Breed Standard

General Appearance

The Tenterfield Terrier is a strong, active, agile working terrier of great versatility and of pleasing proportion. The measurement of wither to ground and wither to rear point of buttock should be of equal proportions. The length of the head and neck should always be in balance to the whole of the dog. The coat is always smooth.

Characteristics

A keen, intelligent and alert expression which is denoted by the carriage of the ears and erect tail.

Temperament

Confident, with an eagerness to learn, showing great loyalty to its owner and although fearless and bold at work, he is an ideal companion dog in the home.

Movement / Gait

Fore and hind legs carried straight forward and parallel. The elbows to move perpendicular to the body, working clear of the sides, stifles neither turning in nor out and the hocks not close, with good rear drive coming from the well flexing hindquarters.

Head and Skull
Medium sized head in proportion to body. The head is only slightly
rounded from ear to ear. Domed or apple heads are highly undesirable.
When viewed from the front and side, head is to be wedge shaped and well filled in under the eyes. The stop to be moderate and when measured from that point to occiput it equals the distance from the stop to the tip of the nose with parallel planes. The colour of the nose is preferably black, with the exception of a true liver which will have a liver nose. There should be strength in the muzzle

Eyes
Not large, protruding or round, but slightly oval in shape. As dark as
possible with a keen expression and pigmented eye rims. Light eyes and wall eyes are to be discouraged.

Ears
V shaped with slightly rounded tips, set high on the outer edge of the
skull, erect or semi-erect. If semi-erect the top third of the ear tips
forward. Not wide or large at the base, rather medium in size. The length of the ear to be roughly equal to the width between the ears. The ears are of a thin texture (not thick).

Mouth
Strong jaws with full dentition and complete scissor bite, i.e. upper teeth closely overlapping the lower teeth. Lips to be tight fitting and
pigmented. A wry mouth should be heavily penalised.

Neck
Strong and clean of moderate length, allowing head to be carried proudly.

Forequarters
Shoulders well sloped back and not too heavily muscled. Forelegs are of strong round bone in keeping with the size of the dog, straight when viewed from any angle with sufficient length of the upper arm which is well angled to the scapula ensuring the elbows are set under the body with the sternum clearly in front of the shoulder blades.

Body
A short, compact, level topline. A strong back without slackness and
with powerful loins. Ribs moderately sprung, back ribs deep and reaching well back with only a slight tuck up. The chest is of moderate width and reaching in depth to the level of the elbow, but not below.

Hindquarters
Not too heavily muscled. The rump is well rounded with only a slight
slope to the croup. Long and powerful thighs. The stifle is well bent and the hocks well let down. The pastern should be parallel when viewed from the rear, and vertical when viewed from the side.

Feet
Compact, round shaped, toes moderately arched.

Tail
Natural bob tails occur: High set and erect when alert, but not carried over the back. Carried gaily, showing bold temperament.

Natural long tails: Of moderate length, to give balance to dog. High set and erect when alert, but not carried over the back. Carried gaily, showing bold temperament.

Coat
To be short and of smooth texture. The Tenterfield Terrier is a single
coated dog.

Movement / Gait
Fore and hind legs carried straight forward and parallel. The elbows to
move perpendicular to the body, working clear of the sides, stifles
neither turning in nor out and the hocks not close, with good rear drive coming from the well flexing hindquarters.

Height
The height to be 25.5 to 30.5cms (10 to 12 ins) with ideal being 28cms (11 ins) but not exceeding 30.5cms (12 ins). The weight to be in proportion to the size of the dog.

Colour
Colouring is common (i.e. white with black markings and tan cheeks
and/or tan above eyes and/or tan breeches). Brindle markings acceptable but not preferred. Full colour coats are not acceptable. Skin should always be pigmented.

Faults
Any departure from the foregoing points should be considered a fault and the seriousness with which the fault should be regarded should be in exact proportion to its degree and its effect upon the health and welfare of the dog.

You can also download a copy of the standard or view the standard at the

National Tenterfield Terrier Council website