Information on AKC Manchester Terrier Puppies
AKC MEET THE BREEDS®: Manchester Terrier
The Manchester Terrier comes in two varieties: the Toy, which weighs up to 12 lbs and the Standard, which weighs more than 12 lbs but must not exceed 22 lbs. They are black and tan in color and have a short, sleek coat. They are neat and tend to groom themselves.
A Look Back
The Manchester Terrier was developed in England and originates from the Black and Tan Terrier, the oldest known terrier breed. They were bred to hunt rats and other small vermin and still retain that ability today. The cuddly house pet quickly turns into an efficient worker whether in the backyard or field when it detects the presence of a rodent.
Right Breed for You?
The Manchester Terrier is a lively, sharp witted breed that is eager to learn. The breed is extremely loyal to its owner(s) and forms a strong bond early on. Since it is a terrier breed, the Manchester has a tendency to test boundaries, making consistency important in any form of training. This is not a "barky" or neurotic breed, but they are good watchdogs. They do well in rural and urban environments.
If you are considering purchasing a Manchester Terrier puppy, learn more here.
- Terrier & Toy Groups; AKC recognized in 1886 (Toy) and 1887 (Standard).
- Weight: Standard: 12-22 lbs, Toy: up to 12 lbs.
- Fun loving, agile and devoted; Vermin Hunter.
© The American Kennel Club, Inc.
Manchester Terrier
General Appearance
A small, black, short-coated dog with distinctive rich mahogany markings
and a taper style tail. In structure the Manchester presents a sleek, sturdy,
yet elegant look, and has a wedge-shaped, long and clean head with a keen,
bright, alert expression. The smooth, compact, muscular body expresses great
power and agility, enabling the Manchester to kill vermin and course small
game.
Except for size and ear options, there are no differences between the Standard
and Toy varieties of the Manchester Terrier. The Toy is a diminutive version of
the Standard variety.
Size, Proportion, Substance
The Toy variety shall not exceed 12 pounds. It is suggested that
clubs consider dividing the American-bred and Open classes by weight as
follows: 7 pounds and under, over 7 pounds and not exceeding 12 pounds.
The Standard variety shall be over 12 pounds and not exceeding 22
pounds. Dogs weighing over 22 pounds shall be disqualified. It is suggested
that clubs consider dividing the American-bred and Open classes by weight
as follows: over 12 pounds and not exceeding 16 pounds, over 16 pounds and
not exceeding 22 pounds.
The Manchester Terrier, overall, is slightly longer than tall. The height, measured
vertically from the ground to the highest point of the withers, is slightly less
than the length, measured horizontally from the point of the shoulders to the
rear projection of the upper thigh. The bone and muscle of the Manchester Terrier is of sufficient mass to ensure
agility and endurance.
Head
The Manchester Terrier has a keen and alert expression.
The nearly black, almond shaped eyes are small, bright,
and sparkling. They are set moderately close together, slanting upwards
on the outside. The eyes neither protrude nor sink in the skull. Pigmentation
must be black.
Correct ears for the Standard variety are either
the naturally erect ear, the cropped ear, or the button ear. No preference
is given to any of the ear types. The naturally erect ear, and the button
ear, should be wider at the base tapering to pointed tips, and carried well
up on the skull. Wide, flaring, blunt tipped, or "bell" ears are
a serious fault. Cropped ears should be long, pointed and carried erect.
The only correct ear for the Toy variety is the naturally
erect ear. They should be wider at the base tapering to pointed tips, and
carried well up on the skull. Wide, flaring, blunt tipped, or "bell"
ears are a serious fault. Cropped, or cut ears are a disqualification in
the Toy variety.
The head is long, narrow, tight skinned, and almost flat
with a slight indentation up the forehead. It resembles a blunted wedge
in frontal and profile views. There is a visual effect of a slight stop
as viewed in profile.
The muzzle and skull are equal in length.
