Toy Manchester Terrier

Breed Rating

Breed Details

General

The Toy Manchester Terrier is a small companion dog that was developed in England primarily as ratter. Its ancestor, the Manchester Terrier was developed in 19th century from crosses between an old Black and Tan Terrier with the Whippet, along with other breeds, primarily for rat-catching. The Toy Manchester Terrier breed was developed by breeding down the Manchester Terrier in size. It gained popularity during Queen Victoria's Era in late 1800s. During that time, tiny dogs were in fashion and many breeds were bred down in size.

Toy Manchester Terrier is a small, compact, smooth-coated dog, with an elegant appearance. It is always black and tan in color. It has long and narrow head and flat skull. Small, almond shaped bright eyes are set closely together. The thin, naturally erect ears are set well up on the skull and rather close together. Grace, clean, slim and slightly arched neck becomes larger as it blends smoothly into shoulders. Moderately short body has deep and narrow chest with well sprung ribs. Loin is slightly arched. This dog has smooth and glossy, short coat that always comes in black and tan colouring.

This breed is recognized by AKC under Toy group as well as by some other major kennel clubs like CKC and UKC.

Color

The Toy Manchester Terrier comes in jet black and tan colouring. Tan markings may be present above eyes, on cheeks, lips, jaws , inside of ears and under the tail.

Coat

This breed has a short, glossy and smooth coat that is dense and thick.

Personality

Described as alert and happy, the Toy Manchester Terrier is a very lively and energetic breed. It is human oriented loving and spunky dog that likes to be the center of attention. This breed thrives on attention. Very enthusiastic, it will display a great eagerness to engage its owners in its activities. It is friendly and playful with older children but needs early age socialization with smaller children. Same is true for non-canine pets. This dog will get along well with other dogs in the family. It is inherently wary of strangers and will make excellent watchdog with its alert and attentive nature. This is an intelligent breed and knows how to get attention. Training is necessary so the dog does not become excessive barker as it does have a tendency to be vocal specially if it needs to get its point across. It is a true companion dog; one that will not tolerate longer period of separation and/or lack of attention from the owner. This intelligent breed is fast learner and will respond to positive training. Untrained Toy Manchester Terriers are known to become snappish and stubborn. A well trained Toy Manchester Terrier will make a very loving and entertaining family companion and excellent watchdog while keeping the house free of small vermin.

Care

The Manchester Toy Terrier is very easy to groom, partly due to its small frame, and partly due to its naturally glossy coat. Bathing is only necessary when the dog visibly needs to be washed down; otherwise it will keep it nice and clean. This breed is a low shedder.

Training

Training is extremely important in the case of the Toy Manchester, both in terms of social bonding, and in obedience to its owner. The dog may be small, but it can stir up a riot with its lightening speed and loud barking penchant. Renowned as fast learners, the owner should have no problem teaching the dog new tricks. They love to show off and will be only too keen to learn the next attention stealer.

Activity

These dogs are super fast runners. They love to run and play. Their small size makes it easy to provide them necessary exercise and the owner does not need to have a large yard for these dogs. They love to play catch and fetch games and are very expert with their super agility. They also love swimming. These dogs can be very good jogging and cycling partners with their fast speeds and great stamina. Their terrier spirits will keep them coming for more and more. The owner should however, make sure that these little dogs may not over exert themselves.