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| Breed Standard |
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| GENERAL APPEARANCE The structure of the Euro Russell is longer in length than in height, the difference can be as little as an half inch to several inches. This is measured from the withers (high point of the should blades) to the base of the tail. The Euro Russells forelimb ideally is straight, the pasterns are well angulated, the feet are tight and well knuckled. The forelimb should is well laid back. The forelimb is about 1/2 of the total of the dogs height. The chest of a Euro Russell should be span able by an average persons hands. The chest ideally should also be very flexible. The chest is the most important par of any earth working terrier. The head is wedge shape, ears can be dropped or erect. Dropped ears do not fall below the bottom of the eye rims, they are V in shape, lay flat and close to the head, pricked ears are also V in shape, stand erect, but do not appear out of proportion to the head. All other ear carriages are not ideal but are accepted. The eyes are almond in shape and do not protrude. The muzzle is slightly shorter than the length of the skull. The skull is heavy muscled over the cheeks and taper gradually into the throat. The skull is level between the ears, and tapers to the stop which is defined but not overly pronounced. The ideal teeth alignment is scissored in bite, level, under and over bites are accepted, but anything over 1/8" in gap is a serious fault. The body on the Euro Russell is compact, with a well muscled neck, strong straight top line, tail stands erect over the back, tails can be docked or natural and is the breeders preference to dock or not. The hind limb is well angulated, strong and heavy muscled, the hock is straight, leading to a short thick stifle. The skin is thick and loose. The coat should be weather resistance, it's texture dense and coarse. There is no color restrictions, with the exception of the amount of white. Ideal is under 15% white, but anything under 50% is acceptable as foundation stock. CHARACTERISTICS The Euro Russell is a small, agile, extremely versatile, and active terrier. This terrier is one of many types of working terriers found in almost all of Europe. They have survived as an unregistered type of terrier because they are highly valued as a working dog. They are very similar to the "Russell Terrier" and come from same of the same bloodlines. Many say these dogs only differ because of their coloring, which is heavy marked to solid colored. These types are often crossed with one another, puppies born of solid coloration are classified as a Euro Russell and Pied (white bodied) dogs are classified as "Russell Terriers". HEAD The head is proportionate to the size of the body. When viewed from the side, the muzzle is slightly shorter than the skull and joined by a definite stop. The planes of the skull and muzzle are parallel. SKULL - The skull is flat and moderately broad, tapering slightly toward the muzzle. Cheeks are well developed. MUZZLE - The muzzle is strong with powerful, muscular jaws. There is a minimum of falling away under the eye, giving a moderately chiseled look. Lips are tight and darkly pigmented. Fault: Weak jaw. TEETH - The Euro Russell has a complete set of comparatively large, evenly spaced, white teeth meeting in a scissors bite. Not ideal: Undershot or overshot bite. NOSE - The nose fully pigmented. EYES - Eyes are deep set, almond shaped, dark in color, with a mischievous, intelligent expression. Eyelids are tight. Eye rims are black. Dark eyes are preferred. Light eyes are acceptable. Fault: full, round eyes; triangular eyes. EARS - The Euro Russell has small, V-shaped button or drop ears of great mobility. Ear leather is soft and fine. Dogs with button or drop ears may occasionally hold an ear erect. Drop ears are preferred but pricked ears are accepted. Serious fault: Heavy, hound-like ears. NECK The neck is clean, muscular, and of sufficient length to enable the dog's mouth to extend beyond its forepaws when working underground. The neck gradually widens from the nape and blends smoothly into the shoulders. FOREQUARTERS Shoulders are long, sloping, smoothly muscled, and well laid back. The upper arm is sufficiently long to ensure that the elbows are set well under the body, and forms an apparent 90-degree angle with the shoulder blade. The forelegs are strong, straight, and moderately well boned. The elbows are set close to the body, but able to move freely in action. The pasterns are short, powerful, straight, and flexible. When viewed in profile, the pasterns are nearly erect. Faults: Bowed legs; fiddle front; down in pasterns; toes turned out; knuckling over or any other misalignment of joints; out at elbow. BODY A properly