General

AUSTRALIAN TERRIER

Country of origin: Australia

The Australian Terrier, also called the Aussie, originated from a combination of different English terriers. We suspect that the Cairn Terrier, the Dandie Dinmont Terrier en de Yorkshire Terrier belong to the components.
At the beginning the litters were registered under the breed which they resembled the most. At the end of the nineteenth century people established breedclubs for the Australian Terrier and the breeding was stabilised.
The breed was mostly ment as a working dog, specialised in the fighting of harmful animals. Nowadays the dogs is especially loved as companion dog and we see him far outside the borders of his native country.

The Aussie is a robust, low, rather long dog with the proncounced character of a terrier.

Head: long with a flat skull, fairly wide. Powerful snout, well filled under the eyses. Black rhinarium. The skull must have a forelock.

Eyes: small, oval with a piercing and lively expression. They have to be far apart.

Ears: small, straight, far apart, no long hair.

Teeth: carnassial teeth.

Neck: long, slightly bend

Body: long compared to the hight, shoulders well set behind, fairly deep and wide chest, well developed ribs, straight back.

Limbs: well developed forechest, strong bones, straight forelegs, well angulated, muscled hindquarters. Hindlegs parallel.

Feet: small, round, with powerful soles. Black or dark nails.

Tail: set on high and carried high but not over the back.

Gait: free, powerful and bouncy, good drive

Coat: close, hart and smooth coverhair of about 6 cm. long, short, soft undercoat. The snout, bottom of the legs and the feet must be free of hair.

Colour: blue, steelblue, dark greyblue of one colour sand or red.

Size: male approx. 25 cm,  female a little shorter

Weight: male approx. 6,5 kilo, female a little less.