meet the...Irish Terrier
Breed Summary
Breed Group Group 6: Terrier Breeds
Sub-group :
Origin Country Ireland
Weight Males: 26-28 pounds. Females: 24-26 pounds.
Height Males: 18-19 inches. Females: 18-19 inches.
Other Name(s) Irish Red Terrier
Breed Type Pure
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Origins
The Irish Terrier is an ancient working dog whose beginnings are believed to have started thousands of years ago. Like other terriers, they came from humble beginnings as a means of pest control, ridding homesteads of disease-carrying rats. The Irish Terrier was surprisingly adaptable, going from rodent extermination to assisting his master in the fields as a retrieving dog.
The breed soon caught the attention of the world stage. Thanks partly to their adaptability, determination, and intelligence, they became popular in the UK throughout the 1800s, with many varieties in size and color. However, the breed was eventually standardized to accept a moderate size range and a red coloration. Today, the breed is still popular in his home country but is not as popular outside, which is unfortunate for the rest of the world to miss out on such a versatile and handsome little dog.Breed Characteristics
Head: Somewhat dolichocephalic skull-type, moderate in size, somewhat long, and in proportion to the rest of the body. The head is clean-cut without excess skin or wrinkles and tapers only slightly from the topskull to the end of the muzzle. The skull is elongated, narrow, and flat when viewed from any direction. It is somewhat broad but appears narrow in comparison to the overall length.
Eyes: Somewhat small to moderate in size, oval to almond in shape, dark brown in color, and with a keen and fiery appearance. The eye rims are well-fitted and well-pigmented. The eyes are never bulging. There should be sufficient bone in the surrounding orbital sockets to protect the eyes.
Ears: Small to medium in size, set high on the skull and somewhat well apart. V-shaped and dropped with a good lift at the base. The fold of the ear should fall well above the level of the skull. The tips may point somewhat forward toward the eyes or down toward the cheek. The ears are never long, overly large, or broken.
Muzzle: Well-developed, appearing prominent, long, full, and broad. The plane, or bridge of the muzzle, is straight. The upper and lower jaws have good bone substance and are equal in length, strong, and well-developed, never appearing snipey or weak.
Nose: The nose is well-pigmented and black. The nostrils are well opened.
Neck: Moderate length allows for proud head carriage. It is strongly muscled with a slight arch. The neck tapers smoothly from the deeper and broader body toward the head. The neck is clean-cut and without excess skin, throatiness, or dewlap.
Chest: Deep and broad but never wider than deep. The brisket extends to the point of the elbows.
Body: Compact, somewhat racy, and of good substance. The body is never cloddy or heavy. The width at the forequarters is approximately equal to the width at the hindquarters.
Feet: Oval to round, compact, with well-arched toes and tough pads.
Tail: Set high on the croup, thick at the base and tapering toward the tip. Carried gaily in accordance with the dog’s mood and energy level, but never up over the back or tucked. The tail may be left natural (preferred) or docked short. Natural tails are of a medium length, with the tip of the last vertebrae extending to the hock joints when held down. Docked tails are cut to about 2/3 of their original length.
Movement: Movement is free, energetic, efficient, and effortless. The characteristics of a healthy structure are evident. When moving away, the forelegs and rear pasterns should remain parallel to one another. When viewing movement from the front, the forelegs should remain parallel, with elbows and paws moving neither in nor out. From the rear, the back pads should be visible when the rear legs are extended. As speed increases, the forelimbs and hindlimbs will converge to the centerline of gravity. From the side, the topline should remain firm and level. Good reach of movement in the front allows the forepaw to extend out in line with the nose. When extended, the width between the forefeet should be approximately equal to the width between the hindfeet when extended, indicating balance, good reach, and good drive. Dogs that exhibit any sign of breathing or locomotive difficulty shall be disqualified from the show ring.
Temperament: The Irish Terrier breed has a large personality to match their large terrier size. This breed is intelligent, bold, confident, watchful, and what many describe as willful and somewhat arrogant. While doting on their family and people, Irish Terriers can become reserved or indifferent toward strangers and other dogs. Any unprovoked aggressive or fearful behavior toward people is incorrect for this breed.
Breed Standard
BREED GROUP 6: Terrier Breeds
Proportions: Slightly off-square with a long back and body for a terrier, yet never appearing overly elongated or low-slung in body proportions, with the length of the body, measured from the point of the shoulder to the point of the rump, being equal to the height at the withers. The ideal length-to-height ratio is approximately between 10:9 and 1:1. Females may be slightly longer. The body is balanced and well-put-together, with sturdy substance and good medium bone. Males should appear masculine, being more substantial in size and mass, while females should appear more feminine and slightly less substantial. Neither should lack overall type. Male and female body types should indicate that they are constructed along lines of speed, with a somewhat graceful and racy outline. The weight of males and females is always in proportion to height.
Head
General Appearance: Somewhat dolichocephalic skull-type, moderate in size, somewhat long, and in proportion to the rest of the body. The head is clean-cut without excess skin or wrinkles and tapers only slightly from the topskull to the end of the muzzle. The skull is elongated, narrow, and flat when viewed from any direction. It is somewhat broad but appears narrow in comparison to the overall length.
Expression: Keen, fiery, alert, watchful, inquisitive, stately, and terrier-like.
Stop: The stop is slight, almost imperceptible.
Skull: The ideal muzzle-to-skull ratio is 1:1, with the topskull being equal to the muzzle. The ideal muzzle-to-skull axis is parallel.
