meet the... Toy Manchester Terrier

Head

• General Appearance: Somewhat mesaticephalic skull type, moderate in size, and in proportion to the rest of the body. The head appears elegant, and somewhat long, while strongly retaining the wedge shape. The topskull is flat from any direction, and of sufficient width to give the head substance, without appearing blocky or coarse. The head is sufficient enough in substance, bone, and muscle to not appear overly refined, or like that of a sighthound. The head is clean-cut and without excess skin or wrinkle.
• Expression: Attentive, keen, and intelligent.
• Stop: The stop is slight, never appearing abrupt, definite, or smooth.
• 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 long, full, and fairly broad in comparison to length. The plane, or bridge of the muzzle, is straight, or may have a very slight (almost imperceptible) hump. Upper and lower jaws are well-developed, approximately equal in length, and have good bone substance, never appearing snipy or weak.
• Lips or Flews: 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: The cheeks are smoothly muscled, with good fill below the eyes. Never hollow or coarse.
• Dentition and Bite: Forty-two strong, clean, white teeth. Bite may be level or scissor. Contact must be made between the top and bottom incisors. Missing or broken teeth as a result of routine work is not to be penalized.
• Eyes: Somewhat small to moderate in size, oval to almond in shape, set slightly obliquely, and 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. Any signs of entropion or ectropion are incorrect for this breed.
• Ears: Medium in size, set high on the skull, triangular, and firmly erect. Ears may be naturally erect, button, or surgically cropped long. Button ears should hang close to the head. The ears are never long, overly large, or broken.

Body and Tail

• General Description: Short and of good substance, yet agile. The body is never compact and substantial like that of a Parson Russell Terrier, nor racy like that of a sight hound. Width at forequarters is approximately equal to the width at the hindquarters.
• Neck: Moderately long to allow for proud, elegant head carriage, yet 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 and broad, but never wider than deep. The brisket extends to the point of the elbows. The forechest is well-developed.
• Topline: Level or gently sloped from slightly prominent withers to loin. The back is broad, strongly muscled, and straight, yet supple. The loin is taut and slightly arched, yet supportive. The back is never completely straight, long, swayed, or roached.
• Croup: Gently sloped.
• Underline: Slight tuck-up 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 neither high nor low on the croup, but as a natural extension of the topline. It is thick at the base and tapering toward the tip. The tail is carried in accordance with the dog’s mood and energy level, usually above the level of the topline, but never tucked or carried up over the back. Tail is left natural, never docked short. The tail is of a moderate length, with the tip of the last vertebrae extending to the hock joints when held down. The tail may be straight or gently curved.

Forequarters and Hindquarters

• Forequarters: Forequarters are always in balance with the hindquarters. Forequarters are well-angulated with well-laid-back shoulder blades. Shoulder blades are fairly long, and approximately equal in length to the upper arm and forearm.
• Elbows: 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 (yet somewhat refined) bone, and parallel to one another.
  Side View: The forelimbs appear straight with strong pasterns.
• Pasterns: Never weak or broken.
• Hindquarters: Upper thigh and lower thigh are fairly long, equal in length, strong, sturdy, of moderate, yet somewhat refined 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: Angulation of hindquarters is always in balance with angulation of forequarters.
• Feet: Oval to round and 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 is short, smooth, dense, sleek, close to the body throughout, and shiny. No fringe or feather permissible.
• Coat Color or Pattern: Jet black with well-defined tan to mahogany points that include: the muzzle (except for the bridge and nose, the under jaw and part of the upper throat, two triangle-shaped patches on the chest, the lower limbs (and sometimes up the inside of the upper limbs), under the tail, around the base of the tail, as well as pips above the eyes and cheek spots as well. Tan points may be pencil shaded. A small amount or patch of white is permitted on the chest and toes.

Movement

Effortless, energetic, and efficient, the movement is free from any hackneyed gait. The characteristics of 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 a line with the nose. The width between the forefeet when extended 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

Manchester Terriers are spirited, lively, sporty, intelligent, and independent. They excel in many disciplines, and unlike many terriers, tend to get along well with other dog breeds. 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.