General Appearance
He is an active terrier of medium bone, strongly put together,
suggesting endurance and agility, but rather narrow in shoulder,
body and quarter. The body is covered with a some what broken
though close-fitting and intensely wiry jacket. The
characteristic "otter" head with its keen eye, combined
with a body poise which is "at the alert," gives a look
of fearless and implacable determination characteristic of the
breed. Since the Border Terrier is a working terrier of a size to
go to ground and able, within reason, to follow a horse, his
conformation should be such that he be ideally built to do his
job. No deviations from this ideal conformation should be
permitted, which would impair his usefulness in running his
quarry to earth and in bolting it therefrom. For this work he
must be alert, active and agile, and capable of squeezing through
narrow apertures and rapidly traversing any kind of terrain. His
head, "like that of an otter," is distinctive, and his
temperament ideally exemplifies that of a terrier. By nature he
is good-tempered, affectionate, obedient, and easily trained. In
the field he is hard as nails "game as they come" and
driving in attack. It should be the aim of Border Terrier
breeders to avoid such over emphasis of any point in the Standard
as might lead to unbalanced exaggeration.
Size, Proportion, Substance
Weight-Dogs, 13-151/2 pounds, bitches,
111/2-14 pounds, are appropriate weights for Border Terriers in
hardworking condition. The proportions- should
be that the height at the withers is slightly greater than the
distance from the withers to the tail, i.e. by possibly 1-11/2
inches in a 14-pound dog. Of medium bone, strongly put together,
suggesting endurance and agility, but rather narrow in shoulder,
body and quarter.
Head
Similar to that of an otter. Eyes -dark hazel
and full of fire and intelligence. Moderate in size, neither
prominent nor small and beady. Ears- small,
V-shaped and of moderate thickness, dark preferred. Not set high
on the head but somewhat on the side, and dropping forward close
to the cheeks. They should not break above the level of the
skull. Moderately broad and flat in skull -with
plenty of width between the eyes and between the ears. A slight,
moderately broad curve at the stop rather than a pronounced
indentation. Cheeks slightly full. Muzzle -short
and "well filled." A dark muzzle is characteristic and
desirable. A few short whiskers are natural to the breed. Nose-
black, and of a good size. Teeth- strong, with a
scissors bite, large in proportion to size of dog.
Neck, Topline, Body
Neck- clean, muscular and only long enough to
give a well-balanced appearance. It should gradually widen into
the shoulder. Back- strong but laterally supple,
with no suspicion of a dip behind the shoulder. Loin-
strong. Body -deep, fairly narrow and of
sufficient length to avoid any suggestions of lack of range and
agility. The body should be capable of being spanned by a man's
hands behind the shoulders. Brisket not excessively deep or
narrow. Deep ribs carried well back and not oversprung in view of
the desired depth and narrowness of the body. The underline-
fairly straight. Tail -moderately short, thick
at the base, then tapering. Not set on too high. Carried gaily
when at the alert, but not over the back. When at ease, a Border
may drop his stern.
Forequarters
Shoulders- well laid back and of good length,
the blades converging to the withers gradually from a brisket not
excessively deep or narrow. Forelegs -straight
and not too heavy in bone and placed slightly wider than in a Fox
Terrier. Feet- small and compact. Toes should
point forward and be moderately arched with thick pads.
Hindquarters
Muscular and racy, with thighs- long and
nicely molded. Stifles- well bent and hocks-
well let down. Feet -as in front.
Coat
A short and dense undercoat covered with a very wiry and
somewhat broken topcoat which should lie closely, but it must not
show any tendency to curl or wave. With such a coat a Border
should be able to be exhibited almost in his natural state,
nothing more in the way of trimming being needed than a tidying
up of the head, neck and feet. Hide- very thick
and loose fitting.
Color
Red, grizzle and tan, blue and tan, or wheaten. A small amount
of white may be allowed on the chest but white on the feet should
be penalized. A dark muzzle is characteristic and desirable.
Gait
Straight and rhythmical before and behind, with good length of
stride and flexing of stifle and hock. The dog should respond to
his handler with a gait which is free, agile and quick.
Temperament
His temperament ideally exemplifies that of a terrier. By
nature he is good-tempered, affectionate, obedient, and easily
trained. In the field he is hard as nails, "game as they
come" and driving in attack.
This information comes from the AKC standard. Here is the Official Border Terrier Web Site.
AKC
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