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Manchester Terrier

The breeds · terrier

AKC Terrier / Toy · UKC Terrier · FCI standard 71

Manchester Terrier.

AKC standard: a smooth, compact, muscular body that gives the power and agility to kill vermin and course small game. UKC: direct descendant of the English Black and Tan Terrier, prized as a ratting dog in the industrial North of England; still the physical structure of a working terrier. FCI: Group 3 Terrier, bred as a ratter and still able to despatch vermin quickly and efficiently; rat killing peaked in the mid-1800s and the breed took its name from weekly shows in Manchester public houses. RKC: roots in urban civilisation, developed in and around Manchester to keep down rats in the towns and mills. Wikipedia: bred in the 19th century to control vermin, rats above all; often seen in rat-baiting pits..

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.

13YRMedian lifespan12 to 13.6, measured on real dogs.
16 / 15INHeight · standard standarddogs 16.1, all null, bitches 15. An ideal from the standard, not a range.
12–22LBWeight, all linesstandard 12 to 22 lb; toy 12 lb.
1HRSExercise, every dayRoyal Kennel Club: up to 1 hour per day; suits a small house and a small to medium garden; town or country. AKC breed page score: energy level 4 of 5 (both varieties).. The constraint most homes get wrong.

The lines

Within one breed the line can matter more than the breed. Where the lines differ, the page says which one a value belongs to.

standard

Standard variety: over 12 lb up to 22 lb (AKC, UKC). Ears erect, button or cropped. Same breed as the Toy in the AKC and UKC (shown by variety). FCI 71 and The Royal Kennel Club list this size as the Manchester Terrier.

toy

Toy variety: not over 12 lb (AKC, UKC); naturally erect ears only. In the UK and FCI the toy is a separate breed, the English Toy Terrier (Black & Tan); the Dogs Trust row 'Toy Manchester Terrier' belongs here.

The body

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

Height at the shoulder

standard linedogs 16.1 in (15 to 16.1) · bitches 15 in (15 to 16)

Breed clubFederation Cynologique Internationale, 2026

Center is the FCI ideal (38 cm = 14.96 in). AKC page range 15-16 in counts for both sexes.

toy line10 to 12 in

Breed clubAKC

Only the AKC Toy breed page gives a height. No ideal, so center blank.

Weight

standard line12 to 22 lb

Breed clubAKC breed standard, 2021

Registries agree. No ideal printed, so center blank.

toy line12 lb

Breed clubAKC breed standard, 2021

Upper limit only; no minimum is printed. No ideal, so center blank.

Coat

AKC: smooth, short, dense, tight and glossy; jet black with rich mahogany tan in sharply divided lines. UKC: smooth, short, glossy, thick and dense (soft coat is a fault). FCI: close, smooth, short and glossy, of firm texture. RKC: short coat, sheds, grooming once a week.

Breed clubAKC breed standard, 2021

Shedding

Shedding 2 of 5 (AKC breed page trait score)

Breed clubAKC

AKC breed page trait score, 1 to 5: a breed-club tendency, never a measurement.

Heat tolerance

4 of 5 · AKC: coat smooth, short, dense, tight and glossy. UKC: smooth, short, glossy, thick and dense. FCI: close, smooth, short and glossy, of firm texture.

DerivedAKC breed standard, 2021

Derived from the coat description (short dense smooth = 4 on the ruled scale). No measured data.

How long they live, and what they cost

Measured on real dogs, with the sample and the spread. Never a guess.

Median lifespan

toy line13 years (12 to 13.6)

MeasuredMcMillan KM, 2024

Name trap: this is the toy variety only; there is no Dogs Trust row for the standard-size Manchester Terrier, so none is given on that line. The 2004 KC survey figure (12.8 yr) sits inside the CI and is cited via Wikipedia, not read at source. AKC page life-expectancy band (15-17) is not a median and is not used.

The dog at home

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

Exercise need

Royal Kennel Club: up to 1 hour per day; suits a small house and a small to medium garden; town or country. AKC breed page score: energy level 4 of 5 (both varieties).

Breed clubThe Royal Kennel Club

RKC band mapped to 60 min. The RKC page is the Manchester Terrier (full size); the UK toy is the separate English Toy Terrier, whose page was not read.

Exercise need

RKC: up to 1 hour per day; small house, small to medium garden; suited to town or country. AKC breed page: energy level 4 of 5.

Breed clubThe Royal Kennel Club

Band words from the Royal Kennel Club page for the full-size Manchester.

