When it comes to keeping their coats looking tidy and a dog's skin in good condition, Lakelands need to be groomed on a regular basis to prevent any matts, knots and tangles from forming. Particular attention has to be paid to a dog's muzzle which tends to get a bit grubby after they’ve eaten. If food deposits are allowed to build up around their mouths, it provides the perfect environment for bacteria to flourish which can lead to an infection setting in.
Because Lakeland's don't shed, their coats need to be hand stripped several times a year to keep things tidy and this is best left up to a professional dog groomer. It makes keeping a dog's coat looking good easier in between visits to a grooming parlour. It's also important to check a dog's ears on a regular basis and to clean them when necessary. If too much wax is allowed to build up in a dog's ears, it can lead to a painful infection which can be hard to clear up. In short, prevention is often easier than cure when it comes to ear infections.
Lakelands are high energy terriers much like many of their other cousins and as such they need to be given the right amount of exercise on a daily basis. Because they are intelligent, they also need lots of mental stimulation to be truly happy, well-rounded and obedient dogs. Ideally, they need at minimum of one hour's exercise a day, but more would suit these active dogs down to the ground. They boast having a tremendous stamina and will happily walk behind a horse for hours. However, Lakelands true to their terrier natures, can sometimes go off and ignore the recall command which is especially true if a dog has spotted something more interesting in the distance.
A shorter walk in the morning would be fine, but a longer more interesting one in the afternoon is a must. These dogs also like to be able to roam around a back garden as often as possible so they can really let off steam. However, the fencing has to be extremely secure to keep these dogs in because if they find a weakness in the fence, they will soon escape out and get into all sorts of trouble.
With this said, Lakeland puppies should not be given too much exercise because their joints and bones are still growing and too much pressure on them could result in causing a dog a few problems later on in their lives. They should not be allowed to jump up or off furniture nor should they be allowed to run up and down the stairs because this puts too much pressure on their still growing joints and limbs.
If you get a Lakeland Terrier puppy from a breeder, they would give you a feeding schedule and it's important to stick to the same routine, feeding the same puppy food to avoid any tummy upsets. You can change a puppy's diet, but this needs to be done very gradually always making sure they don't develop any digestive upsets and if they do, it's best to put them back on their original diet and to discuss things with the vet before attempting to change it again.
Older dogs are not known to be fussy or finicky eaters, but this does not mean you can feed them a lower quality diet. It's best to feed a mature dog twice a day, once in the morning and then again in the evening, making sure it's good quality food that meets all their nutritional requirements. It's also important that dogs be given the right amount of exercise so they burn off any excess calories or they might gain too much weight which can lead to all sorts of health issues. Obesity can shorten a dog's life by several years so it's important to keep an eye on their waistline from the word go.
