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Smooth & Wire Fox Terrier
Standards
Breed Standards
Smooth Fox Terrier Wire
Fox Terrier
GENERAL APPEARANCE
The dog must present a generally gay, lively and active appearance; bone and
strength in a small compass are essentials; but this must not be taken to mean
that a Fox Terrier should be cloddy, or in any way coarse--speed and endurance
must be looked to as well as power, and the symmetry of the Foxhound taken as a
model. The Terrier, like the Hound, must on no account be leggy, nor must he be
too short in the leg. He should stand like a cleverly-made hunter, covering a
lot of ground, yet with a short back, as stated below. He will then attain the
highest degree of propelling power, together with the greatest length of stride
that is compatible with the length of his body.
Weight is not a certain criterion of a terrier's fitness for his work--general
shape, size and contour are the main points; and if a dog can gallop and stay,
and follow his fox up a drain, it matters little what his weight is to a pound
or so.
N.B. -Old scars or injuries, the result of work or accident, should not be
allowed to prejudice a terrier's chance in the show ring, unless they interfere
with its movement or with its utility for work or stud.
SIZE, PROPORTION, SUBSTANCE
According to present day requirements, a full-sized, well balanced dog should
not exceed 15 1/2 inches at the withers--the bitch being proportionately
lower--nor should the length of back from withers to root of tail exceed 12
inches, while, to maintain the relative proportions, the head should not exceed
7 1/4 inches or be less than 7 inches. A dog with these measurements should
scale 18 pounds in show condition--a bitch weighing some 2 pounds less--with a
margin of 1 pound either way. Balance - This may be defined as the correct
proportions of a certain point, or points, when considered in relation to a
certain other point or points. It is the key-stone of the terrier's anatomy. The
chief points for consideration are the relative proportions of skull and
foreface; head and back; height at withers and length of body from shoulder
point to buttock--the ideal of proportion being reached when the last two
measurements are the same. It should be added that, although the head
measurements can be taken with absolute accuracy, the height at withers and
length of back are approximate, and are inserted for the information of breeders
and exhibitors rather than as a hard and fast rule.
HEAD
Eyes and rims should be dark in color, moderately small and rather deep set,
full of fire, life and intelligence and as nearly possible circular in shape.
Anything approaching a yellow eye is most objectionable. Ears should be V-shaped
and small, of moderate thickness, and dropping forward close to the cheek, not
hanging by the side of the head like a Foxhound. The top line of the folded ear
should be well above the level of the skull.
Disqualifications- Ears prick, tulip or rose. The skull should be flat and
moderately narrow, gradually decreasing in width to the eyes. Not much "stop"
should be apparent, but there should be more dip in the profile between the
forehead and the top jaw than is seen in the caseof a Greyhound. It should be
noticed that although the foreface should gradually taper from eye to muzzle and
should tip slightly at its juncture with the forehead, it should not "dish" or
fall away quickly below the eyes where it should be full and well made up, but
relieved from "wedginess" by a little delicate chiselling. There should be
little apparent difference in length between the skull and foref</font> ace of a
well balanced head. Cheeks must not be full. Jaws, upper and lower, should be
strong and muscular and of fair punishing strength, but not so as in any way to
resemble the Greyhound or modern English Terrier. There should not be much
falling away below the eyes. This part of the head should, however, be
moderately chiselled out, so as not to go down in a straight slope like a wedge.
The nose, towards which the muzzle must gradually taper, should be black.
Disqualifications- Nose white, cherry or spotted to a considerable extent with
either of these colors. The teeth should be as nearly as possible together,
i.e., the points of the upper (incisors) teeth on the outside of or slightly
over-lapping the lower teeth.
Disqualifications- much undershot, or much overshot.
NECK, TOPLINE, BODY
Neck should be clean and muscular, without throatiness, of fair length, and
gradually widening to the shoulders. Back should be short, straight, (i.e.
level), and strong, with no appearance of slackness. Chest deep and not broad.
