Manchester Terrier

The sleek, tidy Manchester Terrier is the picture of elegance in a small dog. This dog has a quick, protective nature. He's happiest with gentle kids, and can be shy with new people. But he's very much a part of his own family; he attaches himself deeply to them.

Manchester Terrier breed facts

The Manchester Terrier was known long ago as "the gentlemen's terrier".

The Manchester was bred in England in the district of Manchester to kill vermin and course small game.

Information you should know before owning a Manchester Terrier

The Manchester Terrier is a devoted affectionate dog who makes a good house pet and watch dog.

The Manchester district of England was a noted center for two "poor men’s sports," rat killing and rabbit coursing. A fancier by the name of John Hulme, with the idea of producing a dog that could be used at both contests, mated a Whippet bitch with a celebrated rat-killing dog, a crossbred terrier dark brown in color. On this basis the roached back, seldom found in a terrier, is explained. The dogs proved useful, other fanciers took to breeding them, and the Manchester school of terriers was launched.

The name Manchester, however, was regarded as somewhat misleading, for similar dogs were known in many parts of England. Designation of the new breed did not take place until 1860 or thereabouts, at which time the city for which the dog was named had become a breed center. Manchesters soon spread over the British Isles and eventually came to this country in considerable numbers, but years were to pass before the name was stabilized. In 1923, however, the newly formed Manchester Terrier Club of America changed the name back to Manchester Terrier, and there it has remained.

As a sagacious, intelligent house pet and companion, no breed is superior to the well-bred Manchester. There is a sleek, breedy look about him that no other dog presents. His long, clean head, keen expression, glossy coat, whip tail, and smart, wide-awake appearance always command attention, while his clean habits and short coat admit him to homes which might shut out his rough-haired brothers. Moreover, his weight leaves nothing to be desired, for there is a medium-sized type weighing over 12 and not exceeding 22 pounds, and a toy weighing 12 pounds or under.

Up until 1959 the Manchester Terrier and the Toy Manchester Terrier were registered as two separate breeds, although interbreeding between the two breeds was permitted. Since that date they have been registered as a single breed, the Manchester Terrier, with two varieties, the Toy and the Standard, for dog-show purposes.

No longer are extremes of any sort favored or fostered within the breed, for "the gentleman’s terrier," as he was known long ago, has come into his own. He exhibits that true Manchester type, with its flat skull, triangular eyes, accented kiss marks, and sleek ebony coat with clearly delineated markings. The sole difference between the larger dog and the Toy is concerned with the ears. Both varieties have moderately small, thin ears, narrow at the base and pointed at the tips. They are set high on the skull and quite close together. In the Standard variety, ears may be erect or button; if cropped, they are long and carried straight up. In the Toy variety, however, cropping disqualifies. The Toy ear is carried naturally erect, without sidewise flare.

Is this a vulnerable breed? Yes, No	Yes
What size is this dog? Small, Medium, Large	Medium
How much excercise is required? 30 mins a day, 1 hour a day, Over 2 hours a day	1 hour a day
How long is this dog's coat? Short, Medium, Long	Short
How much grooming is required? Once a week, More than once a week, Every day	Once a week
Does this dog shed? Does shed, Does not shed	Does shed
What area is this dog best suited to? Town, Country, Either	Either
What size house is required for this breed? Flat/Apartment, Small House, Large House	Small House
What size of garden is required? Small Garden, Large Garden, No Garden	Small garden

	General Appearance Compact, elegant and sound with substance.
	Characteristics Keen, alert, gay and sporting.
	Temperament Discerning and devoted.
	Eyes Small, dark and sparkling. Almond-shaped, not prominent.
	Mouth Jaws level, with perfect, regular scissor bite, i.e. upper teeth closely overlapping lower teeth and set square to the jaws.
	Neck Fairly long and tapering from shoulder to head and slightly arched at crest; free from throatiness.
	Forequarters Shoulders clean and well sloped. Front narrow and deep. Forelegs quite straight, set on well under dog; and proportionate length to body.
	Body Short with well sprung ribs, slightly arched over the loin and cut up behind ribs.
	Hindquarters Strong and muscular, well bent at stifle. Hindlegs neither cow-hocked nor with feet turned in.
	Feet Small, semi-harefooted and strong with well arched toes.
	Tail Short and set on where arch of back ends, thick where it joins body, tapering to a point, carried not higher than level of back.
	Gait / Movement Compact, elegant and sound with substance.
	Coat Close, smooth, short and glossy, of firm texture.
	Colour Jet black and rich mahogany tan distributed as follows: on head, muzzle tanned to nose, nose and nasal bone jet black. Small tan spot on each cheek and above each eye, under-jaw and throat tanned with distinct tan V. Legs from knee downward tanned with exception of toes which shall be pencilled with black, a distinct black mark (thumbmark) immediately above feet. Inside hindlegs tanned but divided with black at stifle joint. Under tail tanned, vent tanned by marking as narrow as possible so that it is covered by tail. A slight tan mark on each side of chest. Tan outside hindlegs, commonly called breeching, is undesirable. In all cases black should not run into tan or vice versa, but division between colours clearly defined.
	Size Ideal height at shoulders: dogs: 41cms (16 ins); bitches: 38 cms (15 ins).