Breeds / Small
Manchester Terrier (Standard) puppies
Keen, quick and clean in the house, closely attached to its person and always alert. A sleek black and tan terrier with sighthound in its make-up.
The facts
- Size class Small
- Country of origin Great Britain
- Adult weight 5.4 to 10 kg
- Adult weight in pounds 12 to 22 lb
- Adult height 38 to 41 cm
- Energy level High
- Grooming Low
- Coat type Short smooth
- Typical lifespan 15 to 17 years
- Good with children Usually good
- Good with other dogs Fine with supervision
Where these come from:
About the Manchester Terrier (Standard)
The Manchester Terrier was made in industrial northern England for killing rats and coursing rabbits, reportedly by crossing the old black and tan terrier with a whippet, and the result still looks it: an arched loin, a tucked up waist and a long wedge shaped head. The standard variety weighs 5.4 to 10 kg and stands 38 to 41 cm, in a short glossy black and tan coat. It is keen, quick, clean in the house and closely bonded to one person.
Energy is high, so a couple of proper walks plus something to chase every day, after which it will happily take the sofa. Grooming is a weekly wipe with a damp towel or hound glove and an occasional bath, though the thin coat means it feels the cold. It barks readily. It rates well with children, with supervision and socialisation. The one thing to remember for life: tell any vet about the sighthound ancestry before surgery, because the breed needs the same caution with anaesthesia as a Greyhound.
What to expect at eight weeks
At eight weeks a Manchester Terrier (Standard) puppy is sleeping around 18 to 20 hours a day, is not house trained, and cannot hold on for more than an hour or two at a stretch. A small breed puppy at eight weeks is light enough to carry everywhere, which is exactly how you get it socialised before the vaccination course finishes. It will still need four meals a day. This is a high energy breed. At eight weeks that shows up as intensity rather than stamina, and it will need a job to do long before it needs long walks. Grooming is straightforward, but start handling the coat, feet and ears in week one anyway so it is never a fight later. The socialisation window is open and closing: everything it meets calmly now, from vacuum cleaners to men in hats, is easier for the rest of its life.
Health worth knowing about
Conditions this breed is reported to be predisposed to. Predisposed does not mean inevitable, it means ask about it.
- Juvenile dilated cardiomyopathy, currently found by echocardiogram, with a genetic test under development
- Patellar luxation, detected on orthopaedic examination
- Von Willebrand's disease, an inherited clotting disorder detectable by DNA test
- Sensitivity to anaesthesia inherited from its sighthound ancestry, managed by telling the vet before any procedure
From Manchester Terrier (Standard) breed information at https://www.akc.org/dog-breeds/manchester-terrier-standard/. Discuss any of these with your own vet.
Your Manchester Terrier (Standard) puppy's first six months
- Vaccination schedule, dated for your country.
- Worming and parasite schedule.
- Feeding calculator. Set expected adult size to Small for a Manchester Terrier (Standard).
- Adult size predictor, to check growth against the 5.4 to 10 kg adult range.
- Puppy names and the first week checklist.
Other small breeds
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Not veterinary advice. Breed information is general. Your own dog, and your own vet, always win.