The Brisket should be deep, yet not exaggerated.The fore ribs should be
moderately arched, the back ribs deep, and well sprung, and the dog should be
well ribbed up. Loin should be very powerful, muscular and very slightly arched.
Stern should be set on rather high, and carried gaily, but not over the back or
curled, docked to leave about three-quarters of the original length of the
tail.. It should be of good strength, anything approaching a "pipestopper" tail
being especially objectionable.
FOREQUARTERS
Shoulders should be long and sloping, well laid back, fine at the points, and
clearly cut at the withers. The elbows should hang perpendicularly to the body,
working free of the sides. The forelegs viewed from any direction must be
straight with bone strong right down to the feet, showing little or no
appearance of ankle in front , and being short and straight in pasterns. Both
fore and hind legs should be carried straight forward in traveling.
FEET should be round, compact, and not large; the soles hard and tough; the toes moderately arched, and turned neither in nor out.
HINDQUARTERS should be strong and muscular, quite free from droop or crouch; the thighs long and powerful, stifles well curved and turned neither in nor out; hocks, well bent and near the ground, should be perfectly upright and parallel each with the other when viewed from behind, the dog standing well up on them like a Foxhound, and not straight in the stifle. The worst possible form of hindquarters consists of a short second thigh and a straight stifle. Both fore and hind legs should be carried straight forward in travelling, the stifles not turning outward. Feet as in front. COAT
The coat should be smooth, flat, but hard, dense and abundant. The belly and underside of the thighs should not be bare.
COLOR
White should predominate; brindle, red or liver markings are objectionable.
Otherwise this point is of little or no importance.
GAIT
Movement, or action, is the crucial test of conformation. The terrier's legs
should be carried straight forward while traveling, the forelegs hanging
perpendicular and swinging parallel with the sides, like the pendulum of a
clock. The principal propulsive power is furnished by the hind legs, perfection
of action being found in the terrier possessing long thighs and muscular second
thighs well bent at the stifles, which admit of a strong forward thrust or
"snatch" of the hocks.
When approaching, the forelegs should form a continuation of the straight line
of the front, the feet being the same distance apart as the elbows. When
stationary it is often difficult to determine whether a dog is slightly out at
the shoulders, but, directly he moves, the defect--if it exists--becomes more
apparent, the forefeet having a tendency to cross, "weave" or "dish". When, on
the contrary, the dog is tied at the shoulder, the tendency of the feet is to
move wider apart, with a sort of paddling action. When the hocks are turned in
(cow-hocks) the stifles and feet are turned outwards, resulting in a serious
loss of propulsive power. When the hocks are turned outwards the tendency of the
hind feet is to cross, resulting in an ungainly waddle.
TEMPERAMENT
The dog must present a generally gay, lively and active appearance.
DISQUALIFICATIONS
Ears prick, tulip or rose; nose white, cherry, or spotted to a considerable
extent.
GENERAL APPEARANCE
The Terrier should be alert, quick of movement, keen of expression, on the
tiptoe of expectation at the slightest provocation. Character is imparted by the
expression of the eyes and by the carriage of ears and tail. Bone and strength
in a small compass are essential, but this must not be taken to mean that a
Terrier should be "cloddy", or in any way coarse - speed and endurance being
requisite as well as power. The Terrier must on no account be leggy, nor must he
be too short on the leg. He should stand like a cleverly made, short backed
Hunter, covering a lot of ground.
N.B. Old scars or injuries, the result of work or accident, should not be
allowed to prejudice a Terrier's chance in the show ring, unless they interfere
with its movement or with its utility for work or stud.
SIZE, PROPORTION, SUBSTANCE
According to present day requirements, a full sized, well balanced dog should
not exceed 15 1/2 inches at the withers - the bitch being proportionately lower
- nor should the length of back from withers to root of tail exceed 12 inches,
while to maintain the relative proportions, the head - as mentioned below -
should not exceed 7 1/4 inches or be less than 7 inches.A dog with these
measurements should scale 18 lbs.. in show condition - a bitch weighing some 2
lbs. less - with a margin of one pound either way.
