Overview
The Lancashire Heeler is one of Britain's smallest working dogs, a low-slung black and tan or liver and tan dog once used to drive cattle to market and keep the farmyard clear of rats. It is on the Kennel Club's vulnerable native breed list, so you may walk one for years without meeting another.
The breed is known for the Heeler smile, a way of drawing back the lips when happy that alarms people who do not know it. Underneath is a bright, busy, affectionate dog with a strong sense of its own importance and a herding instinct that has not gone anywhere.
Exercise and walking needs
Fifty minutes or so a day in two walks keeps most Heelers fit. They are surprisingly tough for their size and will happily go further, but short legs mean a long hill walk takes more out of them than it looks.
Mental activity is as important as distance. A Heeler likes a job, and a few minutes of trick training or scent work on the walk makes a big difference to how it settles afterwards.
On the walk
- Heeling: The nipping instinct is real. Running children, joggers and other dogs can trigger a dart at the ankles. Keep the lead short around moving targets until you know the dog.
- Recall: Generally good, as the breed likes to stay in touch, but a rat or rabbit will test it. Reward check-ins and keep the dog close near roads.
- Other dogs: Confident and sometimes bossy with bigger dogs. Most are fine in a group, but watch for a Heeler trying to organise everyone.
- Size: At knee height and under six kilos, the dog can be stepped on or overwhelmed by a bouncy large dog. Position yourself to protect it in crowds.
Tips for professional walkers
- Learn the smile. If the dog grins at you, it is pleased, not snarling.
- Carry small treats and give the dog something to do: a sit at every gate, a find-it in the grass.
- Avoid hot pavements in summer; a dog this close to the ground feels the heat.
What to ask the owner
- Does the dog nip at heels, and in what situations does it tend to happen?
- Any eye conditions in the line, since the breed has some known hereditary ones?
- How far is the dog used to walking, and does it manage hills well?