Glen of Imaal Terrier breed guide

Glen of Imaal Terriers are versatile, trainable and very smart. They love people but normally will not get chummy with other dogs. They are quieter and less prickly than other terriers.

They are still terriers, AKC says: brave, sometimes stubborn and keenly interested in small furry critters.

Glen of Imaal Terriers live 10 to 15 years. Breeders screen for hip dysplasia and eye disease such as cone rod dystrophy.

AKC advises avoiding unnecessary stress on the front legs during the first nine months of life.

The weather-resistant double coat has a rough outer layer over a soft undercoat and needs moderate weekly brushing to prevent matting of the longer hair around the ears, neck, legs and belly. It should also be stripped two or three times a year and the breed sheds very little as a result.

A little more laid-back than the typical terrier, Glen of Imaal Terriers need moderate exercise. As a dwarf breed with slightly curved front legs they should not be rushed into strenuous exercise, so keep early leash walks short and fun.

Glen of Imaal Terriers are tough terriers from tough country, the remote and rocky Glen of Imaal in mountainous County Wicklow, where old-time farmers scratched a living from a desolate landscape and expected their dogs to work as hard.

Developed as badger hunters, they also did odd jobs on the farm and the nickname Turnspit Dog comes from a story that they ran in a hamster-wheel contraption in kitchens to turn meat over a fire.