The Border Terrier is a small, rough-coated breed of dog in the terrier group. Bred as a fox and vermin hunter, the Border Terrier shares ancestry with the Dandie Dinmont Terrier and the Bedlington Terrier. Though sometimes stubborn and strong willed, border terriers are sound dogs. They are friendly and rarely aggressive. They are very good with children, but may chase cats and other small pets. They are intelligent and eager to please, but they retain the capacity for independent thinking and initiative that were bred into them for working rats and fox underground. Their love of people and even temperament make them fine therapy dogs, especially for children and the elderly, and they are occasionally used to aid the blind or deaf. From a young age they should be trained on command.