Welcome to Patterdale Terrier Club of America
Our Passion
A Working Dog
Patterdale Terrier
The Patterdale Terrier is a resilient, tenacious, and intelligent dog; they are fiercely loyal, courageous, and driven. Their greatest attribute is their exceptional working ability, specifically as elite digging dogs that excel where other terriers might falter. A Patterdale Terrier can be equally contented unearthing a quarry or playing with a toy in your living room. Their playful antics will continually amuse you, and their sharp intelligence and boundless energy can sometimes be overwhelming.
A Hunting Dog
The Patterdale Terrier, while adaptable to various environments, is first and foremost bred to be a hunting dog. A confined or sedentary lifestyle, such as city or apartment living, does not meet the needs of a Patterdale Terrier. These dogs require an extraordinary amount of human attention, outdoor activity, exercise, discipline, and an understanding of their hunting nature. They have been known to train their owners more often than not.
Patterdales can be very aggressive with other dogs, and more than two should never be kept together unattended. There have been many instances of terriers being hurt, even killed, by their fellow terriers. It is imperative that prospective Patterdale owners understand this part of the terrier's nature. Special facilities and handling are absolutely necessary when owning a Patterdale, especially when owning two or more. Their natural hunting instinct also brings out aggression towards other small animals such as cats, gerbils, and guinea pigs.
The courage of the Patterdale is never in doubt; they often take on adversaries twice their size. They require firm, consistent, and responsible handling; they are very intelligent, determined, and bold (sometimes to the point of abandon, which could be fatal).
While outdoor activity and exercise are essential, the Patterdale should never be permitted to roam unattended, even in remote country settings. The Patterdale is, above all, a hunting dog - and will go to ground at every given opportunity, to any quarry - they are afraid of nothing. Many Patterdales have been known to stay in an active earth for days, even weeks, without food or water because of the strong instinct bred into them to stay with their quarry. It can be a very frightening experience to lose your terrier and an impossible situation for an untrained owner inexperienced in earthwork; the results could be tragic.
Our Team
A Family Pet
The Patterdale Terrier can make a terrific family pet - in the right environment. The Patterdale gets along well with well-behaved children. One of the Patterdale's most surprising qualities is a kind and gentle nature. They are usually friendly with small children, provided the child understands how to properly handle the terrier. Having natural assertive terrier characteristics, however, the Patterdale will not tolerate even unintended abusive behavior from a child. This should be carefully considered, particularly with children under the age of six.
The Patterdale has been a popular breed in England for many years and is now attracting a variety of followers with varied interests in this country and other countries around the world. The PTCA strongly encourages all those interested in the breed to thoroughly study all aspects of the Patterdale Terrier, its special characteristics and needs, and to make a careful evaluation of whether this unique dog will fit into your lifestyle.
Our Team
A Special Breed
The Patterdale is a very special breed; it has been kept sound, functional, intelligent, and relatively unchanged because of responsible people who have cared about its heritage. The major goal and purpose of the PTCA is to maintain the Patterdale as the elite working terrier that it has been for more than 100 years. The real future of the Patterdale, however, depends on all owners and breeders, who will hopefully share the PTCA's dedication to preserving the Patterdale Terrier as the sound working breed it has been for many generations and for many more generations to come!