 Harry Parsons , founder of the Working Sealyham Terrier Club , has stated that , " To sustain a breed ... you need between 300 to 500 puppies a year " . The Kennel Club has blamed the decline of the breed on the availability of designer dogs and newer breeds such as the Shih Tzu , and the banning of tail docking which has reduced their ability as working dogs . Paul Keevil , formerly of the Kennel Club 's vulnerable breeds committee explains : " Traditionally , soon after Sealyhams were born , their tails were docked by half their length , because they were small working dogs and they quite often got stuck down holes , meaning that they required short , strong tails for the owner to be able to pull them out . " As of 2010 , the breed is ranked 152nd out of 168 breeds according to registrations by the American Kennel Club . 
