Hi! I'm doing my research on patterdale terriers and am very interested in becoming the owner of one next April. I would like some tips on decent breeders as I don't want one for working just to become the member of the family. I can't seem to find breeders anywhere! Please help! :)

Having had a rescue Patterdale terrier I would say they are certainly not for the faint hearted. The best advice I could give you is to have a look at a dedicated terrier rescue site such as this one and make sure you know what you are getting into way before you actually go out and get one. You say you want one purely as a pet - Patterdales are bred for their working ability and that working ability is to the fore in everything they do.

http://www.patterdaleterrierrescue.co.uk/?page_id=15

Our terrier is the hardest dog to live with that  I have ever owned :-) - we love him and manage his behaviour but boy is he hard work :-)

If you do not want one for working, will you be prepared to find him some 'work' anyway, because you may not want to work... but the dog WILL and you cannot change that, though sometimes you can redirect it into appropriate versions of the work behaviour.

Honestly, I would say look again at the other terriers available, and aim for a show type that is a long way removed from the working version.

Terriers ARE hard work - they are stubborn, fiesty, fiery, they don't back down, if something is scary they take it head on and give it what for, they are sharp, reactive and like to bark. That isn't me insulting them, if they weren't all these things they wouldnt BE terriers - there is little point to a working terrier if it backs down, runs off, stays silent or quits. These traits are tempered somewhat in the show types, but they are the things working breeders will select FOR in a patterdale, and very very few patterdales currently will be more than one, maybe two generations away from purely working stock.

They NEED a job and they NEED a lot of exercise and training.

Patterdales are known as the psychopaths of the working terriers, and on the whole NOT suited to the average pet dogs lifestyle. For some reason they seem to have become quite popular, probably due to their size , but a LOT hit the rescues because their owners cannot cope, and a LOT get put down quite young for the same reasons. They are a VERY unforgiving breed if you make an error.

I would say; if you still want one after reading that, find someone who WORKS their dogs and go and see them WORK, and then think, can you handle that in your home and daily life.

Hi! I'm doing my research on patterdale terriers

They are not a show breed, by that I mean they are not in the eyes of the Kennel Club a breed and that is because they have been developed by farms to do a job of work for that farmer and on that terrain and although they will be similar in type that will differ from farm to farm.

At one time I would have suggested you try a paper or magazine produced for the farming or sporting world but those Patterdales really are too feisty and the only hope is to buy from someone who is breeding from their pet. This is not really the best way to buy a dog but as you have chosen a type of dog the is not really designed for living in someone's home you have no option.

I can't seem to find breeders anywhere! Please help! :-)

For the above reasons you will not unless you want a working dog. You have no choice but to buy from a BYB or someone who has mated their bet dog.

I was brought up with patterdale's and ours were great little dogs but only because they were worked all day, everyday. If you cant give them the work they need, I would strongly recommend choosing a different breed.

I've come across quite a few Patterdales in the woods I used to walk in, lovely looking wee things, but the one thing most of those owners agreed on was " never again !", they were in work mode 24/7, killed any wildlife they came across and liked to pick fights, I did meet one bitch who was a real sweetheart, but even her owner recognised she was unusual for the breed.
Have you thought about a Border Terrier ?...similar in looks, I have heard it say that Patterdales are a working version of BT's, whether that's true or not I couldn't say, but BT's, although still being a typical terrier, are easier to live with.

Can I second every reply you've had. Think Border Collie with extremely high prey drive in pint sized body. An especially astute comment about them being very unforgiving if you make an error, like so many of the working terrier types.

Why a patterdale- what do you like about them.

I'd also echo the suggestion that you look at other terrier breeds: Border, Parson Jack Russell, Norwich and Norfolk, and Welsh perhaps?

we have lakeland terriers now. They are great family dogs and get on well with kids, other dogs and even the rabbit and guinea pig. There are so many different breeds of terriers that would suit being a family pet much, much better than a patterdale.