meet the... Lakeland Terrier

Head

• General Appearance: Mesaticephalic skull type, moderate in size, wedge-shaped, and in proportion to the rest of the body. The topskull (from stop to occiput) is of medium length and moderate width, being almost as wide as the topskull is long. From the front and in profile, the topskull appears flat. The skull tapers to a broad muzzle formed by strong jaws. The head is clean-cut and without excess skin or wrinkles. It should appear neither long, like that of the Fox Terrier, nor short, like that of the Border Terrier.
• Expression: Determined, alert, jovial, confident, somewhat mischievous, and capable.
• Stop: The stop is shallow and should never be overly pronounced.
• 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: The muzzle is full, broad, and long but never longer than the topskull. The upper and lower jaws have good bone substance, appearing strong and well-developed. They never appear snipey or weak. The lower jaw and upper jaw are equal in length.
• Lips or Flews: The lips are clean and fit tightly over the teeth and jaws.
• Nose: The nose is well pigmented and black or liver in liver-based dogs. The nostrils are well opened.
• Cheeks: The cheeks are well-developed but not overly prominent.
• Dentition and Bite: Forty-two strong, clean, and white teeth. The bite may be level, scissor, or reverse-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: Moderate in size, oval to almond in shape, and hazel, amber, or medium to dark brown in color. 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: Somewhat small in size, set neither high nor low on the skull. They are V-shaped, with some lift at the base, and fold falling just above the plane of the skull, so long as the tips and inner edges are carried close to the head. When alerted, the tips of the ears should remain level with or above the corners of the eyes. The ears are never long, hound-like, fully erect, or overly large.

Body and Tail

• General Description: Well put together, yet supple, well-muscled, and good of substance. The body is never racy or refined. The width at the forequarters is approximately equal to the width at the hindquarters.
• Neck: Moderately long length to allow for proud head carriage and strongly muscled with a good 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, not too broad, and never wider than deep. The brisket extends to the point of the elbows.
• Topline: Level from withers to croup. The back is fairly short, broad, strongly muscled, and straight, yet supple. The loin is taut, flat, level, or slightly arched yet supportive. The back is never swayed or roached.
• Croup: May be flat and level with the back or gently sloped.
• Underline: A slight tuck-up is present. 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 in accordance with the dog’s mood and energy level, but never tucked. It is usually carried high in an upright fashion, sometimes with a gentle curve towards the head, when alerted or moving. Tails 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. Natural tails may be straight or gently curved. Docked tails should be cut long, with the tip being equal in height to the top of the dog’s ears or 2/3rds the 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 approximately equal in length to the upper arm and forearm.
• 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, of moderate bone, and parallel to one another.
  Side View: The forelimbs appear straight with strong pasterns.
• Pasterns: Never weak or broken.
• Hindquarters: The upper and lower thighs are equal in length, strong, sturdy, of moderate 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.
• Stifle Joint: 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 coat should be a weather-resistant double-coat, with a harsh, wiry outer coat and furnishings left on the muzzle, brows, and light beard and mustache. The undercoat is soft, dense, and protective.
• Coat Color or Pattern: Blue, black, liver blanket or saddle, or with tan markings, or any shade of red or wheaten, red or tan grizzle.

Movement

The Lakeland Terrier breed’s movement must be energetic, tireless, effortless, and efficient. 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 Lakeland Terrier breed is well known for its bold, lively, active, curious, engaging, and intelligent nature. A true terrier and sportsman's hunting and digging instincts are strong and require training to curb or enhance them since the Lakeland Terrier can become quite single-minded. Like many terriers, these dogs can become predatory towards other animals, especially smaller animals. They can also develop territorial and intraspecific aggression. For this reason, consistent obedience and socialization should be implemented from early puppyhood. Any unprovoked aggressive or fearful behavior toward people is incorrect for this breed.

Faults

All dogs should be in proper healthy condition and 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.