-6 weeks. Keep their eyes and ears clean and clear of debris. Maintain clipped nails and brush your pups teeth several times per week.
Nutrition
Lakelands typically eat about 1 ½ cups of food per day. Your pup’s consumption will of course depend on age and activity level. Always be mindful with small dogs not to let them overeat. A little weight goes a long way on little frames.
We’ve taken a look at some premium dog foods, high in nutrition here.
Training
As with all dogs, early socialization with humans and other pups is key to your dog’s success. The most important note for terriers when training, they are incredibly intelligent.
They bore easily when asked to perform the same task repeatedly, and at some point just won’t do it. Keep sessions positive and dynamic. Be mindful when you need to physically correct your Lakeland that this breed is more likely to growl or snap at you.
Proper training is essential to ensuring the safety of your dog and those around you. Having your dog come when they should, and in general having them listen is something you want to address early in your pup’s life, as it will pay dividends down the line. There are many tried and true training programs to accomplish this training – faster and better than you might think!
Unless you’re living on a farm, or have the space, a yipping dog, or one that barks all day when you are gone could be an issue with the neighbors and/or landlord. Historically, dogs would bark to communicate with the rest of the pack when hunting and bark as a warning shot to predators eyeing up their flock. Barking is deep rooted in dogs and manifests itself in many ways and for a variety of reasons.
Just like any habit or instinct, there are effective ways you can train this issue away.
Supplements
A solid Glucosamine Supplement for hips and joints will go a long way to helping your furry friend.
Other helpful supplements include full-spectrum hemp oil or CBD oil. Fish oil skin and coat supplement.
Ensuring a comprehensive preventative vitamin and mineral plan is essential to keeping your dog healthy. Truth is, there are vitamins and minerals that your dog needs, but doesn’t produce naturally. While many of these vitamins and minerals can be found in your dog’s current diet and dog food, the question becomes, are there enough vitamins to ensure they aren’t deficient.
Poor nutrition can lead to some of the most common health issues, such as weak joints, compromised immunity, increased allergies, and low energy.
Vitamins play a vital role in your pet’s health and overall life expectancy. Here are some multivitamin and joint relief options.
As regulations around marijuana have eased, the emergence of CBD oils for humans and dogs have sprung up.
Just to begin to dispel the negative stigma, CBD extract comes from Hemp, marijuana’s cousin. Unlike its cousin, there are no psychoactive qualities in CBD oil. An emerging number of clinical and institutional studies have shown the wide variety of healing qualities in CBD, including pain management, and the containment of seizures and epileptic episodes.
Explore this remedy further to see all the health benefits that have transformed the lives of so many dogs to date.
The Good
Keen watchdog
Low shedding
The "Ruff"
Likes to dig holes
Prone to barking
Aggressive with other animals