ORIGINIreland.DATE OF PUBLICATION OF THE ORIGINAL VALID STANDARD16.03.1990.UTILIZATIONUbiquitous farmyard dog, family pet, guard dog with utter contempt for danger or hurt, hunter and gundog.CLASSIFICATION FCIGroup 3 TerriersSection 1 Large and medium sized Terriers. Without working trial.BRIEF HISTORICAL SUMMARYIreland has produced four terrier breeds, all of which are markedly different from terriers on the continent and in England. The dog now officially called Irish Terrier is possibly the oldest of the Irish Terrier breeds, but records are so scarce that it would be difficult to prove this conclusively. Before the 1880s the colour of the Irish Terrier had not been settled. Apart from red, they were sometimes black and tan or sometimes brindle. At the end of the 19th century efforts were made to breed out the black and tan and the brindles, so that by the 20th century all Irish Terriers showed the red coat. The red coated Irish Terrier soon made its appearance on show benches in England and in the United States where it was enthusiastically received. The Irish Terrier's reputation was enhanced during the First World War when they were used as messenger dogs in the terrifying noise and confusion of trench warfare, thus proving both their intelligence and their fearlessness.The first club in the breed was set up in Dublin on March 31st 1879, and the Irish Terrier was the first member of the terrier group to be recognized by the English Kennel Club in the late 19th century as a native Irish breed. The dog's reputation for getting into scraps with others, sometimes even in the showring, is undeserved. Though the terrier may be fierce when the circumstances call for it, the Irish Terrier is easily trained and a gentle pet, living up to his early description as " the poor man's sentinel, the farmer's friend and the gentleman's favourite ".GENERAL APPEARANCEThe dog must present an active, lively, lithe and wiry appearance, lots of substance, at the same time free of clumsiness, as speed and endurance as well as power are very essential. The Irish Terrier must be neither "cloddy nor cobby" but should be framed on the "lines of speed" showing a graceful "racing outline".TEMPERAMENTThe Irish Terrier, while being game and capable of holding his own with other dogs, is remarkably loyal, good tempered, and affectionate with mankind, but once he is attacked he has the courage of a lion and will fight to the bitter end.HEADLong.CRANIAL REGIONSkullFlat and rather narrow between the ears getting slightly narrower towards the eyes, free from wrinkles.Stop Hardly visible except in profile.FACIAL REGIONNoseMust be black.LipsShould be well fitting, and externally almost black in colour.JawMust be strong and muscular, of good punishing length.CheeksNot too full. There should be a slight falling away below the eye so as not to have a Greyhound appearance.TeethShould be strong, level, free from canker, and the top teeth slightly overlapping the lower.EyesShould be dark in colour, small, not prominent and full of life, fire and intelligence. A yellow or light eye is most objectionable.EarsSmall and V-shaped, of moderate thickness, set well on the head, and dropping forward closely to the cheek. The top line of the folded ear should be well above the level of the head. An ear hanging by the side of the head, like a hound's, is not characteristic of the terrier, while an ear which is semi-erect is even more undesirable. The hair on the ear should be short, and darker in colour than that on the body.NeckShould be of a fair length, and gradually widening towards the shoulders, well carried, and free from throatiness. There is generally a slight sort of frill visible at each side of the neck, running nearly to the corner of the ear.BODYShould be symmetrical - neither too long nor too short.ShouldersMust be fine, long and sloping well into the back.BackShould be strong and straight, with no appearance of slackness behind the shoulders.LoinMuscular and very slightly arched.ChestDeep and muscular, but neither full nor wide. Ribs fairly sprung, rather deep than round, and well ribbed back. A bitch may be slightly longer than a dog.TailShould be set on rather high, carried gaily, but not over the back or curled. It should be of good strength and substance and fairly long - a three-quarters dock is about right; well covered with rough hair and free from fringe or feather.LIMBSBoth, fore and hind legs should be moved straight forward, the stifles not turned outwards.ForequartersLegs moderately long, well set from the shoulders, perfectly straight, with plenty of bone and muscles; the elbow working freely clear of the sides; pasterns short and straight, hardly noticeable.HindquartersShould be strong and muscular, thighs powerful, hocks near ground, stifles moderately bent.FeetShould be strong, tolerably round, and moderately small; toes arched, and neither turned out nor in; black toenails most desirable. Pads sound and free from cracks or corny excrescences.GAIT/MOVEMENTFore and hind legs carried straight forward and parallel, elbows move parallel to the axis of the body, working free of sides stifles neither turning in nor out.COATHair Should be dense and wiry in texture, having a broken appearance, but still lying flat, the hairs growing so closely and strongly together that when parted with the fingers the skin cannot be seen; free of softness or silkiness and not so long as to hide the outlines of the body, particularly in the hindquarters, and free of lock or curl. Hair on face of same description as on body, but short (about a quarter of an inch long), almost smooth and straight; a slight beard is the only long hair ( and it is only long in comparison with the rest) that is permissible, and that is characteristic. A beard like a "goat" is suggestive of there being silky and bad hair running through the coat generally.Legs free of feather, and covered, like the head, with as hard a texture of coat as body, but not so long.ColorShould be "whole-coloured", the most preferable being bright red, red-wheaten, or yellow red. White sometimes appears on chest and feet; it is more objectionable on the latter than on the chest, as a small amount of white is frequently to be seen in all self-coloured breeds.SIZE AND WEIGHTHeight at the withersApproximately 18 inches (45 cm)Heightdogs27 lbs (12,25 kg)bitches25 lbs (11,4 kg)Notwithstanding the desirable weights mentioned above, it is mainly a question of general appearance, and if a dog is over-sized or undersized, it is easily discernable in the ring, whatever its weight may be. The actual weight, therefore, regardless of other considerations, must not become an obsession, otherwise the wrong type of dog may be brought to the front. For instance a comparatively small, heavily made, cloddy dog - which is not what is wanted - may easily be the standard weight or over it, whereas another which is long in leg, with not the necessary substance, and build somewhat on the lines of a whippet - also not what is wanted - may be the exact weight or under it, which proves that while the standard weights must be borne well in mind, it is not the "last word" in judging, the main thing being to select, as far as possible, those of the generally accepted size, possessing the other necessary characteristics.FAULTSAny 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.DISQUALIFYING FAULTSNoseAny other than black.MouthDecidedly undershot or overshot.ColourAny other than red, yellow red, or red-wheaten. A small patch of white on chest is permissible, as in other whole-coloured breeds.FeetCorny excrescences or cracks on pads.N.B.Male animals should have two apparently normal testicles fully descended into the scrotum.
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