History of the Manchester Terrier

Manchester Terrier History

Black and Tan Terriers have existed in Great Britain for hundreds of years and are cited as one of the oldest of the terriers. A breeder from Manchester, John Hulme, is credited with crossing the rough Black and Tan Terrier with the Whippet in the 1800s to produce the sleek, agile and powerful Manchester Terrier we see today. Some have suggested that Italian Greyhounds and Dachshunds may have also played a role in the creation of the Manchester Terrier. The Manchester Terrier in turn is credited as a foundation dog used in the development of other dog breeds, including the Doberman Pinscher, the Australian Terrier, the German Hunting Terrier and the Lancaster Heeler.

Manchester Terriers were initially bred to be vermin hunters, a task they excelled at. In addition to being a companion animal, they were used to rid both homes and ships of rats and mice. Eventually a sport developed in England involving the killing of rats. Dogs were put into pits and bets were placed as to which dog could kill the greatest number of rats in a given period of time. A 5 pound Toy Manchester Terrier named "Tiny" was reported to have killed 300 rats in 54 minutes and 50 seconds. This "sport" eventually fell out of favour and is no longer practiced.

The Manchester Terrier reached the height of its popularity in the Victorian era. During this time it was prized both for its ratting ability and its good looks. The standard Manchester Terrier was thought to be a suitable companion for the discerning gentleman. Victorian women, on the other hand, desired a smaller version of the Manchester and a toy was developed by repeatedly breeding the smallest of the standard Manchesters. Unfortunately this practice was carried to an extreme and the result was very small, very unhealthy animals. The modern day Toy Manchester Terrier is a much healthier, sounder and larger animal than its ancestors from this earlier period.

Now only one colour combination is acceptable for the Manchester Terrier, namely black and tan. However, in the mid-1800s there was some interest in different colour variations including whites, blues, and reds and these colour variants began appearing at competitions. The English White, in particular, often displayed a number of health problems. These colour variations eventually fell out of favour and are no longer bred for or acceptable.

In 1895 ear cropping was outlawed in England and this greatly decreased the Manchester Terrier's popularity. As the Manchester Terrier's ears had traditionally been cropped, it was largely unnecessary for breeders to consider ear type when selecting breeding stock. Once ear cropping was outlawed many did not like the look of the Manchester's uncropped ears. It took quite a while for English breeders to develop nice looking button ears, which are now required in the English standard.