The Border Terrier is a small, rough-coated breed of dog in the terrier group. The foxhounds that traveled with them were not small enough to do the Border terrier's job. The Border Terrier has a double coat consisting of a short, dense, soft undercoat and harsh, wiry weather- and dirt-resistant, close-lying outer coat with no curl or wave. This coat usually requires hand-stripping twice a year to remove dead hair. It then takes about eight weeks for the top coat to come back in. For some dogs, weekly brushing will suffice. Most Border Terriers are seen groomed with short hair but longer hair can sometimes be preferred. Borders do well in task-oriented activities and have a surprising ability to jump high and run fast given the size of their legs.