In its native Wales, the Welsh Terrier was referred to as “Daeargi,” which means “dog,” though back in the day, it probably referred to the breed’s ancestors, rough-coated Black and Tan terriers known from written records as early as the 10th century.  Later, a “thank you” written by a Welsh poet in 1450 included this passage:

A fine big stick you gave me
and a good black and red terrier bitch,
to choke the brown polecat.

Though the Black and Tan Terrier is now extinct as a stand-alone breed, its lasting influence can be seen in the Welsh Terrier which, according to author, David Hancock, was described by some as having been “purloined” from the English by the envious Welsh.  There are a couple of explanations about how the breed got its present name, Welsh Terrier, and we leave to the experts to determine which is accurate. 

According to one source, the breed was given its “official” name, Welsh Terrier, by the British in 1887. As the story goes, there was no great effort by any individual or organized club to have the old black and tan working terrier of England to be officially named as such, but in 1885, a group of Welsh fanciers showing their terriers asked the Kennel Club to register their dogs as Welsh Terriers. Breeders in England with similar dogs, however, wanted their dogs to be recognized, too, but as Old English Terriers.

To placate both sides, the Kennel Club entered in their Stud Book the classification, “Welsh Terrier or the Old English wire-haired Black and Tan Terrier.” When the English dog fanciers failed to organize a club, their effort essentially died on the vine. Mention of Old English terriers diminished over time, and references to Old English Terriers were deleted in registrations and documents. The Welsh Terrier was officially recognized as a breed in 1855 by the English Kennel Club, and first shown by that name in 1886.

Another source, however, writes that that the first recorded classification of the breed as “Welsh Terrier” was in 1884 at Cordovan where twenty-one entries were exhibited, some as “Old English Terriers.” As late as 1893, a dog named, “Dick Turpin” was shown as both a Welsh Terrier and an Old English Terrier. The owner, Prescott Lawrence, brought the first Welshies to North America in 1888 and exhibited two of them at the old Madison Square Garden under the classification of “miscellaneous.”In 1901, a classification was created for the “Welsh Terrier ” at Westminster, and several dogs and their owners attended.

The final word will belong to the Welsh Terrier Club of America which writes that the breed was recognized in 1887 by the Kennel Club, and that the first two imports to the U.S. were registered by the AKC in 1885 and shown in the Miscellaneous Class. Four years later, “Nigwood Nailer became the first AKC Champion Welsh Terrier, “and in 1900, the Welsh Terrier Club of America was founded.

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