Energy

AKC breed page scores (Standard; the Toy page scores the same): energy level 4 of 5, mental stimulation needs 3 of 5, playfulness 4 of 5, barking level 4 of 5, watchdog/protective nature 4 of 5. AKC standard temperament: neither aggressive nor shy, keenly observant, devoted yet discerning; not a sparring breed, generally friendly with other dogs. FCI: keen, alert, gay and sporting. UKC: alert and happy, not aggressive or shy, agreeable with other dogs. Wikipedia: intelligent, inquisitive, feisty and affectionate.

Breed clubAKC

AKC scores are the AKC's own 1-5 bands, not a measurement.

Grooming load

2 of 5 · Royal Kennel Club: grooming once a week, short coat, sheds. AKC breed page: coat grooming frequency 2 of 5, shedding 2 of 5 (both varieties).

Breed clubThe Royal Kennel Club

RKC 'once a week' maps to 2 (weekly brush) on the ruled scale.

Grooming

RKC: grooming once a week, short coat, sheds. AKC breed page: coat grooming frequency 2 of 5, shedding 2 of 5.

Breed clubThe Royal Kennel Club

Bands are the registries' own, not measurements.

The work

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

Role

AKC standard: a smooth, compact, muscular body that gives the power and agility to kill vermin and course small game. UKC: direct descendant of the English Black and Tan Terrier, prized as a ratting dog in the industrial North of England; still the physical structure of a working terrier. FCI: Group 3 Terrier, bred as a ratter and still able to despatch vermin quickly and efficiently; rat killing peaked in the mid-1800s and the breed took its name from weekly shows in Manchester public houses. RKC: roots in urban civilisation, developed in and around Manchester to keep down rats in the towns and mills. Wikipedia: bred in the 19th century to control vermin, rats above all; often seen in rat-baiting pits.

Breed clubAKC breed standard, 2021

Rat baiting is stated by FCI history and Wikipedia; the standards state the ratting work. Say what the sources say, no more.

Primary game

UKC: rats ('ratting' dog). FCI: rats and other vermin. AKC standard: vermin. RKC: rats. Wikipedia: rats.

Breed clubUnited Kennel Club, 2007

All sources agree.

Also used on

RKC: could also be an efficient hunter of rabbits and bring home the supper. AKC standard: courses small game. Wikipedia: the Whippet cross was made by John Hulme to excel at both rat baiting and rabbit coursing.

Breed clubThe Royal Kennel Club

Rabbit work is stated by the RKC and Wikipedia; AKC says 'small game' without naming quarry.

Search pattern

AKC standard: vermin killer that also coursed small game, agile and powerful. Wikipedia: Whippet blood added to excel at rat baiting (timed kills in a pit) and rabbit coursing. FCI: bred as a ratter, still relied on to despatch vermin quickly.

EditorialAKC breed standard, 2021

No source reached states voice on the line or single versus pack work. Coursing and ratting are stated; the finer points are not.

Field trial standard

FCI 71: Group 3 Terriers, Section 1, 'Without working trial.' UKC and AKC standards list no working test; Earthdog or Barn Hunt eligibility is not stated on any page read.

Breed clubFederation Cynologique Internationale, 2026

Blank otherwise: no working standard found.

How common the problems are

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

Hip dysplasia

1.6% · OFA current all-data (accessed Oct 8 2026), row 'Manchester Terrier' (varieties not split): 1.6% dysplastic of 188 evaluations (normal 97.9%; mild 1.6, moderate 0.0, severe 0.0)

MeasuredOrthopedic Foundation for Animals

OFA submissions skew to breeding stock; true population rate is likely higher. OFA all-data is undated. The OFA row is unsplit by variety, so it sits on the whole breed.

Most common disorders

Wikipedia: secondary glaucoma (lens luxation) and von Willebrand disease; the vWD mutation occurs in both varieties but is seen more often in the toy. RKC lists the DNA vWD1 test, eye scheme, juvenile dilated cardiomyopathy and xanthinuria type II as breeder tests.

EditorialWikipedia

Editorial summary plus the RKC test list; no VetCompass paper read for the breed.

More

akc bands

AKC breed page trait scores (1-5): Energy Level 4; Mental Stimulation Needs 3; Trainability Level 4; Barking Level 4; Watchdog/Protective Nature 4; Good With Young Children 4; Openness To Strangers 3; Good With Other Dogs 3; Shedding Level 2; Coat Grooming Frequency 2; Drooling Level 1; Affectionate With Family 5; Playfulness Level 4; Adaptability Level 4.

Breed clubAKC

Fourteen AKC bands in one row; the selector reads each by name. Breed-club ratings: a tendency, never a measurement.

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. 9 sources on this page. Found something wrong? Tell us and the correction is logged with its date.

Also called
Black and Tan Terrier, Gentleman's Terrier, Toy Manchester Terrier

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