The Aussie - Spring 2019

It is poor policy to put a new breed before the public eye before
type is fixed, and for this reason the Australian received the cold
shoulder when first introduced. It would have been far beUer for
the originators to have worked quietly along sound lines for at
least 6 years and to have developed fixed character in the liUle
Terrier. Then, when he did come true – or as true as other breeds
– it would have been quite ?me for him to make his bow to the
public with a dozen brothers and sisters alongside, all ‘like peas
in a pod.’
Well the smart liUle Australian has survived all opposi?on and
today is immensely popular. In Melbourne par?cularly he is
exceedingly numerous and as a house dog – quite part from the
show bench – I should venture the opinion is undoubtedly first
favourite.
This is not to be wondered at, as the sobriquet ‘burglar alarm’ is
a fiPng one. Not a move at night is unno?ced by our liUle friend
and he is so persistent in his barking that it would be a heavy
sleeper who would not awaken by his warning.
Ch Blue Clipper - an early example of an Aussie
He will also bite and in some individual cases is so full of grit that
a nocturnal visitor would have a bad ?me.
The Correct Type
A typical Australian should be low set, small dog with fair length
of body in nice propor?on to his height, straight forelegs: coat
hard in texture, neither too short or too long: head rather large
for the size of dog; eye dark, with bright expression; muzzle of
fair length, and not pinched in foreface; teeth level; ears small
and well carried: colours, blue and tan or sandy. The blue and tan
should have well defined markings; the neck and the body being
a sound steel blue and shading to a good rich tan or legs and
feet. The puppies of this colour are born black on back and the
blue does not come un?l they mature. The sandies should be
whole-coloured, of a sound wheaten or sandy shade.
I have o\en met Terrier owners who have coloured dogs that are
in their eyes just the “correct pea.” One lady, showing me her pet
once, that she considered was a fine specimen of a “bronze’
Australian.
Chief Faults
Crooked legs are easy first. It seems to be the most difficult thing
to get straight legs on these dogs. A great many otherwise typical
specimens have front legs like a lizard. The forelegs should be
perfectly straight, but are not o\en seen so. It seems to be a
ques?on of pa?ence and correct ma?ng to stamp out the
crooked leg.
Next fault comes the coat. Very few Australians have the correct
jacket, the prevailing texture being open, so\ and linty. The
original Yorkshire Terrier gave the so\ coat and care was not
taken to fix the correct hard hair required. Goggle eyes. Many
dogs are wan?ng in expression, their eyes being too prominent,
watery and without the fire that we look for. The correct eye is of
a good shape and dark in colour, a light eye being very
objec?onable.
An Australian Terrier photographed in 1896. The same year
as the breed first came to Britain.
Weak heads. The jaw should follow down with plenty of
strength and not foxy in outline. Very many Terriers are so
weak and pinched in the foreface that their character is
spoilt.
Ears also want aUen?on. In early days these were always
cropped and consequently breeders sis not know (or care)
what sort of a lug they were handing down to each
genera?on. Since cropping was abolished the early
carelessness has made itself manifest and today we o\en
see dreadful floppy ears or great bat ‘aeroplanes’.
The Australian Misfit
Some fanciers, finding so\-coated puppies in their
Australian liUers kept these culls and soon had a new
breed, which they called “silkies.”
I have no objec?on to any new breed if the type is fixed
carefully before it is put on the market, but to show a
“silky’ a Kennel Club Show, registered as being by a
Yorkshire Terrier is a trifle over the mark. This actually
occurred this year, both at Melbourne and Adelaide, and
should not be allowed in the interests of the dog fancy.