The English Toy Terrier (Black & Tan) is a small dog of the terrier dog breed, with black fur and sharp fire, pointed and erect ears. These dogs are a bit longer than they are tall. This breed is now considered rare even in its homeland – in England, although it was once widespread there.
Outwardly, the English Toy Terrier is more like a miniature Doberman than the Russian Toy, which has long become popular in our country. These energetic and agile dogs are considered ideal pets and companions.
English Toy Terrier photos
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Physical characteristics
The English Toy Terrier is a miniature-sized dog (the dog grows at the withers up to 25-30 cm, and its weight ranges from 3-5 kg).
Distinctive features
- Head: Long, narrow and well filled under the eyes.
- Nose: Black.
- Muzzle: The muzzle tapers slightly, giving it a wedge shape when viewed in profile and from the front.
- Eyes: Dark to black, without a slight tint to the iris. Relatively small, almond-shaped, obliquely set, shiny, not protruding.
- Ears: Candle-flame shaped, with slightly pointed tips, set high on the back of the skull, relatively close together
- Neck: Long, graceful, slightly curved. The contours of the neck flow elegantly and smoothly into the shoulders.
- Chest: Narrow and deep, with well sprung ribs.
- Tail: Thick at the base, tapering towards the end. Set on low, not below the hocks.
- Coat: Short, thick, coated and shiny.
- Color: Black and beige. Ebony black with a rich tan, the color of a young chestnut. The colors do not overlap, forming a clean, clear border.
Character and behavior
This little English Toy Terrier still has a part of the burrow mood. In general, they are affectionate, friendly and totally dedicated to their family.
They will be as happy in the country as in the city and will get along well with older children. They should be socialized with other dogs, cats and children from a very young age.
Nature endowed this doggie with an inquisitive and cheerful disposition. This tiny English Terrier will be delighted with long walks in the park or a cosy public garden. Large physical exertion is contraindicated for this dog, and therefore regular walking and pampering with dog toys should be enough for him.
It is very attached to its owner, and usually distinguishes one person from the family, to which he implicitly submits. But to strangers it is aggressive: it starts to get angry, growl and bark. In addition, relationships with other four-lip gears may also not work out well. Seeing another dog, even a fairly large one, the English toy terrier will certainly try to start a fight with him. For this reason, it is advisable not to let him go on a leash during a walk.
English toy terrier, like other representatives of miniature breeds, may possess the “Napoleon complex.” The dog is convinced of its superiority and does not always evaluate its strength objectively.
Specimens of the breed get along well with children if the kids do not bother them. A perky pet will support games both in the house and in the fresh air. It is very important to explain to the child the rules of behavior with animals so that he does not accidentally injure a pet.
English toy terrier can be quite jealous. It all depends on the nature of the particular dog and its upbringing. But, if the puppy appears in a house where there are already other animals, the likelihood that they will become friends is much higher.
Health
The breed of English toy terrier can have some health problems, namely:
- Local dislocation of the patella: also known as “crushed knees”, this is a common problem in small dogs.
- Retinal dysplasia is most often a congenital hereditary disease. This means that the dog is born with it and transmitted by the parents, but it can also be the result of trauma, intrauterine herpes virus or parvovirus infection.
- Open fontanel – English toy spaniels are born with a soft spot on the crown. Usually it closes, like a newborn baby, but sometimes not completely. It is important to understand that a random blow to this place on the head can kill an English toy spaniel with such an open fontanel.
- Fused fingers are a common feature of the English toy spaniel, not related to any disease or disorder.
Life expectancy
With good care, an English toy terrier can live 12-13 years.
Care
The English Toy Terrier does not tolerate heat and cold. In winter, he needs to walk for a short time, put warm shoes on his paws. In good weather, he prefers to be outside for a long time without heavy physical exertion. Make sure the animal does not rub the skin with strong-smelling substances. Avoid the company of large dogs.
Clean eyes, ears. Check for mites and skin parasites. Clean the teeth. Brush the coat weekly with a soft brush. Trim nails monthly.
Exercise
The English Toy Terrier does not require much exercise: an adult needs about half an hour a day. However, you can take long walks and, even if it seems tricky, you can walk a few kilometers.
Differences between the English toy terrier and the Russian toy
The English Toy Terrier belongs to miniature breeds – it is larger than the Russian Toy and looks not so much like it as it looks like a more athletic Manchester Terrier. The Russian Toy’s height is 20-28 cm, while the English toy is from 25 to 30 cm, and the weight is up to 4 kg.
This dog, unlike its smaller relative, who has long become just a companion, has not lost its qualities of a hunter and a rat-catcher and can even now successfully participate in fox hunts and destroy rodents.
The build of the English Toy is stronger and more muscular, the skull is flatter than that of the Russian Toy Terrier, and the muzzle is longer and wider. The jaws are stronger, the cheekbones are better defined.
The erect ears of the Russian Toy have the shape of an isosceles triangle, while the English Toy has the shape of a candle flame characteristic of this breed.
The main external differences between these two breeds are the type of wool. If the Russian toy is both short-haired and long-haired, then the English one can only have a smooth-haired type.
Also, if the Russian Toy Terrier can have black, brown, blue, lilac and tan, as well as fawn or red, then for the English Toy, only black and tan is allowed.
History of the breed
The English Toy Terrier (Black & Tan) was called until the 1960s a miniature black and fire terrier. Its origins date back to the black and fire terrier documented in the 16th century.
In the 19th century in England, the nobles carried them in the hunters’ pockets and left them on the ground when it was necessary to let out the foxes or other prey. Terriers fights and betting on how long these dogs would take to kill a number of rats has become popular.
As this breed became more popular and people wanted smaller dogs, there was an intense cross with other breeds, with smaller specimens of the litters being chosen for breeding.
The English Toy Terrier is bred on the basis of the larger Manchester Terriers. These dogs were incredibly popular in Victorian England. Oddly enough, they served people for hunting foxes and burrowing animals, in addition, they participated in rat battles. The dog was sent to the enclosure with the rats, and she had to kill them as quickly as possible. The rat hunt also helped during the plague epidemic.
Later, rat fights were banned, and at the same time, the English Kennel Club was formed, which was the first to organize dog shows, at which the already decorated breed gained even more popularity, but thanks to external data.
By the way, the division into separate breeds of the English and Manchester Terriers happened in 1920. True, then the representatives of the breed were called “miniature black and tan terrier”. The modern name was adopted in 1962.
Later, breeders in the United States and Canada added the blood of Toy Terriers to Manchester Terriers, as the number of Manchester people began to decline sharply. This caused confusion in the names and separation of the two breeds.