Lancashire Heeler

The type comes from the north-west of England, particularly the country around Ormskirk in Lancashire, where small drovers' dogs worked cattle on the way to market. The generally accepted account is that Welsh drovers brought corgi-type dogs north with their stock, and that these were crossed with the black-and-tan Manchester Terrier, producing a dog with a corgi's low, driving body and a terrier's coat, colour and appetite for vermin.

For well over a century these dogs existed as a working farm type rather than a registered breed, and numbers fell sharply as farming changed after the Second World War. The Lancashire Heeler Club was formed in 1978 to gather the remaining stock, and The Kennel Club granted the breed recognition in 1981.

Recognition did not translate into numbers. The Kennel Club placed the Lancashire Heeler on its list of vulnerable native breeds, where it remains, with only a few hundred puppies registered each year worldwide. The American Kennel Club recorded the breed in its Foundation Stock Service before granting full recognition in the Herding Group on 1 January 2024, making it the AKC's two hundred and first breed.

This is a small, low-set, muscular dog, longer than it is tall, standing about 10 to 12 inches at the shoulder and weighing roughly 13 to 18 pounds. Despite the short legs the dog should be firm and athletic, not heavy or exaggerated, and it moves with a brisk, ground-covering trot.

The coat is a weatherproof double coat with a harsh, flat, shiny topcoat over a dense undercoat, slightly longer around the neck in winter. It is short, easy to keep and sheds seasonally. The ears may be pricked or tipped, and the head is neat and wedge-shaped with dark, almond eyes and an alert expression.

Black and tan is the classic colouring, with rich tan markings on the muzzle, eyebrows, chest, legs and under the tail. Liver and tan is also recognised. A small amount of white on the chest is tolerated in the standard, but white elsewhere is not typical of the breed.

Lancashire Heelers are bright, busy and confident. They are affectionate and demonstrative with their own families, and many display the odd habit for which the breed is known: pulling their lips back into what looks convincingly like a smile when they are pleased.

The terrier inheritance shows in a strong prey drive and a readiness to bark, and the herding inheritance shows in a tendency to gather and chivvy anything that moves, including children, cats and jogging strangers. Neither trait is a fault in the dog; both need managing in a pet home through training and by giving the dog something legitimate to do.

They are naturally watchful and will announce visitors loudly, which makes them useful alarm dogs and potentially noisy neighbours. With strangers most are friendly once introductions are made, though a degree of initial reserve is normal.

With other dogs they are generally sociable, especially when raised together, but a small dog with terrier confidence can pick unwise arguments, so early socialisation and sensible supervision matter.

The original job description was two jobs at once. As a heeler the dog drove cattle by nipping at the heels and ducking the kick, and as a ratter it worked the farmyard, stable and barn. Some Lancashire Heelers still do both on smallholdings, and the instinct surfaces readily even in dogs generations removed from a farm.

In modern life the breed's size, stamina and quick brain suit it to agility, obedience, rally, flyball and scent work, where its enthusiasm usually outweighs its stature. It also makes a capable hiking companion and a compact house dog for owners who provide daily exercise and mental work rather than expecting it to switch itself off.