American Terrier Standard
HairlessTerrier.ca
Breed History
Breed Standard
Breed Temperament
About Valley Hairless Terriers
Coated and Hairless Terrier Girls in Canada
Coated and Hairless Terrier Boys in Canada
American Hairless Terrier Puppies
Coated and Hairless Terrier Upcoming Litters
CoBreeders - Heritage Hills
CoBreeders - TICA Kennels
CoBreeders - Serenity Kennels
View or Sign Guestbook
Contact Hairless Terriers
Links to Coated and Hairless Terriers

The American Terrier comes in 3 varieties, toy, miniature and standard. With all varieties being hairless or coated. The ideal American Terrier has an alert, intelligent & ready for anything attitude. The dog should present a lively active appearance with a regal carriage. The American Terrier carries itself in a graceful confident manner that projects the health and vigor of an Olympic athlete. American Terriers are social, sensitive and loyal to their families. They are protective of their home, and when threatened will guard it as a terrier should. The tendency to spar is acceptable, but not preferred.


Miniature Variety

The body is neat, trim and compact, resembling a small deer. Desirable proportion of the height to length of body is 9 to 10. Size is 12" to 16" at the shoulder.
Disqualification: Monorchid or Cryptorchid males.
Head: Should form a blunt shaped wedge, have a flat skull and medium stop. Medium length to the muzzle, which is somewhat pointed, and is the same length as the head. Lips are tight.
Fault: Exaggerated stop, muzzle being longer than the length of the head.
Ears: Are V shaped, set on the outside edges of the head, carried erect, tipped, button or semi-button, all are acceptable. The tips of the ears can be rounded or pointed.
Faults: Tulip shape, ears set to close together, non matching ear carriage.
Disqualification: Cropped or dropped ears.
Nose: Must be solid color, black or self colored.
Fault: Spotted or pink nose.
Neck: Moderately long, graceful and slightly arched, strong and muscular, widening into the shoulder. The neck blends smoothly into well laid back shoulders.
Teeth: Full dentition, scissor bite is preferred. Level bites are acceptable.
Fault: Overshot, undershot, any missing teeth other than premolars.
Topline: Level, strong back.
Forequarters: Strong straight legs pointing neither in nor out. Forearm is slightly longer than upper arm. Elbows are tight to chest.
Fault: Legs turning in or out, bowlegged.
Feet: Compact, oval, semi-hare foot. Turning neither in nor out. Medium length nails.
Tail: Carried up in a graceful curve is preferred. Corkscrew tail is acceptable. Tail is naturally long, thick at the base tapering towards the tip.
Fault: Crooked tail, bobtail, docked tail.
Skin: Color may be any color or combination of colors. Pale color markings shall not be faulted. A soft barely visible down of vellus hair covers the body and must not exceed 1 mm in length. Whiskers are not to be removed.
Disqualification: Vellus hair exceeding 1 mm in length or any other type of hair on a hairless variety.
Coat: Short, dense, close to the body. Sleek and shiny, showing good health. All coat colors or variations are acceptable, provided that one white patch of fur is clearly visible. A white coat must have at least one patch of contrasting color clearly visible. A slight moth eaten appearance may appear in dogs under 2 years of age.

Toy Variety

Only the basic differences are stated here, for the most part the miniature standard will apply.

Height: Not to exceed 12" at the shoulder. Toy dogs over 10 pounds should be faulted.
Head: Is rounded to conical with a well defined stop. Erect ears are preferred. Tipped or button are allowed.
Faults: Domed skull, open fontanel.

Standard Variety

The standard for the standard size shall be identical to the miniature variety with the exception of height. Height is between 16" to 20" at the shoulders.

Summary

Faults: The foregoing is a description of the ideal American Terrier any fault listed must be penalized to the extent of the deviation. Old scars and injuries resulting from work or accident shall not prejudice the American Terriers chances in the show ring, unless it interferes with movement.

Disqualifications: Monorchid or Cryptorchid males. Cropped ears, dropped ears. Vellus hair
longer than 1 mm in length or any other type of hair in the hairless variety.






















This site is © Copyright Valley Hairless Terriers 1999-2006, All Rights Reserved.