AUSTRALIAN TERRIER

Australian National Kennel Council 1994    Amended October 1995

General Appearnce - A sturdy low-set dog, rather long in proportion to height with strong Terrier  character, alertness, activity & soundness.  Its untrimmed, harsh coat with definite ruff around the neck  extending to the breastbone & its long strong head assist in developing its hard bitten, rugged appearance.

Temperament- Essentially a working terrier, but its loyalty & even disposition make it equally suitable as a companion dog.

Head & Skull - Long with flat skull of moderate width, full between the eyes, & slight but definite stop.  The muzzle, strong & powerful, equal in length to that of the skull, which is covered with a soft topknot.   The muzzle must be strong & not fall away under the eyes.  Nose black, of moderate size, the leather extending to the bridge of muzzle.

Eyes - The eyes shall be small, oval, with keen expresion, dark brown colour, set well apart & not prominent.  Ears - The ears are small, erect, pointed, well carried, set on moderately wide, free from long hair & sensitive in their use (puppies under six months excepted).

Mouth - Jaw strong & punishing, teeth large, evenly spaced, the upper incisors fitting closely over the lower (scissor bite), lips black, tight & clean.  The length & strength of muzzle are essential to give the strong, punishing jaw.

Neck - The neck is of good length, slightly arched, strong & flowing into the well angulated shoulders.

Forequarters - The forechest is well developed, brisket relatively deep with forelegs well boned, straight & parallel when viewed from the front.  Pasterns are strong, without slope.   The legs are slightly  feathered to the knee.

Body - Long in proportion to height, strongly constructed, with well sprung ribs & chest of moderate depth & width. The topline is level with loins strong & deep flanks.  In considering the body, attention must be paid to the opening description, "a sturdy low set dog, rather long in proportion to height".

Hindquaters - Moderate length of quarters, broad with strong muscular thighs.  Stifles are well turned   with hocks well bent & let down.  Viewed from behind they should be parallel from hock to feet, neither too  wide nor too close.

Feet - Small, round, compact, well padded, toes closely knit & moderately arched.  Turned neither in nor out, with strong black or dark toenails.

Tail - Traditionally docked, set on high, & well carried, but not over the back. (Natural tailed dogs are permitted to be shown in Australia)

Gait - The action to be free, true, springy & forceful.  When viewed from the front, the  forelegs should move truly without looseness of shoulder, elbows or pasterns.  The hindquarters to have drive   & power, with free movement of stifles & hocks.  Viewed from the rear the legs from the hocks to the ground to be  parallel, neither too close nor too wide.

Coat - The body coat consists of a harsh straight dense top coat approximately 6 centimetres (approximately  2½ ins.) long with short soft textured undercoat.  The muzzle, lower legs & feet to be free from long hair.

Colour- Blue, steel blue or dark grey blue, with rich tan (not sandy) on face, ears, under body, lower legs & feet & around the vent (puppies excepted).  The richer the colour & more clearly defined the better.  Smuttiness is objectionable. Topknot blue, silver or a lighter shade than head colour.   Clear sandy or red. The topknot of a similar or lighter shade.  Any dark shadings or smuttiness undesirable. In any colour, white markings on chest or feet must be penalised.

Size - Height: Dogs approx. 25 cms at the withers Bitches slightly less

Weight::  Dogs approx. 6.5 kg Bitches slightly less.

Faults- Any departure from the foregoing points should be considered a fault & the seriousness with which the fault should be regarded should be in exact proportion to its degree. NOTE - Male animals should have two apparently normal testicles fully descended into the scrotum.