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Breed guide · Dogs
She'd walk all day if I let her. I set my alarm for the cool hours.
Last updated 14 October 2026
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What they brought with them.
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At home
Sweet with the children and fine with the dog next door, then gone the moment a cat moves.
What's going onThey were bred to find foxes on open hills, working beside hounds. Many Border Terriers are easy with other dogs and still go straight for anything small that runs. Keep them on a lead where there are cats.
At home
Back from a walk round the block and still bouncing at the door.
What's going onTheir ancestors ran behind horses all day. A short walk barely starts them. Give them a long walk in the cool hours, and something to sniff out at home.
At home
Holes in the garden, sand flying at the beach, and a bed dug into shape before they lie down.
What's going onDigging was half the job. Give them one place where they are allowed to dig, and bury something there for them to find. It works better than telling them off everywhere.
At home
A few minutes of stiff legs, trembling or wobbly walking, while wide awake.
What's going onSome Border Terriers have episodes of cramping and unsteady walking while fully aware. It is easy to put down to the cold, a sore back or a quirk. Film it on your phone and show your vet.
At home
Licking paws, scratching ears, shaking the head and rubbing the face on the rug.
What's going onTheir wiry coat was made for rain on a hillside, and it hides the skin. Itchy skin is on their record at every age, so part the coat once a week and look.
At home
A skip on a back leg for a step or two, then carrying on as if nothing happened.
What's going onThey were bred to keep going over rough ground all day. A skip, a reluctance to jump into the car or a shorter walk than usual may be the only sign that something hurts.
The bit nobody tells you.
Their day
Built for: Following a hunt across wet hills, all day.
In Dubai: Often a day indoors.
Their ground
Built for: Wet hills, and underground after a fox.
In Dubai: Ground too hot to walk on for half the year.
What they chase
Built for: A fox, when the hunt asked.
In Dubai: Compound cats, to watch and leave alone.
The digging, the gate-watching and the sudden bolts after cats mostly come from that gap.
You cannot give them a hillside. You can give them a job, and the ten things below show you how.
Your plan is built around their breed: the risks on a Border Terrier's record at every age, and the care that goes with each one.
Join the founding families. AED 1,999 of essential care for AED 199.
Ten things that make their life better.
They will dig either way. One allowed place saves the rest.
Every age, most of all 6 months to 2 years
Why
They will dig either way. One allowed place saves the rest.
What to do
A sandpit, a tub of play sand on the balcony, or a corner of the garden. Bury a toy or part of their food while they watch, and let them dig it out.
One cat runs, and they stop listening. A lead keeps them out of harm.
Every age, most of all 6 months to 2 years
Why
One cat runs, and they stop listening. A lead keeps them out of harm.
What to do
Keep them on a lead wherever cats and birds are. Practise recall on a long line in a quiet, fenced place. They may be perfect for months, then gone after one cat.
They need to chase something every day, and young ones can swallow pieces of toys.
Every age, with slower, lower games from 7 years
Why
They need to chase something every day, and young ones can swallow pieces of toys.
What to do
Play with a flirt pole or a tug toy every day, and let them win sometimes. Use toys too big to swallow, and put them away after the game. Teach "drop" with a treat swap.
Terriers were kept for their voice.
Every age, most of all 6 months to 2 years
Why
Terriers were kept for their voice.
What to do
Let them bark twice at the door, say "thank you" in a calm voice, call them to you and reward them. Shouting back only sounds like joining in.
Many Border Terriers are easy with other dogs, and a bad meeting can change that.
Every age, most of all in the first two years
Why
Many Border Terriers are easy with other dogs, and a bad meeting can change that.
What to do
Plenty of calm, friendly dogs before sixteen weeks. After that, short greetings with dogs they do not know, then walk on, and the same calm friends often. If they start falling out with another dog, contact your vet.
They were bred to decide for themselves underground.
Every age
Why
They were bred to decide for themselves underground.
What to do
Three to five minutes, two or three times a day, paid from their daily food. Stop while they are still keen.
They were bred for long days on cold hills, and their coat holds heat.
Every age, most of all puppies and from 7 years
Why
They were bred for long days on cold hills, and their coat holds heat.
What to do
From May to September, walk before sunrise and after dark, and do the long walk then. Put the back of your hand on the pavement for five seconds: if you cannot keep it there, they cannot walk on it. Have a groomer hand-strip or trim their coat, and keep it free of mats.
Dental disease is common in the breed from 6 months to 7 years.
