Why did you pick your terrier puppy?

Because it won’t make you sneeze or wheeze? Because it had a rep for being smart and feisty? Or because you didn’t want to fix your broken doorbell?

If you got a terrier mainly because it’s a small, hypoallergenic breed you may have gotten more than you bargained for.  I, for one, got great “value-added” for my dog investment dollar.

When most people meet me with my Border Terriers they comment on their size and ask if they shed. They definitely don’t ask about their intense hunting natures.  All except for Hamish’s Dad–a young Scottish transplant to Canada–who spotted my Borders hundreds of yards away as we walked towards him.                                       [He “knew all their Border tricks”.]

If you’re considering a terrier puppy, consider Terrier Logic:

1. Respect yourself and respect others who respect themselves.                            Terrorize everyone else.
2. Hunt until you drop.
3. Love your human companion with all your heart, but…
4. Keep the Terrier “You’re-Not-The-Boss-of-Me” Motto in mind.
5. If it moves, get it.
6. If it scares you, GET IT.
7. If it scares your human companion, GET IT.
8. Get it before it gets you.
9. Remember that persistence usually pays off. And that…
10. Your desires are directly proportional to your human’s. The more your human wants something, the more you should want it.
11. Tune into every thought and feeling your human companion has.
12. Live with passion.

Terriers are way more than small, cute and hypoallergenic dogs. They’re empathetic and intense dogs with strong prey drives.  They can be reactive, determined and indefatigable.

Terrier Logic #5: if it moves, get it

So, before you get a terrier puppy know what you’re really getting into.  Prioritize your needs and theirs. Terriers respond best to self-respecting, calm human companions who honour their independent, hunting natures.  Be realistic about how your personality will mesh with–or fuel–theirs.

If you chose a terrier puppy and are having some challenges, be optimistic. If you can change, they can change.  Match your dog’s persistence. And consider these 12 Rules of Terrier Logic and how they might be playing out in your relationship. Doing so might help get you through The Rough.

If you “own” a terrier and have him all figured out, congratulations.                                  Please add your Rules of Terrier Logic so we can share in your success.