Base colour
Blue, liver, or sandy with or without tan
- Darker pigment to be encouraged
About the Bedlington Terrier
Origin: Great Britain
- Typical life span
- 11-16 years
- Size
- Small — from its typical weight
- Weight
- 8-10 kg
- Height
- Male
- 41-44 cm
- Female
- 38-42 cm
- FCI status
- Recognised by FCI
- FCI group
- Terriers
- Origin
- Great Britain
- Known hereditary risks
- Not researched yet
About
What is a Bedlington Terrier?
Distinctive lamb-like terrier with graceful, lithe build, arched back, pear-shaped head, and crisp curly coat that gives it a unique appearance among terrier breeds
Bedlington Terrier history and origins
Developed in Bedlington, Northumberland in the early 19th century for hunting vermin in mines and farms. Known as the 'Gypsy Dog' due to use by poachers. Lineage includes Dandie Dinmont Terrier, Whippet, and Otterhound crosses. Recognized by The Kennel Club in 1877 and AKC in 1886.
Bedlington Terrier appearance and size
Males typically stand 41-44 cm at the shoulder and females 38-42 cm.
What the breed standard says
- Bred for
- Terrier
- Behaviour and temperament
“Spirited and game, full of confidence. An intelligent companion with strong sporting instincts. Good-tempered, having an affectionate nature, dignified, not shy or nervous. Mild in repose but full of courage when roused”
Quoted from FCI standard n°9. It describes the breed the registry recognises, not any individual animal.
Breed reference from The Dog API.
Characteristics
- Size
- Small
- Exercise needsRead from what the breed was bred to do, in the registry’s own words: “Terrier” That is a working purpose, not a measured exercise requirement — an individual dog’s needs depend on its age, health and household.
- 4 of 5
- Easy to train
- —
- Amount of shedding
- —
- Grooming needs
- 3 of 5
- Good with children
- —
- Cost to keep
- —
- Tolerates being alone
- —
- Intelligence
- —
- Health of breed
- Not researched yet
Pros & cons
Pros & cons for the Bedlington Terrier
What you get with the Bedlington Terrier
- Purpose stated in the standard: “Terrier”
- The standard describes the breed as: “Spirited and game, full of confidence”
- Longer-lived than a crossbred dog — median 13.7 years across 1269 animals, against 12
What you are taking on
Nobody has written this side yet. It is a judgement rather than data, so it waits for a person — not for a missing source.
Drawn from sources rather than written as an opinion — cited health research, the registry’s own standard, and peer-reviewed longevity. FCI breed standard; McMillan et al. 2024, median age at death. One breeder’s animals can differ from any of it, and an empty column means we hold nothing for that side rather than that there is nothing to say.
Characteristics
FCI standard · Bedlington Terrier
Coat and colour
As the FCI standard sets it out. Every line below is the standard’s own wording.
Coat
Very distinctive.
Thick and linty, standing well out from skin, but not wiry.
A distinct tendency to twist, particularly on head and face
Colour
- Preferred
- Permissible
- Undesirable
- Disqualifying
Preferred, permissible, undesirable and disqualifying are FCI’s own words about the breed. They describe what the standard asks for — not an assessment of any individual dog, and not ours.
Shortened from FCI standard n°9 — each label is the standard’s own wording with the verdict lifted into the tag beside it. Read the full clause at source.
Breed-level information from The Dog API. It describes the Bedlington Terrier in general; any individual animal can differ.
Health guide
What to ask for in a Bedlington Terrier
No breed-specific health panel has been written up for the Bedlington Terrier on this platform yet. That is a gap in our records, not a clean bill of health — ask the breeder which hereditary conditions their lines are tested for, and ask to see the results for both parents, dated and from a named laboratory.
Gallery
No photographs yet
This is where Bedlington Terrier owners’ own photographs will go, from the pet profiles they keep here. Nobody has added one to a public page yet.
A photograph in a pet profile stays private to its owner. We will not put one here unless they ask us to.
Puppies
No puppies listed right now
No Bedlington Terrier breeder has a record on this platform yet, so there is nothing to list. That is a gap in our coverage, not a fact about the breed.