proportioned Euro Russell is slightly longer than tall. The length of back from withers to set-on of tail is slightly longer than the height, measured from withers to ground. The Hunt Terrier is perfectly designed to go to ground. This requires a chest of sufficient depth to give good heart and lung room, but without so much depth and width that the dog is encumbered underground. The well-sprung ribs extend well back, but must be capable of being spanned behind the shoulder by an average man's hand. The chest must be capable of being compressed so that the dog is unhindered when working underground. The back is of moderate length, and level, blending into a muscular, slightly arched loin with slight to moderate tuck up. Skin is thick. Serious faults: Barrel ribs; chest too deep or too broad. HINDQUARTERS The hindquarters are strong and muscular. The bone, angulation, and musculature of the hindquarters are in balance with the forequarters. The stifles are well bent, and the hocks are well let down. When the dog is standing, the short, strong rear pasterns are perpendicular to the ground, and viewed from the rear, parallel to one another. Faults: Cow hocks; straight stifles. FEET The feet are fairly round, moderately small, well arched, and tight. Pads are hard, tough, and well cushioned. Dewclaws may be removed. Serious faults: Thin feet; splayed feet. TAIL The tail is set on high and customarily docked to a length so that the tip of the tail is level with the top of the ears. Natural tails are acceptable. When moving or alert, the tail may be straight or with a slight curve forward and carried erect or gaily. When the dog is at rest, the tail may drop. History on tail docking: "Docking of the tails on farmers' or drovers' dogs used for herding or driving cattle and sheep originated in early Georgian times in England, when it exempted the owner form a tax levied upon working dogs with tails. This was a case of putting profit before the welfare of the animals. Many other types of dogs were also similarly docked to avoid this luxury tax, and although his imposition was repealed in 1796 sadly the habit of docking particular breeds has remained. It is thought that approximately one-third of all recognised pure dog breeds have traditionally been docked. These days the most often cited reasons for tail docking are related to the prevention of tail damage, hygiene, the maintenance of breed quality and tradition". COAT The Euro Russell comes in three coat types. All are dense, hard, and weather resistant and cover the entire dog, including the belly and underside of the thighs. ROUGH: A double coat consisting of a short, dense undercoat and very dense, wiry outer coat. Hair over the eyes and on the muzzle will form eyebrows and a beard. The outer coat should not be so long as to obscure the outline of the dog. BROKEN: Any intermediate coat between a rough and smooth coat. The broken coat lies closer to the body than a rough coat and has longer guard hairs than a smooth coat. A broken-coated dog may or may not have face furnishings. SMOOTH: A short, flat coat. Rough- and broken-coated dogs may be stripped to preserve the quality of the coat, but the artfulness of the trimming is not a factor to consider in judging this breed. Serious faults: Silky or woolly coat. COLOR Solid fawn, from all shades of red, solid black, or black with tan points are primary colors for a Euro Russell. Brindle and Merle are acceptable. Under 15% white is preferred. 16% - 49% is accepted but not ideal. Not ideal: Over 50% white. HEIGHT AND WEIGHT The Euro Russell is of a size to go to ground. Mature Euro Russells are 11 inches and under, and from about 11 to 15 pounds in weight. Euro Russell should always be presented in hard, working condition. Dogs outside the approved range of height shall be penalized only to the degree that their size affects their ability to work. Not idea: Height over 12 inches GAIT The Euro Russell moves with a jaunty, confident attitude, conveying the character of the breed. When trotting, the gait is effortless, smooth, powerful, and well coordinated, showing good, but not exaggerated, reach in front and drive behind. The back line remains level with only a slight flexing to indicate suppleness. Viewed from any position, legs turn neither in nor out, nor do feet cross or interfere with each other. As speed increases, feet tend to converge toward centerline of balance. Poor movement should be penalized to the degree to which it reduces the Euro Russell ability to perform the variety of tasks it was bred to do. Serious Faults: Unilateral or bilateral crypt orchid. Viciousness or extreme shyness. Height over 12 inches. Any color, pattern, or markings other than listed. Not Ideal: Undershot or overshot bite. |
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