Border Terrier Puppies: Adopt or Buy in Australia?

Should you adopt or buy a Border Terrier?

Either route can work. The Dogs Australia breed standard opens with “Essentially a working terrier”, capable of following a horse, with a head like an otter, a harsh, dense coat over a close undercoat, and a weight of 6 to 7 kg for dogs and 5 to 6.5 kg for bitches. Its temperament in the standard is two words: active and game.

A registered breeder who DNA tests for SLEM and is open about CECS gives you the best odds against the breed's two known problems and a puppy you raise yourself. Rescue gives you an adult whose temperament and health you can see first, though Border Terriers are rare across the rescues we aggregate. The route to avoid is an online ad for a cheap “Border Terrier” with no parents' results and no breeder you can check.

Reference figures: the RSPCA NSW, RSPCA Victoria and RSPCA ACT fee pages, read November 2026. They are not quotes. Breeders and rescues set their own prices and change them, so check with them.

How healthy are Border Terriers?

Generally very healthy, and long-lived. A 2024 study of more than 584,000 UK dogs gave the Border Terrier a median lifespan of 14.2 years, among the longest of the breeds studied. The Dogs NSW breed page calls it a relatively hardy breed that needs little veterinary attention and regularly lives to 15 years of age. Our guide to the healthiest dog breeds puts that in context.

The two conditions worth understanding before you buy are CECS, which has no test, and SLEM, which does. The Border Terrier Club of NSW breed health page points owners to research on both.

What is CECS (Spike's disease)?

CECS, canine epileptoid cramping syndrome, is a movement disorder of Border Terriers, also called Spike's disease. Researchers now call it paroxysmal gluten-sensitive dyskinesia. In a 2018 study of 128 Border Terriers, the authors describe episodes of cramping and involuntary movements at rest, with no loss of consciousness, that begin between 6 weeks and 7 years of age and last from a few minutes to a few hours. In the affected dogs, sustained muscle stiffness was seen in every case and most had difficulty standing or walking during an episode.

Gluten appears to be part of it. In a 2015 study of six affected dogs, all five that kept strictly to a gluten-free diet improved over nine months, and two relapsed when gluten was reintroduced. The 2018 study concluded the condition appears to be part of a gluten intolerance syndrome that can also involve gut and skin signs. If you think your dog is affected, film an episode and see your vet before changing its diet.

For a buyer, the key fact is on the Dogs NSW breed page: there is currently no genetic test, and breeders try to minimise it by removing affected dogs from breeding. So ask directly whether CECS has occurred in either parent or their close relatives.

What is SLEM (shaking puppy syndrome)?

SLEM, spongiform leucoencephalomyelopathy, is an inherited disease of the brain and spinal cord in Border Terrier puppies. A 2019 study of seven affected dogs found severe body tremors and loss of coordination that started at three weeks of age; the three dogs that were not put to sleep slowly improved over several months. The Border Terrier Club of NSW says most affected puppies are humanely euthanased.

It is recessive: a puppy is affected only if it inherits the variant from both parents, so two healthy carriers can produce affected puppies. A DNA test lets breeders avoid that pairing, and the Royal Kennel Club lists it as good practice. Canine Genetic Testing at the University of Cambridge notes that the variant its test targets has not yet been published, and that all evidence to date suggests it is associated with SLEM.

If you already own a Border Terrier, the club's advice is reassuring: healthy Border Terriers will not develop SLEM later in life, and a pet not intended for breeding does not need testing.

Which health tests should a Border Terrier breeder show you?

Start with SLEM. Beyond that, here is what the UK, New Zealand and American kennel clubs list for the breed; use it to ask an Australian breeder questions, not as an Australian rule.

Sources: Royal Kennel Club, Dogs New Zealand accredited breeder health tests and the American Kennel Club terrier group list, read 11 November 2026. Dogs New Zealand also requires a DNA profile.

Ask to see the certificates for both parents, with names that match the litter. Our Border Terrier health guide covers the other conditions owners plan for.

How much is a Border Terrier puppy from a registered breeder?

We quote no breeder price, because we found none we could confirm as current. In November 2026 we looked for the own websites of Border Terrier breeders who are members of Dogs Australia state bodies or the breed clubs, leaving out listing and classified sites, and found no price we could confirm as current. We cannot speak for every breeder, so ask each one. Neither the Border Terrier Club of NSW nor the Border Terrier Club of Victoria publishes a guide price.

