Adopt or buy from a responsible breeder
The most important thing is to either adopt a Beddie from a dog rescue or buy one from a responsible breeder. You can use our breeder search, you will surely be able to find a breeder nearby.
Do NOT buy a puppy from Gumtree, Craigslist nor from a trunk of a car. I know it is cheaper that way but you won't know anything about the puppy's parents or how they were kept. There are no guarentees of their health and their overall quality. If you are unlucky enough you might become the owner of a Beddie with copper toxicosis or a lurcher (beddie x whippet mix).
PS: Lurchers are great by the way, but not the same as a Bedlington Terrier.
The colour
Beddies come in 3 beautiful colours: blue, liver and sandy. These base colours can come with tan markings: these are found on the legs, chest, under the tail, inside the hindquarters and over each eye.
The Beddies are born very dark and then their colour changes over time. They become more pale, in some cases completely white which is caused by the greying gene in their DNA.
Rarely, you can see black or dark brown Beddies which are not standard but still very cute :)
How to choose a puppy
Should you be lucky enough to choose between multiple puppies you should consider a few basic rules. You should have a look at the puppies when they are at least 8-10 weeks old, before that you won't be able to tell much.
Please note that these rules come without any guarentees, choosing a puppy is not like choosing a new mobile phone. These might help you but they are not necessarily accurate at all times.
If you are not planning to attend dog shows or breed with your puppy then it is quite easy to pick one.
The main things is to choose a puppy without no obvious health issues. Most of the puppies from a responsible breeder were be like this so you can't really go wrong. Observe the puppies playing for a while so you can tell who is the most energetic. Who is very energetic as a puppy will probably become an energetic adult as well. You may prefer a low or a high energy dog, this basic rule can give you some guidance.
You also will want to check how they behave when you approach them. The puppies who are interested in you are generally a good choice.
Show dogs
Choosing the best show dog from a litter is a much harder task. If you haven't seen and checked through a large number of good quality Beddies before then this task is close to impossible so you should trust your breeder on this one.
That being said, you can educate yourself by reading through the breed standard, materials available online and watch relevant videos. You should check the following on the puppy which might tell you which is the best for dog shows:
- bone structure
- shape of the feet
- bite
- colour, density and texture of the coat
- colour of the skin
- shape and colour of the eyes
- shape of their head
- shape and length of the tail
- shape and size of the ear
- size and proportions of the dog
- stance
- movement
- temperament
- the parents
So basically everything :)
