KENAI
English Toy Terrier

The breeds · terrier

FCI standard 13

English Toy Terrier.

Dogs NZ: original function hunting small rodents. Dogs NSW: used for rodent control in earlier times, on ships and farms, later for sport; today a companion and a completely dependable watchdog. Wikipedia: origins in the Victorian rat pit; developed from the Old English Black and Tan Terrier and closely related to the Manchester Terrier; on the Kennel Club (UK) list of vulnerable native breeds with an average of only 86 pups registered every year. FCI 13: Group 3 Terriers, Section 4 Toy Terriers..

Breed sets the odds. The parents set the dog. Every number here shows its source, its spread and how sure we are. Nothing on this page is a prediction about one dog.

0INHeightall null. An ideal from the standard, not a range.
6–8LBWeight, all linesbreed 6 to 8 lb.

The body

What the breed is built like. Registry standards give an ideal, not a range.

Height at the shoulder

9.8 to 12 in

Breed clubFCI-Standard N 13, 2026

One breed-wide range counted in both sexes; no source splits by sex. Low is 25 cm = 9.8 in (conversion stated), high is the 12 in printed by Dogs NSW and Wikipedia (30 cm = 11.8 in). Every standard prints a range, not a single ideal, so center is blank.

Weight

6 to 8 lb

Breed clubFCI-Standard N 13, 2026

One breed-wide range counted in both sexes. Low and high are the 6 and 8 lb printed by Dogs NSW, Dogs NZ and Wikipedia (2.7 kg = 6.0 lb, 3.6 kg = 7.9 lb). A range, not a single ideal, so center is blank.

Coat

FCI 13: thick, close and glossy short hair; colour black and tan only, black ebony and tan like a new chestnut, with defined pencilling and thumb marks; white patches and any other colour unacceptable. Wikipedia: the only permitted colour is black with defined tan markings.

Breed clubFCI-Standard N 13, 2026

One coat and colour in every source.

Shedding

The Kennel Club (Your Dog): moulting level low; usually moult but, as the hair is short, the mess is minimal.

Breed clubThe Kennel Club (UK)

Registry statement; no study opened.

Heat tolerance

FCI 13 coat: thick, close and glossy, a density of short hair required. Dogs NSW: very short, single coat. Fine bone, narrow deep chest.

DerivedFCI-Standard N 13, 2026

Derived from coat. A short single coat sits at 5. No heat-illness study was opened.

The dog at home

What the breed asks of a day. The first thing most homes get wrong.

Exercise need

The Kennel Club (Your Dog): exercise requirement little; needs around 30 minutes' exercise a day but will be happy and ready to go for much longer; short runs. Dogs NSW: no daily exercise needed, very little exercise, a daily walk will benefit; quite active and cat-like, tends to exercise itself. Dogs NZ: exercise very little.

Breed clubThe Kennel Club (UK)

Center is the Kennel Club's 30 minutes. The Australian and New Zealand clubs say less; the disagreement stands in the text.

Grooming load

The Kennel Club (Your Dog): grooming light; short coat needs brushing once a week. Dogs NSW: low maintenance; very short single coat, very little brushing, a damp cloth rejuvenates the gloss. Dogs NZ: grooming very little.

Breed clubThe Kennel Club (UK)

Mapped by the library scale (weekly brush = 2). Dogs NSW and Dogs NZ say less (wipe-down level); the disagreement stands in the text.

The work

What it was built to do in the field, and what a test or trial asks of it.

Role

Dogs NZ: original function hunting small rodents. Dogs NSW: used for rodent control in earlier times, on ships and farms, later for sport; today a companion and a completely dependable watchdog. Wikipedia: origins in the Victorian rat pit; developed from the Old English Black and Tan Terrier and closely related to the Manchester Terrier; on the Kennel Club (UK) list of vulnerable native breeds with an average of only 86 pups registered every year. FCI 13: Group 3 Terriers, Section 4 Toy Terriers.

Breed clubDogs New Zealand

A companion toy terrier today; the ratting is history.

Primary game

Dogs NZ: hunting small rodents. Wikipedia: rat pit sport in Victorian England. FCI 13: historically he could acquit himself satisfactorily in the rat pit.

Breed clubDogs New Zealand

History only, not a current use.

Field trial standard

FCI 13: Group 3 Terriers, Section 4 Toy Terriers, without working trial.

Breed clubFCI-Standard N 13, 2026

No field test applies.

How common the problems are

Evaluated dogs skew toward breeding stock; the numbers are still the best there are.

Most common disorders

The Kennel Club (Your Dog): generally healthy and hardy; patellar luxation is known in the breed; no compulsory health tests, but Assured Breeders are strongly recommended to use the breed club patella screening test (graded 0 to 4; breed only from 0 or 1) and the BAER hearing test, although deafness cases are rare. Dogs NSW: relatively free from health issues; slipping kneecaps and poor hip joints can occur (Dr Rob Zammit).

Breed clubThe Kennel Club (UK)

Registry and club text; no VetCompass or breed health survey was read.

What to ask a breeder for

The health clearances the breed’s own club and registry name. Reference only: what to ask for, never a statement about any dog’s health.

How to read this page

Every value carries a label. Measured means peer-reviewed data on many dogs. Studied means peer-reviewed, smaller or indirect. Breed club means a club or registry states it. Editorial means expert opinion with no measurement behind it. Where two good sources disagree, both are shown and neither is averaged.

Published when the entry rests on the best information available from no fewer than three independent sources, checked by a second pass that did not write it. 3 sources on this page. Found something wrong? Tell us and the correction is logged with its date.

Also called
English Toy Terrier, Black and Tan Toy Terrier, Miniature Black and Tan Terrier

Every breed, read the same way.

The breed index grows as entries clear the standard. Gun dogs first.

All published breeds

Your english toy terrier, on the record.

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