Australian Terrier

The Australian Terrier is descended from the rough coated type terriers brought from Great Britain to Australia in the early 1800s. The ancestral types of all of these breeds were kept to eradicate mice and rats. The Australian Terrier shares ancestors with the Cairn Terrier, Shorthaired Skye Terrier, and the Dandie Dinmont Terrier; Yorkshire Terriers and Irish Terriers were also crossed into the dog during the breed's development.

Development of the breed began in Tasmania about 1820, and the dogs were at first called the Rough Coated Terrier. The breed was officially recognized with the founding of the first breed club in 1887, and the breed was recognized as the Australian Terrier in 1892. The Australian Terrier was shown at a dog show for the first time in 1903 in Melbourne, and was also shown in Great Britain about the same time.

The breed standard describes the ideal Australian Terrier temperament as spirited, alert, "with the natural aggressiveness of a ratter and hedge hunter". Aussies rank 34th in Stanley Coren's The Intelligence of Dogs, being of above average "Working and Obedience" intelligence, indicating good trainability. As with other terriers, they can be dog-aggressive and somewhat bossy, and care must be taken when living in a multi-pet household. In general, adult male terriers do not get along well with other adult male dogs.

Origin: Australia

Size: Weight 14 pounds; Height 10 inches

Coat: medium length shaggy harsh double coat. Fur is shorter on the muzzle, lower legs, and feet, and there is a ruff around the neck. The coat colors are shades of blue or red with a lighter colored topknot, and with markings on face, ears, body and legs of a color described in the breed standard as "tan, never sandy".