Lancashire Heeler History

Although the origin of the Lancashire Heeler is uncertain, it is believed by many to have originated when the Welsh Corgi, used to drive cattle from Wales to markets in Lancashire in northwestern England was bred with the local Manchester Terrier. The resulting black and tan dog did work similar to the Corgi, driving livestock by nipping at their heels and also had the ratter instincts of the terrier. These qualities made it a dual purpose dog and it quickly gained popularity. They were found to be alert, energetic and tireless workers and became popular working dogs on Lancashire area farms. Alternate theories suggest a smattering of other breeds throughout the history, perhaps Daschund, among others. One theory suggests the Lancashire Heeler is one of the original ancestors of the Welsh Corgi rather than the more widely held belief that the Corgi preceded the Lancashire Heeler. References to a dog with a description similar to that of the Lancashire Heeler date back as far as the early sixteenth century.

The 1960s brought about a resurgence of interest in this ancient breed, leading to the formation in 1978 in the United Kingdom of the Lancashire Heeler Club. The Lancashire Heeler was recognized by the Kennel Club, UK when it was placed on the Rare Breed Register in 1981 and was granted full recognition in 1982. The breed gained Champion Status and became the smallest member of the newly formed Pastoral Group in 1999.

Today’s breed, identical in color (note: Liver has now been accepted by the standards committee) and size to its ancient counterpart, is mostly a companion dog although many of the breed can still be found working cattle, sheep and other livestock on farms in northwestern England where it has remained popular with a loyal following. The Lancashire Heeler is gaining popularity in Sweden, where the first Lancashire Heeler Club outside of the U.K. was formed in 1989, in Holland (Club founded in June 2001), Finland (Club founded in 2002) , Australia, and USA (Club founded in 2001) where the first Lancashire Heeler, Pennijar Pilgrim, was recorded as Foundation Stock with the AKC Foundation Stock Service in August, 2001.