The breeds · terrier
AKC Terrier · UKC Terrier · FCI standard 78
Welsh Terrier.
UKC: developed in Wales to hunt badger, fox and otter; descended from the Old English Black and Tan (Broken Coated) Terrier. FCI 78: a breed with a truly working background, originally used in hunting the fox, badger and even otter; Group 3 Section 1, without working trial. RKC: used on fox, otter and badger and often used by hunts, running alongside hounds; breed-page tagline: all-round hunt terrier. AKC standard: a game dog, alert, aware, spirited, friendly and self-controlled..
Breed sets the odds. The parents set the dog. Every number here shows its source, its spread and how sure we are. Nothing on this page is a prediction about one dog.
The body
What the breed is built like. Registry standards give an ideal, not a range.
Height at the shoulder
Only the FCI cap is a number.
Weight
AKC and UKC print an average of 20 lb; FCI a 9 to 9.5 kg band. Left as a both-sex row because no source splits the weight by sex.
Coat
Shedding
AKC breed page trait score, 1 to 5: a breed-club tendency, never a measurement.
Heat tolerance
Derived from the standard's coat (dense double wire coat, medium length = 3). No measured data.
How long they live, and what they cost
Measured on real dogs, with the sample and the spread. Never a guess.
Median lifespan
McMillan et al. 2024 / Dogs Trust table. UK population; median across dogs that had died plus censored dogs per the paper's method.
The dog at home
What the breed asks of a day. The first thing most homes get wrong.
Exercise need
RKC is a UK registry band, not a study; mapped by the library rule.
Energy
AKC breed page trait score, 1 to 5: a breed-club tendency, never a measurement.
Grooming load
RKC is a UK registry band, not a study; mapped by the library rule.
The work
What it was built to do in the field, and what a test or trial asks of it.
Role
UKC, FCI and RKC agree.
Primary game
Three registry sources agree; Wikipedia swaps otter for rodents.
Also used on
Group-level RKC line plus Wikipedia.
Search pattern
Pack work with hounds (RKC); the independent-hunter claim is Wikipedia's alone.
Field trial standard
AKC eligibility page and FCI classification.
How common the problems are
Evaluated dogs skew toward breeding stock; the numbers are still the best there are.
Hip dysplasia
OFA's own breed statistics. OFA-evaluated dogs skew toward breeding stock, with normal results over-represented. Rank 99; small n (184).
More
akc bands
Fourteen AKC bands in one row; the selector reads each by name. Breed-club ratings: a tendency, never a measurement.
What to ask a breeder for
The health clearances the breed’s own club and registry name. Reference only: what to ask for, never a statement about any dog’s health.
How to read this page
Every value carries a label. Measured means peer-reviewed data on many dogs. Studied means peer-reviewed, smaller or indirect. Breed club means a club or registry states it. Editorial means expert opinion with no measurement behind it. Where two good sources disagree, both are shown and neither is averaged.
Published when the entry rests on the best information available from no fewer than three independent sources, checked by a second pass that did not write it. 7 sources on this page. Found something wrong? Tell us and the correction is logged with its date.
- Also called
- Welshie, Welsh
Every breed, read the same way.
The breed index grows as entries clear the standard. Gun dogs first.
All published breedsYour welsh terrier, on the record.
Log the days, the miles and the birds, and the KENAI app keeps the dog’s story beside the breed’s. Free to start.
Get the app