Sealyham Terrier

The Sealyham Terrier, nowadays essentially a companion or show dog, is more and more rare on the European territory, we find it mostly in France.

Height 29 to 31 cm
Weight 8 to 9 kg
Life expectancy 12 to 14 years
Home country United Kingdom (UK)

Quick Overview of the Sealyham Terrier

Temperament

  • Fearless and lively
  • Vigorous and friendly
  • Balanced and calm
  • Excellent character

Appearance

  • Body longer than high
  • Smooth and balanced look
  • Ears close together on the cheeks
  • Tail usually shortened

Health

  • Rustic and very solid
  • Generally healthy
  • Rarely ill
  • Long life expectancy

Temperament of the Sealyham Terrier

Fearless, lively, vigorous, friendly, balanced and calm, the Sealyham Terrier has an excellent character. Rather sociable, he has difficulty getting along with other dogs.

His education and socialization must be undertaken at an early age. Even if he has a good character, he is still a Terrier, with the rather stubborn temperament that characterizes his category so well.

The Sealyham Terrier is constant, faithful, and brings great joy of life, and lots of affection to all members of his family.

The Sealyham Terrier loves everyone, especially children. His character is generally mischievous and very playful.

The adult dog is calmer, but is still very dynamic, and must be able to spend his energy regularly. Always happy to satisfy his masters, he is very affectionate with everyone.

His friendly nature makes him an extraordinary companion for young and old alike. He will be an excellent companion dog, whatever the family situation.

sealyham terrier personnalité

Breed Appearance

sealyham burrow

With a body that is longer than tall, the Sealyham Terrier is still well proportioned, having a lot of substance, even with such a small volume.

Rather free in his movements, he has a supple, balanced and active look, accompanied by astonishing power.

Height

Between 29 and 31 cm (11.42 to 12.20 inches) for the male
Between 29 and 31 cm (11.42 to 12.20 inches) for the female

Weight

Between 8 and 9 kg (17.64 to 19.84 pounds) for the male
Between 8 and 9 kg (17.64 to 19.84 pounds) for the female

Color

His coat can be evenly white, or with lemon, blue, brown or badger (dark grey) patches on the ears and head with a white background.

The uniform white version was selected for hunting, so that hounds could differentiate him from game.

Hair

His long hair is rough and rather harsh, and has a waterproof undercoat.

Morphology

His head is rather broad, and has a dome-shaped skull with a muzzle characterized by a square, long and powerful jaw.

His round eyes are dark medium size. His ears are close together on the cheeks and are medium size.

His nose is black. His tail is usually shortened. When it is au naturel, it is long and carried straight.

According to the FCI breeds nomenclature, this breed belongs to group 3, section 2 and is #74

Sealyham Terrier puppies near me

Tips About this breed

The Sealyham Terrier is a very intelligent dog, with whom it is preferable to behave like an ally rather than trying to subdue him.

His education must be early and firm, but must be characterized by tact and determination.

He has to understand prohibitions very early, and take the place assigned to him in the hierarchy of the house.

The master will have to show gentleness, patience and great firmness to properly educate his dog.

Like any self-respecting good Terrier, he is rather stubborn, and must learn his limits very early.

His socialization should also begin early, and not aim to exacerbate his natural fear of strangers.

He must also learn at an early age to live and get used to his fellow dogs, as he does not tolerate the company of other dogs.

Lively and active, like all Terriers, he likes to spend his energy at every opportunity.

He calms down a little as he gets older, but he still retains incredible energy. He can very well live in an apartment without creating any problems.

However, he must be able to benefit from daily exercise.

Health of the Sealyham Terrier

This hardy dog is very strong, and generally enjoys excellent health, rarely sick.

Some specimens may occasionally suffer from eye issues, but this is by no means a pathology directly related to the breed. These are usually isolated cases.

The Sealyham puppy is very active, but tends to get a little lazier as an adult.

It is therefore preferable to monitor weight in the adult dog, with a minimum of exercise, and managing the daily food ration. The longevity of the Sealyham Terrier is generally appreciable.

GROOMING

His coat, with its hard and rough hair, must be brushed daily in order to keep it clean, pretty and healthy.

It is also preferable to wash him regularly. The Sealyham Terrier should not be shorn, but depilated.

It is preferable that the show dog be groomed by a professional. As for the pet dog, no other special care is necessary.

History of this breed

Originally from Wales, more precisely from the town of Sealyham, the Sealyham Terrier belongs to the great Terrier family.

He gets his name from the town where he was created by Captain John Edwardes in the 19th century. Wanting to obtain a better hunting dog to hunt otters and badgers, Captain Edwardes selected a wide variety of dogs known for their predisposition to hunt small game.

He used the Dandie Dinmont Terrier, the English White Terrier (now extinct), the Fox Terrier, the West Highland White Terrier and the Corgi.

After testing the qualities of the crossbreeds, he eliminated subjects that were unsuitable for his final vision, to finally obtain the Sealyham Terrier breed as he is represented today.

This little dog became very fashionable in Hollywood with a majority of stars such as Elizabeth Taylor, Cary Grant, Jean Harlow and even Alfred Hitchcock at one time.

In England, even Princess Margaret owned a Sealyham Terrier. The breed spread widely in England, but lost its popularity when the ban on badger hunting was introduced. Since he could no longer be used for hunting, he became successful as a companion and show dog.

In 1903, he appeared for the first time in shows and in 1908, the Sealyham Terrier Club was created. The breed was officially recognized for the first time in 1910, but it was also later recognized by major dog societies.

He was once one of the most popular Terriers in the world, and the best known dog breed in Wales. Today, the Kennel Club lists him as one of the most endangered native breeds on the planet.

Some Sealyham Terriers appeared in the media, such as Stanley and Geoffrey belonging to Alfred Hitchcock, in his very famous film "The Birds" where he himself appears coming out of a shop with his two dogs.

At that time, Alfred Hitchcock owned three dogs, the third one was also a Sealyham Terrier called Mr. Jenkins.

Originally, the Sealyham Terrier was a versatile hunting dog that could enter burrows to point out the location of game or to dislodge it. Since that time, he has evolved from a hunting dog to a highly valued companion.

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