Toy Manchester Terrier

The Toy Manchester Terrier is a small black-and-tan terrier bred down in size in North America from the Manchester Terrier. The American Kennel Club and the Canadian Kennel Club place it in the Toy Group, while the standard Manchester sits in the Terrier Group. Neither the FCI nor The Kennel Club recognizes a toy variety.

History

The Manchester Terrier was developed in 19th-century England for catching rats, from crosses between an old Black and Tan Terrier and the Whippet, with other breeds added. In the same period England also produced the English Toy Terrier, a very small dog that was a popular Victorian pet.

In North America the Manchester was bred smaller to create a toy dog. In the 1920s it was known in the United States as the Toy Black and Tan Terrier. The name changed to Toy Manchester Terrier, a breed club formed in the 1930s, and the American Kennel Club recognized the breed in 1938. By the 1950s numbers had dropped and the club had folded. In 1958 the AKC redefined the Toy Manchester as a size division of the Manchester Terrier, and a single club now covers both varieties.

The English Toy Terrier (Black and Tan) has declined as well, and The Kennel Club lists it as in danger of extinction. To help, The Kennel Club has opened its stud book so that selected North American Toy Manchesters can be registered and bred as English Toy Terriers. The two are very alike, but their standards differ: the English dog is meant to be slightly smaller.

Appearance

The Toy Manchester is a small, long-legged dog with a short black coat marked with tan, a long tail and upright ears. In color and build it follows the Manchester Terrier standard, but it may not weigh more than 5.4 kg (12 lb). The ears should be wide at the base and pointed at the tip. Cropped ears, allowed in the larger Manchester, are a disqualification in the Toy, and flaring bell ears are a serious fault in the show ring.

The Miniature Pinscher looks somewhat similar, and genetic research published in 2017 found that the two breeds share ancestry and are closer to each other than to other breeds. The Russian Toy, developed from early imports of the English Toy Terrier, is another look-alike.

Care and health

A 2024 UK study found a life expectancy of 13 years for the breed.

Facts on this page were checked against Wikipedia and may have changed since.