DANDIEPEDIA
DANDIE FAQS
Some Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ’s) about the Dandie Dinmont Terrier
1) Do Dandies need a lot of grooming?
Dandies will need to be regularly brushed like most coated breeds and probably professionally groomed 3/4 times a year to keep them looking smart.
2) Do Dandies Moult?
No. A Dandie’s coat does not shed hair all over the place
3) Can Dandies be kept with other pets?
A Dandie can live quite happily with cats, rabbits and even chickens - if introduced as a puppy. A sociable character a Dandie will get along with other dogs and doesn’t actively look for trouble
4) What are Dandies like with children?
Dandies are excellent with children and usually develop a strong bond with the younger members of the family. A more important question is what are your children like with dogs!
5) Are Dandies a healthy breed?
A Dandie will be as healthy as any other well-bred pedigree dog. Average life expectancy is 12-14 years, with many dogs living to 15 or 16 years.
6) Do Dandies need a lot of Exercise?
Dandies are very adaptable and will happily join you on long walks in the country or a quick trip around the block, but they also make great couch potatoes and love human company.
7) Can Dandies be let off the lead?
Yes, they can be let off the lead if trained from an early age, but caution is advised as they do retain their hunting instincts.
8) Are Dandies noisy?
The Dandie Dinmont Terrier is not a “yappy” breed and if kept as a solo pet do not usually bark a lot. They do however have an amazingly deep and loud bark (particularly the males) which can make them a deceptively good guard dog.
9) Are Dandie puppies difficult to find?
The breed is lucky to have dedicated breeders committed to the long-term future of the Dandie. You may have to go on a waiting list and please begin your search early. Dogs are usually easier to find than bitches and be prepared to be rigorously interviewed. Be warned, however, once a Dandie enters your life, he will touch your heart like no other “ordinary” dog!
1) Do Dandies need a lot of grooming?
Dandies will need to be regularly brushed like most coated breeds and probably professionally groomed 3/4 times a year to keep them looking smart.
2) Do Dandies Moult?
No. A Dandie’s coat does not shed hair all over the place
3) Can Dandies be kept with other pets?
A Dandie can live quite happily with cats, rabbits and even chickens - if introduced as a puppy. A sociable character a Dandie will get along with other dogs and doesn’t actively look for trouble
4) What are Dandies like with children?
Dandies are excellent with children and usually develop a strong bond with the younger members of the family. A more important question is what are your children like with dogs!
5) Are Dandies a healthy breed?
A Dandie will be as healthy as any other well-bred pedigree dog. Average life expectancy is 12-14 years, with many dogs living to 15 or 16 years.
6) Do Dandies need a lot of Exercise?
Dandies are very adaptable and will happily join you on long walks in the country or a quick trip around the block, but they also make great couch potatoes and love human company.
7) Can Dandies be let off the lead?
Yes, they can be let off the lead if trained from an early age, but caution is advised as they do retain their hunting instincts.
8) Are Dandies noisy?
The Dandie Dinmont Terrier is not a “yappy” breed and if kept as a solo pet do not usually bark a lot. They do however have an amazingly deep and loud bark (particularly the males) which can make them a deceptively good guard dog.
9) Are Dandie puppies difficult to find?
The breed is lucky to have dedicated breeders committed to the long-term future of the Dandie. You may have to go on a waiting list and please begin your search early. Dogs are usually easier to find than bitches and be prepared to be rigorously interviewed. Be warned, however, once a Dandie enters your life, he will touch your heart like no other “ordinary” dog!
Twenty things you never knew about a Dandie Dinmont Terrier!
1. It is the only breed of dog to be named after a character from Fiction – “Dandie Dinmont” was a Border Farmer in Sir Walter Scott's Waverley novel "Guy Mannering".
2. "Guy Mannering" was published on February 24th 1815. The first edition sold out on the very first day of publication! The second edition, published one month later, also sold out in one day.
3. Other famous literary owners in addition to Sir Walter Scott include: Agatha Christie, George Bernard Shaw, John
Galsworthy, William Wordsworth, Gerald Durrell, Somerset Maugham, Karen Blixen and Sir Alec Guinness.
4. The Dandie Dinmont Terrier was the world’s first “Celebrity Dog”, following the publication of “Guy Mannering” the Dandie became the breed of choice for royalty, the nobility, and the rich and famous.
5. Queen Victoria owned and bred them, as did Edward V11. Continuing the tradition, a current member of the Royal Family (Viscount Linley – The Earl of Snowden) is an owner of a Dandie Dinmont.
6. The earliest known painting showing a Dandie Dinmont was painted by Thomas
Gainsborough in 1770 and shows a young Henry, 3rd Duke of Buccleuch (1746-1812) with his favourite dog. It hangs at Bowhill.
7. It is estimated that there are only approximately 3,000 Dandies in the entire world making them one of the rarest breeds of dog.
8. Until Scott wrote Guy Mannering, the breed was known as “Mustard and Pepper Terriers”, as the Dandie comes in just two colours – Mustard, from light beige to a rich gold or red hue and Pepper, which can range from light grey to inky blue black.
9. The Dandie Dinmont Terrier Club is the world’s second oldest breed club, founded on November 17th 1875 at the Fleece Hotel in Selkirk, Scotland. A commemorative plaque is displayed inside the public bar area
10. “Dandie” is a diminutive for Andrew. A “Dinmont” is a two year old, entire, unshaven male sheep.
11. It is the only breed of dog to have a Train
12. a Boat,
13. and a brand of Tobacco named after it.