Every age, most of all 6 months to 7 years
Why
Dental disease is common in the breed from 6 months to 7 years.
What to do
Brush once a day with a small, soft brush and dog toothpaste. Look at their gums once a week. A dental evaluation (teeth and gum check) is in your plan at each puppy visit, and regular dental treatment from age two.
A slipping kneecap, hip problems and episodes of cramping are all on their record.
Every age, most of all 6 months to 7 years
Why
A slipping kneecap, hip problems and episodes of cramping are all on their record.
What to do
Put rugs where they run on marble, keep them lean and weigh them once a month. A skip or a limp goes to your vet. If they stiffen, tremble or walk oddly for a few minutes, film it and show your vet. Orthopaedic imaging (x-rays or scans of the joints) is in your plan if a limp lasts.
Itchy skin and sore ears turn up at every age, and the coat hides them.
Every age, most of all from 7 years
Why
Itchy skin and sore ears turn up at every age, and the coat hides them.
What to do
Brush them more than once a week, and part the coat to look at the skin while you are there. Look between the toes, smell the ears, and note any new lump.
Two of these are in your plan. The rest you can do at home.
Join the founding families. AED 1,999 of essential care for AED 199.
Their health, at every age.
How old are they?
Their age
the first six months
What to watch for
The care that goes with it
Their age
6 months to 2 years
What to watch for
The care that goes with it
Their age
2 to 4 years
What to watch for
The care that goes with it
Their age
4 to 7 years
What to watch for
The care that goes with it
Their age
7 to 10 years
What to watch for
The care that goes with it
Their age
10 years and over
What to watch for
The care that goes with it
Breed predispositions indicate an increased risk rather than certainty of disease. What is right for them always comes from their own history and an evaluation.
Before they come home.
Working dog or show dog
There is one Border Terrier, in one rough, wiry coat. The people who bred them for farm and hunt work wrote the first standard, so even a show dog today looks and moves much like the terriers of the Cheviot Hills. Whoever bred your puppy, expect a working terrier's energy.
Colours
Border Terriers come in warm, earthy shades: red, wheaten, grizzle and tan, or blue and tan, often with a darker muzzle. Whatever the shade, the scruffy look is the point.
The first six months
Vaccinations, microchip and Dubai Municipality registration come first. Get them used to having their mouth handled, because baby teeth that stay put are on their puppy record. Meet cats calmly, at a distance, on a lead, and plenty of calm, friendly dogs before sixteen weeks.
Puppy health, 0 to 6 months
Getting the home ready
A sandpit or a tub of play sand, a flirt pole and sturdy tug toys too big to swallow, a harness and a long line for recall practice, a small, soft toothbrush, and rugs where they run on marble.
Ten things that make their life better
Before you commit
Canine epileptoid cramping syndrome (episodes of cramping and wobbly walking while they stay awake) is on their record from 6 months old. If you are choosing a puppy, ask the breeder whether either parent has had episodes, and meet the mother if you can.
Before the clinics open
AED 1,999 of essential care for AED 199. No payment now.
For a new puppy: First 30 days with a new puppy · Puppy vaccinations in the UAE · Heatstroke in dogs
When it is not behaviour.
They'll still want to walk all day. If they start turning for home early, call your vet.
Before they were yours.
1700s and 1800s
On the hill farms between England and Scotland, farmers kept small, tough terriers to deal with the foxes that took their lambs.
What they still carryStamina, and a weatherproof, wiry coat.
Around 1880
The Border Foxhounds' terriers had to run behind the horses all day and work beside hounds without fighting. By around 1880 they were called Border Terriers.
What they still carryAn easier temper with other dogs than many terriers.
1920 and 1930
The Kennel Club recognised the breed in 1920, and the American Kennel Club in 1930. The first standard was written by the people who bred them for work.
What they still carryA show dog that still moves like a working one.
Today
In the UAE a Border Terrier is a rare dog, living in a flat or a villa, with the compound cats to watch instead of foxes.
What they still carryA hunter's eye for anything small and fast.
The ones you type at midnight.
If the Border Terrier suits you, so might these.
Scottish TerrierThe same kind of dog: a small working terrier from Britain, more independent, with a wiry coat that needs more grooming.
Jack Russell TerrierAnother small British working terrier, with far more energy and a bigger welcome for strangers.
English Cocker SpanielThe same friendly, easy-going temperament, in a bigger spaniel with a silky coat to brush.Guide coming soon
DachshundA similar small-dog life and easy coat care, in a longer, lower hound with a much louder bark.
