English Toy Terrier (Black & Tan)

The English Toy Terrier (Black & Tan) is a small English terrier that is shown in the toy group. It was bred down from the Old English Black and Tan Terrier and is a close relative of the larger Manchester Terrier.

History

The breed’s roots are in the rat pit, a betting sport of Victorian English cities. Terriers were put into a pit with a set number of rats, and wagers were laid on which dog would kill its quota fastest. Small dogs were prized, and breeders aimed for the smallest terrier that could still do the job quickly. In 1848 a Black and Tan Terrier called Tiny the Wonder, who weighed only about 2.5 kg, is recorded as killing 200 rats in under an hour.

The sport was outlawed at about the time the Kennel Club was founded, and the elegant Black and Tan Terrier moved into the show ring. At the first all-breed show there was a good entry, divided by weight. The two sizes carried on as varieties until 1903, when the first Black and Tan Terrier (Miniature) was registered with the Kennel Club. The present name was adopted in 1960.

Black and Tan Terriers of every size were also sent to Canada and the United States, where they formed a population that had little contact with the European dogs until very recently. There too the two sizes were separate breeds, until falling numbers of the larger dog led the American Kennel Club in 1958 to treat them as one breed, the Manchester Terrier, with Standard and Toy varieties.

The English Toy Terrier is on the Kennel Club’s list of vulnerable native breeds, with only about 86 puppies registered a year on average. Breeders are working to raise its profile and widen the gene pool. The Kennel Club has opened the stud book so that North American Toy Manchester Terriers can be re-registered as English Toy Terriers, as long as they are certified to be of the Toy and not the Standard variety. Some British owners oppose this, while others welcome it as a way to save the breed.

Appearance

The Kennel Club standard calls for a dog 25 to 30 cm tall and 2.7 to 3.6 kg in weight. The only color allowed is black with clearly defined tan markings on the legs, chest and face. The eyes are almond-shaped, and the upright ears are described as “candle-flame” in shape. The breed is fast and agile, and its movement is compared to the extended trot of a horse.

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