Muzzle: Well-developed, appearing prominent, long, full, and broad. The plane, or bridge of the muzzle, is straight. The upper and lower jaws have good bone substance and are equal in length, strong, and well-developed, never appearing snipey or weak.
Lips or Flews: The lips are clean and fit tightly over the teeth and jaws.
Nose: The nose is well-pigmented and black. The nostrils are well opened.
Cheeks: Moderately full below the eyes but never coarse, gently falling away behind the eyes. Cheeks are smooth, never appearing chiseled or coarse.
Dentition and Bite: Forty-two strong, clean, and white teeth. The bite may be level or scissor. Contact must be made between the top and bottom incisors. Missing or broken teeth due to routine work are not to be penalized.
Eyes: Somewhat small to moderate in size, oval to almond in shape, dark brown in color, and with a keen and fiery appearance. The eye rims are well-fitted and well-pigmented. The eyes are never bulging. There should be sufficient bone in the surrounding orbital sockets to protect the eyes.
Ears: Small to medium in size, set high on the skull and somewhat well apart. V-shaped and dropped with a good lift at the base. The fold of the ear should fall well above the level of the skull. The tips may point somewhat forward toward the eyes or down toward the cheek. The ears are never long, overly large, or broken.
Body and Tail
General Description: Compact, somewhat racy, and of good substance. The body is never cloddy or heavy. The width at the forequarters is approximately equal to the width at the hindquarters.
Neck: Moderate length allows for proud head carriage. It is strongly muscled with a slight arch. The neck tapers smoothly from the deeper and broader body toward the head. The neck is clean-cut and without excess skin, throatiness, or dewlap.
Chest: Deep and broad but never wider than deep. The brisket extends to the point of the elbows.
Topline: Level from somewhat prominent withers to croup. The back is fairly long, broad, strongly muscled, and straight, yet supple. It should never appear slack or sagged. The loin is short, taut, and just slightly arched, yet supportive. The topline is never swayed or roached.
Croup: Flat, strong, and level with the back.
Underline: A moderate tuck-up is present but should not be extreme. The underline is taut and firm, without any indication of sagging or excess weight.
Ribs: Long, well-sprung, well-laid-back, and oval-shaped, never barrel-chested or slab-sided.
Tail: Set high on the croup, thick at the base and tapering toward the tip. Carried gaily in accordance with the dog’s mood and energy level, but never up over the back or tucked. The tail may be left natural (preferred) or docked short. Natural tails are of a medium length, with the tip of the last vertebrae extending to the hock joints when held down. Docked tails are cut to about 2/3 of their original length.
Forequarters and Hindquarters
Forequarters: The forequarters are always balanced with the hindquarters and well-angulated with well-laid-back shoulder blades. The shoulder blades are fairly long and approximately equal in length to the upper arm and forearm or may be just slightly longer than the upper arm.
Elbows: The elbows are close to the body. The point of the elbows is approximately half the dog’s height at the withers.
Forelegs: Frontal View: Straight, of good muscle and bone, and parallel to one another.
Side View: The forelimbs appear straight with strong pasterns.
Pasterns: Short, never weak or broken.
Hindquarters: The upper and lower thighs are fairly long, equal in length, strong, sturdy, of good bone, and well-muscled.
Rear View: When viewed from the rear, the rear pasterns are parallel to one another.
Side View: Good angulation will allow the rear toes to align with the point of the rump or within one to two paw-lengths behind the point of the rump, with the rear pasterns remaining perpendicular to the ground and parallel to one another.
Stifle Joint: Well-angulated with a good bend to well-let-down rear pasterns.
Angulations: The angulation of the hindquarters is always in balance with the angulation of the forequarters.
Feet: Oval to round, compact, with well-arched toes and tough pads.
Coat
Skin: Well-fitted, yet supple. The skin should never obstruct the outline of the dog.
Coat Type: The wiry, dense, hard outer coat may be straight or with a crinkled or wavy texture. It should never appear curly. Although it appears clearly broken in texture, it still lies straight and close to the body. The undercoat is downy-soft. The coat on the face is shorter than that on the body, with the exception of a wiry, harsh, but moderate beard. The beard should never appear to be a full goatee, which would indicate improper coat texture and length.
Coat Color or Pattern: Various shades of solid tan, red, or red-wheaten.
Movement
Movement is free, energetic, efficient, and effortless. The characteristics of a healthy structure are evident. When moving away, the forelegs and rear pasterns should remain parallel to one another. When viewing movement from the front, the forelegs should remain parallel, with elbows and paws moving neither in nor out. From the rear, the back pads should be visible when the rear legs are extended. As speed increases, the forelimbs and hindlimbs will converge to the centerline of gravity. From the side, the topline should remain firm and level. Good reach of movement in the front allows the forepaw to extend out in line with the nose. When extended, the width between the forefeet should be approximately equal to the width between the hindfeet when extended, indicating balance, good reach, and good drive. Dogs that exhibit any sign of breathing or locomotive difficulty shall be disqualified from the show ring.
Temperament
The Irish Terrier breed has a large personality to match their large terrier size. This breed is intelligent, bold, confident, watchful, and what many describe as willful and somewhat arrogant. While doting on their family and people, Irish Terriers can become reserved or indifferent toward strangers and other dogs. Any unprovoked aggressive or fearful behavior toward people is incorrect for this breed.
Faults
All dogs should be in proper healthy condition, free from disease or defect. Any departure from this description is considered a fault. Unless altered, all male dogs should have two fully descended testicles.
