# Anyone have any first hand experience with Bedlington Terriers?



## Oldskool Brent (Jul 1, 2009)

I'm 99% sure that's the next dog I am getting, I'd love to hear from anyone that has had one or dealt with one. Basically I have wanted 3 dog breeds since I can remember, APBT, Bull Terrier, and the Bedlington. I'm done with pits for a while, I might get another if I move out to the country further but I just need a break for a while. A Bull Terrier isn't right for right now either, so Bedlington it is.

I know that you have to get one with Copper Toxicosis results in the clear, but I'm just curious as to their real world observed disposition. upruns:


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## King_bluebully (Aug 4, 2009)

never herd of it sorry


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## performanceknls (Apr 4, 2009)

I have worked with several and they tend to be shy and sweet dogs. Two that have been through training with me are therapy dogs. I am doing a CGC on one in 4 weeks with a client who has had several that I have worked with over the years. Overall i think they are nice little dogs.


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## performanceknls (Apr 4, 2009)

The only negative I can think of is being shy and they can get nervous more easily. Not a typical terrier, I have only seen one that was DA, none that were HA.


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## RC33 (Jul 6, 2009)

wow...
ive never heard of that breed..
its a very diferent looking dog...
i like the look..


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## megz (Jul 25, 2008)

be ready for grooming, and i have heard they can be really shy which makes them harder to train.
no first hand experiance though, so of course, every dog will be different.


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## Oldskool Brent (Jul 1, 2009)

performanceknls said:


> I have worked with several and they tend to be shy and sweet dogs. Two that have been through training with me are therapy dogs. I am doing a CGC on one in 4 weeks with a client who has had several that I have worked with over the years. Overall i think they are nice little dogs.





performanceknls said:


> The only negative I can think of is being shy and they can get nervous more easily. Not a typical terrier, I have only seen one that was DA, none that were HA.


I'm going to raise it around the neighborhood kids and take it out quite a bit, so maybe I can push through that shy barrier. I can deal with shy if they aren't yippy or untrustworthy while doing it though. A dog aggressive Bedlington just has to look weird, like a rabid sheep barking, lol. 

Were the good at agility? They look like they should be pretty athletic.



RC33 said:


> wow...
> ive never heard of that breed..
> its a very diferent looking dog...
> i like the look..


Heart of a lion, look of a lamb.


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## performanceknls (Apr 4, 2009)

I really do not care for them because they are not a typical terrier attitude. Because so many are painfully shy (despite the best efforts) they do not do good in agility or out where there is allot of commotion. There are always exceptions but we did have two go into agility and they only stayed in a few classes till they realized they were not suited for it. Also the backs of the dogs are roached and the structure of them do not make great agility dogs. I think they are sweet and just because they are shy does not mean they are fear aggressive. It is just more of a personality trait and they are super sweet and that is why they make great therapy dogs, plus they look like a lamb. If you get one I want pictures! They really are super cute and if you do agility with one I will be super impressed!


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## Oldskool Brent (Jul 1, 2009)

performanceknls said:


> I really do not care for them because they are not a typical terrier attitude. Because so many are painfully shy (despite the best efforts) they do not do good in agility or out where there is allot of commotion. There are always exceptions but we did have two go into agility and they only stayed in a few classes till they realized they were not suited for it. Also the backs of the dogs are roached and the structure of them do not make great agility dogs. I think they are sweet and just because they are shy does not mean they are fear aggressive. It is just more of a personality trait and they are super sweet and that is why they make great therapy dogs, plus they look like a lamb. If you get one I want pictures! They really are super cute and if you do agility with one I will be super impressed!


I like sweet shy dogs, so it should work out well. 

Now I just have to find one with puppies within a days drive since I really don't like buying a puppy sight unseen. :love2:


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## FloorCandy (Feb 19, 2009)

I think they are really cute! I saw one on a grooming show once, I think they take a lot of work and hand grooming, so be ready lol. Post pics when you find your pup


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## performanceknls (Apr 4, 2009)

Good luck I hope you find what your looking for, if you find breeders post up some sites!


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## meganc66 (Mar 6, 2009)

oh yeah, if you get a bedlington you definitely want to keep it in the breed cut, so you'll need to do lots of combing to keep that fur un-matted 

otherwise, i haven't worked much with bedlingtons. you're probably not a groomer so we don't think the same, but since i am a groomer i'd think to myself "wow thats hard to groom" and then i'd go snuggle my short haired doggies  heehee.

i have heard they are lovely dogs, though.  good luck!


