Head:
Should be well balanced with little apparent difference between the
length of skull and foreface.
Skull:
Should be long and flat, not too broad between the ears and
narrowing very slightly to the eyes. Scalp should be free from wrinkles,
stop hardly visible and cheeks level and free from fullness.
Ears:
Should be V-shaped with carriage rather to the side of the head, not
pointing to the eyes, small but not out of proportion to the size of the
dog. The topline of the folded ear should be above the level of the
skull.
Foreface:
Should be deep, powerful, strong and muscular. Should be well filled
up before the eyes.
Eyes:
Should be dark, small, not prominent, full of terrier expression,
keenness and intelligence.
Lips:
Should be tight.
Nose:
Should be black and not too small.
Teeth:
Should be strong and white, free from discoloration or defect. Bite
either level or vise-like. A slightly overlapping or scissors bite is
permissible without preference.
Neck:
Should be of moderate length and thickness gradually widening towards
the shoulders. Skin tight, not loose.
Shoulders and Chest:
Shoulders long and sloping well into the back. Shoulder blades flat.
From the front, chest deep but not broad. The depth of the chest should
be approximately on a level with the elbows.
Body:
Back should be short, strong and level. Ribs well sprung. Loins
muscular and of good width. There should be but little space between the
last rib and the hip joint.
Hindquarters:
Should be strong and muscular with no droop.
Tail:
The root of the tail should be set well up on the back. It should be
carried gaily but not curled over the back. It should be of good
strength and substance and of fair length.
Legs:
Forelegs should be perfectly straight, with plenty of muscle and
bone. Elbows should be perpendicular to the body, working free of sides.
Thighs should be long and powerful with muscular second thigh, stifles
well bent, not turned either in or out, hocks well let down parallel
with each other when viewed from behind. Feet should be small, round and
compact with a good depth of pad, well cushioned; the toes moderately
arched, not turned either in or out.
Coat:
Should be hard, dense and wiry, lying straight and close, covering
the dog well over the body and legs. Some of the hardest are crinkling
or just slightly waved. At the base of the hard very stiff hair should
be a shorter growth of softer hair termed the undercoat.
Color:
The head and ears should be tan, the ears being of a darker shade
than the rest. Dark markings on either side of the skull are
permissible. The legs up to the thighs and elbows and the under-part of
the body and chest are also tan and the tan frequently runs into the
shoulder. The sides and upper parts of the body should be black or dark
grizzle. A red mixture is often found in the black and is not to be
considered objectionable. A small white blaze on the chest is a
characteristic of certain strains of the breed.
Size:
Dogs should measure approximately 23 inches in height at the shoulder;
bitches, slightly less. Both sexes should be sturdy, well muscled and
boned.
Movement:
Movement or action is the crucial test of conformation. Movement
should be free. As seen from the front the forelegs should swing
perpendicular from the body free from the sides, the feet the same
distance apart as the elbows. As seen from the rear the hind legs should
be parallel with each other, neither too close nor too far apart, but so
placed as to give a strong well-balanced stance and movement. The toes
should not be turned either in or out.
Faults:
Yellow eyes, hound ears, white feet, soft coat, being much over or
under the size limit, being undershot or overshot, having poor movement,
are faults which should be severely penalized.
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