Judging Manchester Terriers

1. Judging Manchester Terriers

2. History and Background • Black and tan coloured terriers documented back to Tudor times and likely before.

3. Early Development Rougher in coat, shorter on leg, and stronger in jaw than the modern Manchester Terrier 1784 1806

4. Early Development 1804 1824 Vermin control, coursing small game, riding to the hounds

5. Early Development 1830 1840-50

6. Function • Blood popular entertainment • Bulldog and Terrier crosses common • Famous for their tenacity in the rat pits • In 1848 “Tiny the Wonder,” a 5.5 pounder, killed 300 rats in 54 minutes, 50 sec!

7. Function • Mid-19th century experiments to produce the ultimate rabbiting dog • Crosses with small hounds, including Italian Greyhound and Whippet

8. Victorian Era • Tiny Manchesters became fashionable • Animals as small as 2.5 pounds produced • Popular dog show exhibits • Black & Tan Terrier and Toy Black Black & Tan Terrier gradually more separate • Crosses did take place

9. Difficult Times • Breed’s popularity was threatened in England by enforcement of ban on blood sports (mid-1800s) and ear cropping (1897) • At the end of the war era the breed was in crisis • By 1952, Standard Manchesters in US were without organized breed representation and Toy Manchesters were mired in health and conformation problems

11. Varieties • 1958: AKC changed to one breed two varieties, governed by the same breed standard • Toy and Standard breeders united to save the breed • 1959: CKC followed suit, BUT chose not to adopt the revised AKC breed standard • controversial change to a DQ for over 22 lbs • Today, CKC standards are oldest in the world

12. IMPORTANT! • Multi-purpose, versatile breed developed for several purposes • Small specimens equally as valuable as working dogs • Standard & Toy Manchester Terriers are ONE breed with TWO varieties • Except for size and ear type, there are no differences between the varieties

13. Judging the Manchester Terrier

14. Key Concepts 5 words to describe Manchester breed type: • Strength • Elegance • Agility • Endurance • Devotion

15. General Appearance: A terrier calculated to take his own part in the rat pit and not of the Whippet type.

16. General Appearance:

17. Colour & Markings

18. Colour: • Colour should be intense, not faded or light • Tan should be rich mahogany, not straw coloured • There should be no blending of the black and tan Jet black and rich mahogany tan, which should not run or blend into each other but meet abruptly forming clear, well-defined lines of colour division.

19. Colour: Rich mahogany tan Straw-coloured

20. Colour Faults Smuttiness in the muzzle Breeching on the (outer) rear leg

21. Colour Faults White on any part of the coat is a serious fault and shall disqualify whenever the white shall form a patch or stripe measuring as much as 1/2 inch (1 cm) in its longest dimension • Any colour other than black and tan is unacceptable

22. Markings: Markings should not take precedence over soundness.

23. Markings on Head Small tan spot over each eye Small tan kiss mark on each cheek Tan muzzle, upper and lower lip, extending under the throat

24. Thumbprint & Pencil Markings • There should be a black “thumb mark” patch on the front of each foreleg between the pastern and the knee. • Considered to be the “hallmark of the breed” • Pencilling – distinct line running up each toe, front and back feet

25. IMPORTANT! Colour and markings should not take precedence over soundness and type

26. Headpieces

27. Head: Manchester Terrier • Narrow, almost flat, with a slight indentation up the forehead, long and tight-skinned. Slightly wedge-shaped, tapering to the nose, and well filled up under the eyes, with tight-lipped jaw. Toy Manchester Terrier • Long, narrow, tight skinned, almost flat, with a slight indentation up the forehead; wedge-shaped, tapering to the nose, with no visible cheek muscles, and well filled up under the eyes

29. Head • The proper MT expression can only be achieved with a true wedge-shaped head and good fill under the eyes • “snipey” muzzles are incorrect and should be faulted • Any suggestion of a definite stop is incorrect. The skull should flow into the muzzle without interruption • The planes of the muzzle and backskull are to be parallel and of the same length • Downface or dishface are faults

30. Head • The muzzle should be flat • A roman nose is incorrect but not uncommon • The domed head of many toy breeds is not typical of a correct Manchester head of either variety • The backskull should be flat, not round • An ideal head will possess a strong, full under jaw • A lack of underjaw is a fault becoming more and more common in the breed • A good, working scissors bite is required, level acceptable

31. Ears Manchester Terrier • Ears erect or button, small and thin; smaller at the root and set as close together as possible at the top of the head. If cropped, to a point, long and carried erect • For the standard variety, all 3 ear types are EQUALLY acceptable provided they are correct as per the breed standard

32. Acceptable SMT ears

33. Ears Toy Manchester Terrier • Ears of moderate size; set well up on skull and rather close together; thin, moderately narrow at the base; with pointed tips; naturally erect carriage. Wide, flaring, blunt tipped or “bell” ears are a serious fault; cropped or cut ears shall disqualify • For the toy variety, the only acceptable ear type is the naturally erect ear • The ear should not only be the correct shape and set correctly, but should be stable. Ears that “flap” on the move should be penalized

34. Class - Heads A B C F D E

35. Body

36. Body: Short, with powerful loins; the back being slightly arched at the loin, and falling again to the joining of the tail to the same height as the shoulder.

37. Front: Chest narrow between the legs, deep in the brisket; ribs well sprung out behind the shoulder.

38. Angulation • The key to angulation in Manchesters is balance and moderation • Manchesters should be neither too straight nor over-angulated • Excessive angulation would have been a detriment to agility in confined spaces

39. Tail: Moderately short, and set on where the arch of the back ends; thick where it joins the body, tapering to a point; not carried higher than the back. • Manchesters use their tail to maintain balance in tight quarters, such as the rat pit • The transition from back to tail (i.e. the tailset) should be smooth • The tail should not extend beyond the hock

40. Tail • Proper tail carriage is important, the tail should NEVER be carried over the back

41. Class - Bodies A B C D E F

42. Topline & Movement

43. Topline • A proper topline is critical as it provides the flexibility that allows the breed to be so agile

44. Topline • A proper topline is critical as it provides the flexibility that allows the breed to be so agile • A roach or wheel back should be severely penalized • The topline should ONLY be assessed while the dog is in motion Back slightly arched at the loin, and falling again to the joining of the tail to the same height as the shoulder

45. Correct Topline

46. Correct Topline

47. “Slight” Rise?

48. “Slight” Rise?

49. Why Judged Moving?

50. Gait: • Gait should be free and effortless with good reach of forequarters and strong drive in the rear • The topline should not move up and down • Any suggestion of a hackney gait or “goose-stepping” should be penalized • A Manchester’s movement should not be judged at a run