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## Oldskool Brent (Jul 1, 2009)

meganc66 said:


> oh yeah, if you get a bedlington you definitely want to keep it in the breed cut, so you'll need to do lots of combing to keep that fur un-matted
> 
> otherwise, i haven't worked much with bedlingtons. you're probably not a groomer so we don't think the same, but since i am a groomer i'd think to myself "wow thats hard to groom" and then i'd go snuggle my short haired doggies  heehee.
> 
> i have heard they are lovely dogs, though.  good luck!


I'd try my hardest to keep up with the Bedlington cut, and if that went south I'd have a mini sheepdog, lol.


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## Naustroms (May 14, 2009)

If you're interested in getting a beddy I would highly suggest getting one from working stock. As with many dogs the show beddys are shells of what they can be and working blood are great dogs. For a true example of the breed check out the beddy stock across the pond. Truly great dogs. The poofy show mess you have pictured are really a joke.


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## Oldskool Brent (Jul 1, 2009)

Naustroms said:


> If you're interested in getting a beddy I would highly suggest getting one from working stock. As with many dogs the show beddys are shells of what they can be and working blood are great dogs. For a true example of the breed check out the beddy stock across the pond. Truly great dogs. The poofy show mess you have pictured are really a joke.


The ones I see overseas look the same.  Believe me, I want a good one. They are rare and I don't want one that is going to be a medical disaster, so my pool is small. I'm going to start shooting e-mails to breeders this weekend, see how long of a wait and how much money this is going to require.


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## Naustroms (May 14, 2009)

A few examples of working bedlingtons taken from: Board Message

I was never a fan of bedlingtons before because I thought they were just poofy little dogs that had nothing to offer. Then I just educated on real working beddys and they have become one of my favorite terriers. The show crowd has bred the drive right out of these little guys. Its your money and your time being put in with a dog but I would never buy a show dog. Look at the spaniels, the show versions are nothing compared to the working version of the dogs. 
While its tougher to actually find dogs bred what they were originally born to do, if you have the time to work with them, its definitely worth IN MY OPINION.


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## performanceknls (Apr 4, 2009)

That is great! I love seeing real working terriers! They have my vote


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## Oldskool Brent (Jul 1, 2009)

Cool, so that's the original form of them, what were they called, Roxbury Terriers or something? 

I wouldn't even have the first clue about getting a dog from the UK though, I would for the right price though. Really though, I'm just looking for a nice house pet, I'm not going to ask the dog to do anything more than chill with me and play with the kids, I just want to make sure I don't go broke with vet bills. I agree with the show cocker spaniel remark though, my parents had them and they were a huge moody money pit.


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## Mr. Bleezy (Apr 4, 2008)

i love thosde dogs. they good. they do have a nevervous tendency, but in the case of a pet, it tends to make it better. i don't like grooming the dominate ones. sometimes it's hard to scissor their legs because they shake when they are in the salon. lol but they don't bite or anything like that aaas a result. wire foxes, welsch, and airdale terriers do the same thing on their back legs. toy and fox terriers all shave when their is lightning. most of them anyway. it's safe to say it's a similiar trait in the bedlington that make them that way. it just depends on the pup and it's place in the liter. good luck finding someone who can scissor one properly though. where do you live i'll put you in the right hands in matters of grooming??


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## Mr. Bleezy (Apr 4, 2008)

Oldskool Brent said:


> Cool, so that's the original form of them, what were they called, Roxbury Terriers or something?
> 
> I wouldn't even have the first clue about getting a dog from the UK though, I would for the right price though. Really though, I'm just looking for a nice house pet, I'm not going to ask the dog to do anything more than chill with me and play with the kids, I just want to make sure I don't go broke with vet bills. I agree with the show cocker spaniel remark though, my parents had them and they were a huge moody money pit.


 it's always america's favorite breed. cockers are getting better again though. i still see some of the one's from a decade ago that were the result of everyone trying to breed. they aren't as common. breeding for coat has been a major factor their. the one's i see today that are good have less hair on the fronts of their legs. this is more correct because running through the woulds retrieving critters doesn't welcome so much coat. if you want a bedlington i can find you one. my friend in ondon is a bdlington speialist and a well known judge/speaker on the competition grooming circut. he could tell you what you need to know. his name is colin taylore. Global Pet Grooming - Home you can take anything he tells you to the bank. tell him that dog guy sent you.


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