The muzzle is well filled under the eyes with no visible cheek muscles.
The underjaw is full and well defined and the nose is black.
Tight black lips lie close to the jaw. The jaws should be full and
powerful with full and proper dentition. The teeth are white
and strongly developed with a true scissors bite. Level bite is acceptable.
Neck, Topline, Body
The slightly arched neck should be slim and graceful, and
of moderate length. It gradually becomes larger as it approaches, and blends
smoothly with the sloping shoulders. Throatiness is undesirable. The topline shows a slight arch over the robust loins falling
slightly to the tail set. A flat back or roached back is to be severely
penalized. The chest is narrow between the legs and deep in the brisket. The forechest
is moderately defined. The ribs are well sprung, but flattened in the lower
end to permit clearance of the forelegs. The abdomen should be tucked up extending in an arched line from the deep
brisket. The taper style tail is moderately short reaching no further than the hock
joint. It is set on at the end of the croup. Being thicker where it joins the
body, the tail tapers to a point. The tail is carried in a slight upward curve,
but never over the back.
Forequarters
The shoulder blades and the upper arm should be relatively
the same length. The distance from the elbow to the withers should be approximately
the same as the distance from the elbow to the ground. The elbows
should lie close to the brisket. The shoulders are well laid back. The forelegs are straight, of proportionate length, and placed well
under the brisket. The pasterns should be almost perpendicular. The front feet are compact and well arched. The two middle
toes should be slightly longer than the others. The pads should be thick
and the toenails should be jet black.
Hindquarters
The thigh should be muscular with the length of the upper and lower
thighs being approximately equal. The stifle is well turned. The well let
down hocks should not turn in nor out as viewed from the rear. The hind
legs are carried well back. The hind feet are shaped like
those of a cat with thick pads and jet black nails.
Coat
The coat should be smooth, short, dense, tight, and glossy; not soft.
Color The coat color should be jet black and rich mahogany tan, which
should not run or blend into each other, but abruptly form clear, well defined
lines of color. There shall be a very small tan spot over each eye, and
a very small tan spot on each cheek. On the head, the muzzle is tanned to
the nose. The nose and nasal bone are jet black. The tan extends under the
throat, ending in the shape of the letter V. The inside of the ears are
partly tan. There shall be tan spots, called "rosettes," on each
side of the chest above the front legs. These are more pronounced in puppies
than in adults. There should be a black ""thumbprint" patch on
the front of each foreleg at the pastern. The remainder of the foreleg shall
be tan to the carpus joint. There should be a distinct black "pencil
mark" line running lengthwise on the top of each toe on all four feet.
Tan on the hind leg should continue from the pencilling on the toes up the
inside of the legs to a little below the stifle joint. The outside of the
hind legs should be black. There should be tan under the tail, and on the
vent, but only of such size as to be covered by the tail.
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 one half inch
at its longest dimension.
Any color other than black and tan shall be disqualified.
Color and/or markings should never take precedence over soundness and type.
Gait
The gait should be free and effortless with good reach of the forequarters, showing
no indication of hackney gait. Rear quarters should have strong, driving power
to match the front reach. Hocks should fully extend. Each rear leg should move
in line with the foreleg of the same side, neither thrown in nor out. When moving
at a trot, the legs tend to converge towards the center of gravity line beneath
the dog.
Temperament
The Manchester Terrier is neither aggressive nor shy. He is keenly observant,
devoted, but discerning. Not being a sparring breed, the Manchester is generally
friendly with other dogs. Excessive shyness or aggressiveness should be considered
a serious fault.
Disqualifications
Standard variety-Weight over 22 pounds.
Toy variety-Cropped or cut ears.
Both varieties--White on any part of the coat whenever the white shall form
a patch or stripe measuring as much as one half inch at its longest dimension.
Any color other than black and tan.
Approved June 10, 1991
Effective July 31, 1991