Ask each breeder for the price in writing and compare what it includes: the parents' SLEM results and other tests, the vet check, vaccination and microchip, whether the puppy is on the Limited Register with a desexing agreement, and whether the breeder will take the dog back if your circumstances change.

Expect to wait. Dogs Australia's registration figures show 156 Border Terriers registered in 2025, against a recent high of 243 in 2022. The dog cost calculator gives a first-year budget beyond the purchase.

Survey of member breeders' own websites, November 2026. Prices change; check with the breeder.

What do Border Terriers in rescue look like?

Rare, and mostly adults. Purebred Border Terriers are rare across the rescues we aggregate; when one comes through it is usually an adult or a cross whose owner moved, fell ill or underestimated a working terrier's energy. A good rescue will tell you how the dog is with cats, other dogs and time alone.

In a breed that often lives into its teens, an adult of 6 or 8 can still have many years ahead. If you are flexible on breed, other small terriers and terrier crosses come through far more often. Browse small dogs listed by rescues: Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide.

What does a rescue Border Terrier cost?

Reference only, not a quote. These are the fees each rescue published on the date shown; fees change and some dogs are priced individually, so check with the rescue. The fee normally covers desexing, microchipping, vaccinations and a vet check. Read our guides to adopting a dog in Australia and adopting a senior dog.

How do Border Terrier puppy scams work?

Scamwatch warns that scammers set up fake websites, social media profiles and marketplace listings for pets that do not exist, and that a very cheap pet is likely a scam. Dogs Victoria's puppy scam fact sheet adds that fake ads may display microchip, source or membership numbers lifted from legitimate breeders. Border Terrier versions of the pattern to watch for:

• No SLEM answer. A breeder of this breed should know the parents' SLEM status. Vagueness is a warning.
• Borrowed numbers. A real breeder's membership or source number in an ad proves nothing on its own. Contact the breeder through the breed club list or the state body, not the ad.
• Puppies always available. With so few registered litters, a seller with puppies ready to go at any time deserves extra checks.
• Stock photos. A reverse image search can show whether the same puppy picture appears on another site.

Our guide to puppies for sale in Australia has the state-by-state table of breeder numbers, how to check each one, and what to do if you have already paid.

When is a registered breeder the better choice?

Rescue is not right for everyone, and with a breed this rare across the rescues we aggregate, waiting for a registered breeder is reasonable if you want a Border Terrier puppy specifically. Check these before you pay:

1. Registration. Ask for the breeder's prefix and membership number and check them through Dogs Australia's breeder search or your state body. The Border Terrier Club of NSW also lists member breeders.
2. SLEM DNA results for both parents, or proof they are clear by parentage.
3. CECS history. Ask whether either parent or a close relative has had cramping episodes.
4. The other tests in the table above, especially kneecaps and hips.
5. A written contract covering health problems, register type, desexing and whether the breeder will take the dog back.

Is a Border Terrier the right dog for you?

The appeal is real. The Dogs NSW breed page describes a sociable, game and active dog, agile, intelligent and generally obedient, “a big dog in a small body”, suited to families. The Royal Kennel Club says a Border Terrier needs at least one hour of exercise a day, and lists a flat or apartment as a suitable home size with a small to medium garden.

Be honest about three things before you apply anywhere. It is a working terrier: digging, chasing and the odd escape attempt come with it, so a secure yard matters. Cats and small pets: check each dog's notes. Coat: the Dogs NSW page says the harsh double coat needs hand stripping only twice a year, and our Border Terrier grooming and coat care guide explains how. The wiry coat sheds little day to day, as our guide to dogs that don't shed explains, but no dog is allergy-free. Not sure? Try the what dog breed is right for me quiz and the adoption readiness check, and compare with medium sized dog breeds.

Find a Border Terrier near you

Border Terriers and Border crosses listed by rescues, by city:

• Border Terriers for adoption in Sydney
• Border Terriers for adoption in Melbourne
• Border Terriers for adoption in Brisbane
• Border Terriers for adoption in Perth
• Border Terriers for adoption in Adelaide

Local guides to adopting a Border Terrier, with the rescues that serve each city: Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide, Gold Coast.

More adopt-or-buy guides: Fox Terrier, Airedale Terrier, Bichon Frise, West Highland White Terrier, Jack Russell, Yorkshire Terrier.