The dog should be balanced, and this may be defined as the correct proportions
of a certain point or points, when considered in relation to a certain other
point of points. It is the keystone of the Terrier's anatomy. The chief points
for consideration are the relative proportions of skull and foreface; head and
back; height at withers and length of body from shoulder point to buttock - the
ideal of proportion being reached when the last two measurements are the same.
It should be added that, although the head measurements can be taken with
absolute accuracy, the height at withers and length of back are approximate, and
are inserted for the information of breeders and exhibitors rather than as a
hard and fast rule.
HEAD
The length of the head of a full grown well developed dog of correct size -
measured with calipers - from the back of the occipital bone to the nostrils -
should be from 7 to 7 1/4 inches, the bitch's head being proportionately
shorter. Any measurement in excess of this usually indicates an over sized or
long backed specimen, although occasionally - so rarely as to partake of the
nature of a freak - a Terrier of correct size may boast a head 7 1/2 inches in
length.
In a well balanced head there should be little apparent difference in length
between skull and foreface. If, however, the foreface is noticeably shorter, it
amounts to a fault, the head looking weak and "unfurnished". On the other hand,
when the eyes are set too high up in the skull and too near the ears, it also
amounts to a fault, the head being said to have a "foreign appearance".
KEEN OF EXPRESSION
Eyes should be dark in color, moderately small, rather deep set, not prominent,
and full of fire, life, and intelligence; as nearly as possible circular in
shape, and not too far apart. Anything approaching a yellow eye is most
objectionable. Ears should be small and V-shaped and of moderate thickness, the
flaps neatly folded over and dropping forward close to the cheeks. The top line
of the folded ear should be well above the level of the skull. A pendulous ear,
hanging dead by the side of the head like a hound's, is uncharacteristic of the
Terrier, while an ear which is semi-erect is still more undesirable.
Disqualifications - ears prick, tulip or rose.
SKULL
The top line of the skull should be almost flat, sloping and gradually
decreasing in width towards the eyes, and should not exceed 3 1/2 inches in
diameter at the widest part - measuring with the calipers - in the full grown
dog of correct size, the bitch's skull being proportionately narrower. If this
measurement is exceeded the skull is termed "coarse", while a full grown dog
with a much narrower skull is termed "bitchy" in head. Although the foreface
should gradually taper from eye to muzzle and should dip slightly at its
juncture with the forehead, it should not "dish" or fall away quickly below the
eyes, where it should be full and well made up, but relieved from "wedginess" by
a little delicate chiseling. While well developed jaw bones, armed with a set of
strong, white teeth, impart that appearance of strength to the foreface which is
so desirable, an excessive bony or muscular development of the jaws is both
unnecessary and unsightly, as it is partly responsible for the full and rounded
contour of the cheeks to which the term "cheeky" is applied. Nose should be
black.
Disqualifications - nose white, cherry, or spotted to a considerable extent with
either of these colors.
MOUTH
Both upper and lower jaws should be strong and muscular, the teeth as nearly as
possible level and capable of closing together like a vise - the lower canines
locking in front of the upper and the points of the upper incisors slightly
overlapping the lower. Disqualifications - much undershot, or much overshot.
NECK, TOPLINE, BODY
Neck should be clean, muscular, of fair length, free from throatiness and
presenting a graceful curve when viewed from the side. The back should be short
and level with no appearance of slackness - the loins muscular and very slightly
arched. The brisket should be deep, the front ribs moderately arched, and the
back ribs deep, and well sprung. The term "slackness" is applied both to the
portion of the back immediately behind the withers when it shows any tendency to
dip, and also the flanks when there is too much space between the back ribs and
hip bone. When there is little space between the ribs and hips, the dog is said
to be "short in couplings", "short coupled", or "well ribbed up". A Terrier can
scarcely be too short in back, provided he has sufficient length of neck and
liberty of movement. The bitch may be slightly longer in couplings than the dog.
