Fell Terrier

Overview of Fell Terriers

Fell Terrier refers to a regional type of long legged working terrier, not a specific breed of dog.

Description and Purpose

Fell terriers are types of small working terriers developed in the Fell (hilly) country of northern England and used as hunting dogs. They may be crossbred or purebred. Fell terrier types are typically small, usually under 15lbs/6.5kg, and with a narrow chest, so as to fit into the underground tunnels of the animals they hunt. Fell terriers are long legged, with a rough textured coat, often red or black in color. The tail traditionally is docked. Crossbreeding with other hunting dogs causes their appearance to vary.

Fell terriers are bred for hunting ability and gameness rather than to a standard of appearance (breed type). They hunt in packs so must get along well with other dogs. The Fell Terrier was originally developed to hunt the large Fell fox that was believed to cause serious losses for sheep stockmen. The dog needed long legs to follow hunters through heavy snow, and a narrow chest to follow the fox in a stony underground den. In the hunt, a terrier follows the red fox underground into its den, where it either kills the fox, bolts it or holds it until the hunter (terrierman) digs the dog and fox up.

Breeds

Several named breeds have been developed from the Fell terrier type, such as the Lakeland Terrier, Patterdale Terrier, Border Terrier, Scorrier terrier and other locally developed breeds. All are sometimes called "Fell Terrier" interchangeably with their breed name. The "National Terriers Club LLC", has published a Fell Terrier standard. In Germany, the Jagdterrier was developed out of Fell terrier stock in the 1920s. Fell terriers may be descended from a very old type of long legged terrier referred to as the rough-coated Black and Tan, similar to today's Welsh Terrier.

References

Further reading

*"Sport with Terriers", by Patricia Adams Lent, Arner Publications, Rome NY 1973

• "Hunt and Working Terriers", by Captain Jocelyn Lucas, Tideline Books 1995
• "The Fell Terrier", by David Brian Plummer, Tideline Books, North Wales 2006
• "American Working Terriers", by Patrick Burns, lulu.com publisher, 2005 ISBN: 978-1-4116-6082-3

External links

• A Pictorial History of Terriers
• American Working Terrier Association
• Fell Terrier Society

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