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General Appearance
An active, lively and wiry appearance; plenty of substance but free of clumsiness. Neither cloddy nor cobby but showing a graceful racy outline.

Characteristics
There is a heedless, reckless pluck about the Irish Terrier which is characteristic, and, coupled with the headlong dash, blind to all consequences, with which he rushes at his adversary, has earned for the breed the proud epithet of ‘the Daredevils’. When ‘off duty’ they are characterised by a quiet caress-inviting appearance, and when one sees them endearingly, timidly pushing their heads into their master’s hands, it is difficult to realise that on occasions, at the ‘set on’, they can prove that they have the courage of a lion, and will fight to the last breath in their bodies. They develop an extraordinary devotion for and have been known to track their masters almost incredible distances.

Temperament
Good-tempered, notably with humans, it being admitted, however, that he is perhaps a little too ready to resent interference on the part of other dogs.

Head and Skull
Head long; skull flat, and rather narrow between ears, narrowing towards eye; free from wrinkles; stop hardly visible except in profile. Jaw strong and muscular, but not too full in cheek, and of good length. Foreface not dished or falling away quickly between eyes, delicately chiselled. Lips well fitting and externally almost black in colour. Nose black.

Eyes
Dark, small, not prominent. A light or yellow eye highly undesirable.

Ears
Small and V-shaped, of moderate thickness, set well on head, and dropping forward closely to cheek. Top of folded ear well above level of skull. Ear must be free of fringe, and hair thereon shorter and darker in colour than body.

Mouth
Teeth even, strong and free from discoloration. Jaws strong, with perfect, regular scissor bite, i.e. upper teeth closely overlapping lower teeth and set square to the jaws.

Neck
Fair length and gradually widening towards shoulders, well carried and free of throatiness. Generally a slight fringe at each side of neck, running nearly to corner of ear.

Forequarters
Shoulders fine, long and well laid back. Legs moderately long, well set from shoulders, perfectly straight, with plenty of bone and muscle; elbows working freely clear of sides; pasterns short and straight, hardly noticeable, the forelegs moved straightforward when travelling.

Body
Chest deep and muscular, neither full nor wide. Body moderately long; back strong and straight, with no appearance of slackness behind shoulders; loin muscular and slightly arched; ribs fairly sprung, rather deep than round, and well ribbed back.

Hindquarters
Strong and muscular, thighs powerful, hocks well let down, stifles moderately bent. Hindlegs move straight forward when travelling, hocks not turned outwards. Hair on legs dense and crisp.

Feet
Strong, tolerably round, moderately small, toes arched, neither turned out nor in; black toe nails most desirable. Pads sound and free from cracks or horny excrescences.

Tail
Customarily docked.
Docked: Customarily docked to about three quarters. Free of fringe or feather, but well covered with rough hair. Set on pretty high, carried gaily but not over back or curled.
Undocked: Set on pretty high, carried gaily but not over back or curled. Free of fringe or feather but well covered with rough hair. In overall balance with the rest of the dog. Carriage is such that the tail is not liable to damage during working.

Gait/Movement
Fore- and hindlegs carried straight forward and parallel. Elbows move perpendicular to body, working free of sides, stifles neither turning in nor out.

Coat
Harsh and wiry, having broken appearance, free of softness or silkiness, not so long as to hide the outline of body particularly in hindquarters, straight and flat, no shagginess and free of lock or curl. At base of these stiff hairs is growth of finer and softer hair, usually termed the undercoat. Hair on foreface crisp and only sufficiently long to impart appearance of additional strength. Hair on legs dense and crisp.

Colour
‘Whole-coloured’, most preferable colours being red, red/wheaten, or yellow/red. Small amount of white on chest acceptable, white on feet highly undesirable. Black shading highly undesirable.

Size
Ideal height: dogs: 48 cms (19 ins); bitches: 46 cms (18 ins).

Faults
Any departure from the foregoing points should be considered a fault and the seriousness with which the fault should be regarded should be in exact proportion to its degree and its effect upon the health and welfare of the dog.

Note
Male animals should have two apparently normal testicles fully descended into the scrotum.

Last Updated - July 2001

Glossary of Canine Terms

Health Information

The Kennel Club operates health screening schemes with other organisations.  Some are clinical veterinary screening schemes and some are DNA screening schemes, which may be relevant to this breed.

The current health screening requirements and recommendations for Kennel Club Accredited Breeders of this breed show what is required and recommended for the sire and dam of any litter of this breed bred by an Accredited Breeder.

Breed specific summary results from the Purebred Dog Health Survey in 2004 are available.  Individual summaries are only available where the breed response rate was greater than 15%.

Recommended Reading

All the below publications are available from the Online Shop.

Kennel Club Breed Standards Kennel Club Breed Standards are available for most breeds indicating the qualities which competition judges normally take into account and the standard or model which breeders endeavour to achieve. The Breed Standards can be purchased by group.

The Kennel Club Illustrated Breed Standards Containing full descriptive standards for 192 breeds, as well as representation for the six Kennel Club recognised breeds that are currently without standards, this beautifully illustrated volume is a must for all dog enthusiasts. This third edition has been completely revised and updated by a panel of experts and incorporates the very latest standards for breeds in each group.

Breed Clubs and Societies

• IRISH TERRIER ASSOC. Sec. Miss A Bradley. Tel No: 01733 205386
• IRISH TERRIER CLUB OF SCOTLAND. Sec. Mr J Stewart. Tel No: 01563 521257
• NORTH OF ENGLAND IRISH TERRIER CLUB. Sec. Mr P Livesey. Tel No: 01200 24167
• SOUTHERN IRISH TERRIER SOCIETY. Sec. Mrs J W A Looker. Tel No: 01264 850255
• ULSTER IRISH TERRIER CLUB. Sec. Mrs M Croot. Tel No: 01846 676444

This breed of dog is a 'Vulnerable Native Breed'.

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