|
SIZE ;
|
Dogs should measure approximately 23 inches in height at
the shoulder; bitches, slightly less. Both sexes should be sturdy, well muscled and
boned.
Dog 60-65 pounds, bitch 50-55 pounds. |
| COAT ;
|
Should be hard, dense and
wiry, lying straight and
close, covering the dog well over the body and legs. Some of the hardest are crinkling or
just slightly waved. At the base of the hard very stiff hair should be a shorter growth of
softer hair termed the undercoat. |
| COLOR ;
|
 The head and ears should be tan, the ears being of a darker shade than the
rest. Dark markings on either side of the skull are permissible. The legs up to the thighs
and elbows and the under-part of the body and chest are also tan and the tan frequently
runs into the shoulder. The sides and upper parts of the body should be black or dark
grizzle. A red mixture is often found in the black and is not to be considered
objectionable. A small white blaze on the chest is a characteristic of certain strains of
the breed. |
| HEAD ;
|
Should be well balanced with little apparent difference between the length of
skull and foreface. |
| SKULL ;
|
Should be long and flat, not too broad between the ears and narrowing very
slightly to the eyes. Scalp should be free from wrinkles, stop hardly visible and cheeks
level and free from fullness. |
| EARS ;
|
Should be V-shaped with carriage rather to the side of the
head, not pointing
to the eyes, small but not out of proportion to the size of the dog. The topline of the
folded ear should be above the level of the skull. |
SHOULDERS
and CHEST ;
|
Shoulders long and sloping well into the back. Shoulder
blades flat. From the front, chest deep but not broad. The depth of the chest should be
approximately on a level with the elbows. |
| BODY ; |
Back should be short, strong and
level. Ribs well sprung. Loins muscular and
of good width. There should be but little space between the last rib and the hip joint. |
| TAIL ;
|
The root of the tail should be set well up on the back. It should be carried
gaily but not curled over the back. It should be of good strength and substance and of
fair length. |
| MOVEMENT ;
|
Movement or action is the crucial test of conformation.
Movement should be free. As seen from the front the forelegs should swing perpendicular
from the body free from the sides, the feet the same distance apart as the
elbows. As seen
from the rear the hind legs should be parallel with each other, neither too close nor too
far apart, but so placed as to give a strong well-balanced stance and movement. The toes
should not be turned either in or out. |
| NOSE ;
|
Should be black and not too small. |
| NECK ; |
Should be of moderate length and thickness gradually widening towards the
shoulders. Skin tight, not loose. |
| Source:
|
CANADIAN KENNEL CLUB & AIREDALE TERRIER CLUB OF AMERICA |