14. From 1880 to 1980 Dandie Dinmont Whisky was distilled and marketed by Alexanders of Leith. .
15. “The Dandie Dinmont Terrier – it’s History and Characteristics”, written by Charles Cook and published in 1885 was the first ever book about a single dog breed to be published.
16. When the Kennel Club – the world’s first kennel registry - was formed in 1873 it recognised only 36 breeds - the Dandie Dinmont Terrier is one of them.
17. Britain has three breed clubs devoted to the Dandie Dinmont: The Dandie Dinmont Terrier Club (founded 1875); the Southern Dandie Dinmont Terrier Club (est 1929) and the Caledonian Dandie Dinmont Club (est 1989). International clubs include The Dandie Dinmont Terrier Club of Canada, The Dandie Dinmont Terrier Club of America, The Finnish Dandie Dinmont Club and Dandie Breeders Club in the Czech Republic.
18. The Dandie Dinmont Terrier is believed to have been used in the development of the following twelve breeds: Australian Silky Terrier; Australian Terrier; Bedlington Terrier; Border Terrier; Cesky Terrier, Lakeland Terrier, Norfolk Terrier; Norwich Terrier; Sealyham Terrier; Standard Wirehaired Dachshund; Miniature Wirehaired Dachshund and Yorkshire Terrier
19. Callum was a Dandie Dinmont Terrier owned by Mr James Cowan Smith who bequeathed £55,000 to the National Gallery of Scotland in 1919, creating an important trust fund for acquisitions. His endowment insisted that a painting of his beloved Callum should be hung in the Gallery in perpetuity, where he can be seen today.
20. The Dandie Dinmont is the only breed of dog allowed to wear an official clan Tartan (Sir Walter Scott’s personal Black and White tartan). Permission was granted on February 23rd, 2015 by His Grace, Richard 10th Duke of Buccleuch and chief of Clan Scott.
2. "Guy Mannering" was published on February 24th 1815. The first edition sold out on the very first day of publication! The second edition, published one month later, also sold out in one day.
3. Other famous literary owners in addition to Sir Walter Scott include: Agatha Christie, George Bernard Shaw, John
Galsworthy, William Wordsworth, Gerald Durrell, Somerset Maugham, Karen Blixen and Sir Alec Guinness.
4. The Dandie Dinmont Terrier was the world’s first “Celebrity Dog”, following the publication of “Guy Mannering” the Dandie became the breed of choice for royalty, the nobility, and the rich and famous.
5. Queen Victoria owned and bred them, as did Edward V11. Continuing the tradition, a current member of the Royal Family (Viscount Linley – The Earl of Snowden) is an owner of a Dandie Dinmont.
6. The earliest known painting showing a Dandie Dinmont was painted by Thomas
Gainsborough in 1770 and shows a young Henry, 3rd Duke of Buccleuch (1746-1812) with his favourite dog. It hangs at Bowhill.
7. It is estimated that there are only approximately 3,000 Dandies in the entire world making them one of the rarest breeds of dog.
8. Until Scott wrote Guy Mannering, the breed was known as “Mustard and Pepper Terriers”, as the Dandie comes in just two colours – Mustard, from light beige to a rich gold or red hue and Pepper, which can range from light grey to inky blue black.
9. The Dandie Dinmont Terrier Club is the world’s second oldest breed club, founded on November 17th 1875 at the Fleece Hotel in Selkirk, Scotland. A commemorative plaque is displayed inside the public bar area
10. “Dandie” is a diminutive for Andrew. A “Dinmont” is a two year old, entire, unshaven male sheep.
11. It is the only breed of dog to have a Train
12. a Boat,
13. and a brand of Tobacco named after it.
14. From 1880 to 1980 Dandie Dinmont Whisky was distilled and marketed by Alexanders of Leith. .
15. “The Dandie Dinmont Terrier – it’s History and Characteristics”, written by Charles Cook and published in 1885 was the first ever book about a single dog breed to be published.
16. When the Kennel Club – the world’s first kennel registry - was formed in 1873 it recognised only 36 breeds - the Dandie Dinmont Terrier is one of them.
17. Britain has three breed clubs devoted to the Dandie Dinmont: The Dandie Dinmont Terrier Club (founded 1875); the Southern Dandie Dinmont Terrier Club (est 1929) and the Caledonian Dandie Dinmont Club (est 1989). International clubs include The Dandie Dinmont Terrier Club of Canada, The Dandie Dinmont Terrier Club of America, The Finnish Dandie Dinmont Club and Dandie Breeders Club in the Czech Republic.
18. The Dandie Dinmont Terrier is believed to have been used in the development of the following twelve breeds: Australian Silky Terrier; Australian Terrier; Bedlington Terrier; Border Terrier; Cesky Terrier, Lakeland Terrier, Norfolk Terrier; Norwich Terrier; Sealyham Terrier; Standard Wirehaired Dachshund; Miniature Wirehaired Dachshund and Yorkshire Terrier
19. Callum was a Dandie Dinmont Terrier owned by Mr James Cowan Smith who bequeathed £55,000 to the National Gallery of Scotland in 1919, creating an important trust fund for acquisitions. His endowment insisted that a painting of his beloved Callum should be hung in the Gallery in perpetuity, where he can be seen today.
20. The Dandie Dinmont is the only breed of dog allowed to wear an official clan Tartan (Sir Walter Scott’s personal Black and White tartan). Permission was granted on February 23rd, 2015 by His Grace, Richard 10th Duke of Buccleuch and chief of Clan Scott.
Tell the World
Tell the world about your Dandie and the breed. Print off these useful "meet and greet" cards produced by Paul Keevil and keep them in your coat pocket. When you are asked what sort of dog is that....you can give them a card and a link to further information!
Some Information about the Breed
