Manchester Terrier
GENERAL APPEARANCE : Compact, elegant and solid, with substance.
Personality: Active, alert and agile.
Energy Level : Very Active. This dog is active and energetic, and needs daily exercise.
Good with children: Yes.
Good with other dogs: With supervision.
Grooming: Seasonal.
Life Expectancy : 13-16 years old.
Bark level: High.
HISTORICAL SUMMARY
His name denotes his origin, and there is likely to be some Whippet in his ancestry. Sleek and graceful, he was bred as a rat hunter and yet can be goaded into killing vermin quickly and efficiently. Rat killing reached its peak in the mid 1800's and what dog shows were held in public spaces. In Manchester especially, these became weekly and soon this terrier had classes of his own, eventually taking the name Manchester Terrier.
Country of Origin: Great Britain.
BEHAVIOR AND TEMPERAMENT: Fiery, smart, cheerful and full of energy; proves discernment and faithfulness.
CRANIAL REGION
Skull: Long, flat and narrow, flat and wedge-shaped, without showing the muscles of the cheeks.
FACIAL REGION
Nose: Jet black.
Muzzle: Well filled under the eyes, tapering to the nose.
Lips: Adjusted.
Jaws and Teeth: Jaws of equal length with a perfect and regular scissor bite, ie the upper teeth overlap the lower teeth and are set squarely to the jaws.
Eyes: Relatively small, dark and shiny. Almond-shaped, not prominent.
Ears: Small, V-shaped, carried well above the topline of the skull and lying against the head, above the eyes.
NECK: Fairly long and tapering from shoulders to head; topline slightly arched; loose skin.
TRUNK: Short.
Loin: Slightly arched over the loin.
Ribs: Well sprung.
Underline and belly: Tucked up behind the ribs.
TAIL: Short and set directly on where the curvature of the topline ends; thick at the root, tapering at the tip, never carried above the level of the back.
MEMBERS
FOREQUARTERS: Narrow and deep front.
Shoulders: Shaped and well sloping.
Forearms: They are perfectly straight and well positioned under the dog; length proportional to the body.
Feet: Small, almost like the “hare's feet” and strong, with well-arched toes.
HINDQUARTERS: Strong and muscular. Members must not have cow hocks or feet turned inwards.
Knees: Well angulated.
Feet: Small, almost like the “hare's feet” and strong, with well-arched toes.
GAIT/MOVEMENT: Straight, free and balanced, with good reach from the forelegs and good propulsion from the hindquarters.
COAT
Hair: Dense, smooth, short and glossy, with a firm texture.
COLOR: Jet black and rich mahogany brown distributed as follows: on the head, brown muzzle to the nose; the nose and nose bridge are jet black. Small brown dot on each cheek and above each eye; below the jaw and throat brown, clearly forming a “V”. The forelimbs, from the carpus downwards, are brown, with the exception of the digits, which should be brushed with black; a very distinct black mark (thumb mark) immediately above the paw. The inner surface of the hind limbs is brown, but the knee joint is divided into black and brown. Brown under the tail and around the anus, the spot being as narrow as possible so that it is covered by the tail. A small brown mark on each side of the chest. Brown on the outside of the hind limbs, commonly called “breeches”, is undesirable. In any case, the black and brown markings must not mix, but the boundary between them must be clearly defined.
SIZE: Ideal height at the withers: Males: 41 cm. Females: 38 cm.
FAULTS
Any deviation from this standard should be considered a fault and penalized in exact proportion to its severity and its effects on the health and well-being of the dog.
DISQUALIFYING FAULTS
• Aggressiveness or excessive shyness.
• Any dog that shows any sign of physical or behavioral anomaly must be disqualified.
• Atypical dogs.