Chest deep and not broad, a too narrow chest being almost as undesirable as a
very broad one. Excessive depth of chest and brisket is an impediment to a
Terrier when going to ground. The brisket should be deep, the front ribs
moderately arched, and the back ribs deep and well sprung. Tail should be set on
rather high and carried gaily but not curled. It should be of good strength and
substance and of fair length - a three quarter dock is about right - since it
affords the only safe grip when handling working Terriers. A very short tail is
suitable neither for work nor show.
FOREQUARTERS
Shoulders when viewed from the front should slope steeply downwards from their
juncture with the neck toward the points, which should be fine. When viewed from
the side they should be long, well laid back, and should slope obliquely
backwards from point to withers, which should always be clean cut. A shoulder
well laid back gives the long forehand which, in combination with a short back,
is so desirable in Terrier or Hunter. The elbows should hang perpendicular to
the body, working free of the sides, carried straight through in traveling.
Viewed from any direction the legs should be straight, the bone of the forelegs
strong right down to the feet. Feet should be round, compact, and not large -
the pads tough and well cushioned, and the toes moderately arched and turned
neither in nor out. A Terrier with good shaped forelegs and feet will wear his
nails down short by contact with the road surface, the weight of the body being
evenly distributed between the toe pads and the heels.
HINDQUARTERS
should be strong and muscular, quite free from droop or crouch; the thighs long
and powerful; the stifles well curved and turned neither in nor out; the hock
joints well bent and near the ground; the hocks perfectly upright and parallel
with each other when viewed from behind. The worst possible form of hindquarters
consists of a short second thigh and a straight stifle, a combination which
causes the hind legs to act as props rather than instruments of propulsion. The
hind legs should be carried straight through in traveling. Feet as in front.
COAT
The best coat appears to be broken, the hairs having a tendency to twist, and
being of dense, wiry texture - like coconut matting - the hairs growing so
closely and strongly together that when parted with the fingers the skin cannot
be seen. At the base of these stiff hairs is a shorter growth of finer and
softer hair - termed the undercoat. The coat on the sides is never quite so hard
as that on the back and quarters. Some of the hardest coats are "crinkly" or
slightly waved, but a curly coat is very objectionable. The hair on the upper
and lower jaws should be crisp and only sufficiently long to impart an
appearance of strength to the foreface. The hair on the forelegs should also be
dense and crisp. The coat should average in length from 3/4 to 1 inch on
shoulders and neck, lengthening to 1 1/2 inches on withers, backs, ribs, and
quarters. These measurements are given rather as a guide to exhibitors than as
an infallible rule, since the length of coat depends on the climate, seasons,
and individual animal. The judge must form his own opinion as to what
constitutes a "sufficient" coat on the day.
COLOR
White should predominate; brindle, red, liver or slaty blue are objectionable.
Otherwise, color is of little or no importance.
GAIT
The movement or action is the crucial test of conformation. The Terrier's legs
should be carried straight forward while traveling, the forelegs hanging
perpendicular and swinging parallel to the sides, like the pendulum of a clock.
The principal propulsive power is furnished by the hind legs, perfection of
action being found in the Terrier possessing long thighs and muscular second
thighs well bent at the stifles, which admit of a strong forward thrust or
"snatch" of the hocks. When approaching, the forelegs should form a continuation
of the straight of the front, the feet being the same distance apart as the
elbows. When stationary it is often difficult to determine whether a dog is
slightly out at the shoulder but directly he moves the defect - if it exists -
becomes more apparent, the fore feet having a tendency to cross, "weave" or
"dish". When, on the contrary, the dog is tied at the shoulder, the tendency of
the feet is to move wider apart, with a sort of paddling action. When the hocks
are turn in - cow hocks - the stifles and feet are turned outwards, resulting in
a serious loss of propulsive power. When the hocks are turned outwards the
tendency of the hind feet is to cross, resulting in an ungainly waddle.
TEMPERAMENT
The Terrier should be alert, quick of movement, keen of expression, on the
tiptoe of expectation at the slightest provocation.
DISQUALIFICATIONS
Nose white, cherry, or spotted to a considerable extent with either of these
colors; ears prick, tulip, or rose; mouth much undershot or much overshot.