The Manchester Terrier
An Analysis of the Breed Standard (Part III)By Rodney Herner
The Ratter's Review, Fall 2004I will complete my analysis of the Manchester Terrier Standard with the discussion of the Forequarters, the Hindquarters, Coat, Color, Gait, and Temperament. My comments will appear as italicized print.
Forequarters:
Shoulders – The CKC Standard for the Manchester Terrier states “The shoulders slope off elegantly”, while the CKC Standard for the Toy Manchester Terrier calls for “Shoulders sloping”. The AKC Standard requires that “The shoulder blade and upper arm be relatively the same length with the distance from the elbow to the withers being approximately the same as the distance from the elbow to the ground. Elbows should lie close to the brisket and the shoulders are to be well laid back.”
Basically, both the CKC and AKC Standards call for sloping ( well laid back) shoulders. The shoulders must have enough slope and the upper arm enough length to ensure sufficient reach during movement. A common fault in the breed is a short upper arm which results in a high stepping (goose step) action rather than the correct reaching form. This faulty gait would not provide the agility and speed required for one of its functions- small game coursing.
Forelegs- The CKC Standard for the Manchester Terrier requires “Legs perfectly straight, and well under the body; strong, and of proportionate length. Feet compact, split up between toes and well arched, with jet black nails; the two middle toes in the front feet rather longer than the others.” The CKC Standard for the Toy Manchester Terrier agrees with the standard for the Manchester Terrier except that the term “split up between the toes” does not appear. The AKC Standard calls for “Straight forelegs, of proportionate length, and placed well under the brisket. The pasterns should be almost perpendicular. The front feet are compact and well arched with the two middle toes being slightly longer than the others. The pads should be thick and toenails should be jet black.”
All agree the legs must be straight and placed well under the brisket. Legs should be neither too short and coarse nor too long and thin. Ample bone and muscling is required for coursing and rodent killing. Any bowing of the legs should be considered a serious fault. Ideally, the pastern should have a 20-25% slope from the perpendicular. Some degree of pastern slope is essential for normal function.
The middle toes of the front feet should be only slightly longer than the others and not so long as to give the appearance of a hare foot. The foot must be tight and compact. Ample padding provides cushioning for the foot during coursing activity. Length of nails is not mentioned in any of the standards. I strongly object to any exhibit with nails so long that they spread the toes and eliminate the compact, well arched appearance.
Hindquarters:
The CKC Standard for the Manchester Terrier requires- “The hind feet shaped like those of a cat. The CKC Standard for the Toy Manchester Terrier agrees on the shape of the hind feet but adds- “Hind legs should not turn in or out as viewed from the rear, carried back; hocks well let down.” The AKC Standard asks that- “ 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.”
When you run hands down over the upper thighs, you should feel very apparent muscling. Anything less would indicate a dog out of coursing condition. Well turned stifles and well let down hocks provide the power of the correct driving rear gait. Well let down hocks are not more than 1/5 of the height of the dog at the withers. A cat foot is a round, compact foot with well arched toes tightly bunched or closely cupped. Again, the thick pads are required to provide ample cushioning.
Coat:
All three Standards call for basically the same coat- smooth, short, dense, tight, glossy; not soft.
I would like to mention that there should be no skin showing through the coat except on the inside of the ears and the abdomen. Thin coat on the chest, the back of the ears or on the flank is not acceptable. A coat of proper density will require thinning at the neck area and the tail. The back of the ears and the tail must be covered with short dense hair. A correct coat will feel rather coarse or hard to the touch.
Colour:
All three standards describe very similar color requirements all very involved and precise. 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 should 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 tanned. 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. (These are not called for in the CKC Manchester Terrier Standard.) 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 penciling 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. (This disqualification is not included in the CKC Manchester Terrier Standard). Any color other than black and tan shall be disqualified. (This disqualification is applied ONLY in the AKC Standard. Also included ONLY in the AKC Standard- Color and/or markings should never take precedence over soundness and type.
This is quite a complicated and involved section of the breed standard. Although color and markings are a very distinctive part of the standard we must remember that they should never take precedence over breed type and soundness.
The mahogany must be a rich dark color. Light straw colored or washed out tan is not correct. Demarcation of the black and tan must be definite. “Bleeding” black into the muzzle area or down the front legs is very untypical and must be faulted.
Chest “rosettes” on adults may not be prominent. The “thumbprint” is a breed characteristic. It can be any shape or size, but must be surrounded by rich mahogany tan. It can be artificially produced and certainly has been! Scattered tan hairs on the outside of the hind legs is called “breeching” and is not correct. Tan under the tail is normally lighter in color than the rest of the tan markings, It is seldom narrow enough to be covered by the tail. Don’t be too concerned about this. White hairs may be found on the chest area. The white must be over one half inch at its longest dimension to disqualify. In the United States Blue Manchesters have been exhibited, although it has been many years since any have been seen. For this reason, the most recent AKC Breed Standard Revision for Manchesters has included a disqualification for any color other than black and tan.
As mentioned earlier, color and markings are, indeed, a very distinctive part of the characteristics of the Manchester Terrier, the “icing on the cake”, so to speak. Of course, beautiful color and correct markings do not the small game courser or rodent killer make, but the combination of correct form, color and markings should not go unnoticed in the Group and Best in Show ring.
Gait:
Gait is not addressed in either of the CKC Manchester Standards. The AKC Standard states- “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.”
Reaching of the forequarters and driving of the rear quarters is necessary for the job of coursing small game. Hackney-like or “goosestepping” action results in wasted energy. This condition most likely indicates that the upper arm (humerus) is shorter than the shoulder blade (scapula).
When moving at a trot, there is convergence of the legs, however, the Manchester is not a single tracking breed.
Temperament:
Temperament is not addressed in either of the CKC Manchester Standards. The AKC Standard states- “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.
Aggression towards other dogs or people should not be tolerated. Any dog that is too shy to stand for examination should be excused, however, a heavy hand may disturb most Manchesters.
Don’t expect Manchesters to spar in the ring. They are not a sparring breed.
I wish to thank the Canadian Manchester Terrier Club for inviting me to elaborate on the Standard for my favorite breed- the Manchester Terrier. I do hope that I was able to help paint a more concise picture of the breed for you.