Explore the history, traits, and judging considerations of the spirited Welsh Terrier, a hardy, wire-coated breed.
Bruce Schwartz
The Weekly Brief
The best of SHOWSIGHT editorials, weekly wins, and breeder commentary — delivered to your inbox every Sunday morning.
Small black and tan dogs were first mentioned in 55 B.C. by Julius Caesar as he sent messages back home. Centuries later when Briton won the war over Wales, those black and tan dogs remained in the northern region of the British Isles.
John Marvin, in his Book of All Terriers, cites a poem written around 1450 which describes a red and black working terrier:
You gave me a dignified (picked)
Stick-and a good bitch,
A black, red-bellied terrier bitch
To Throttle the brown pole-cat
And to tear up the red fox.
It is commonly accepted that this description was of the dog that was to become what we today call a Welsh Terrier. In the mid 1800s, dog shows were evolving and people were showing Old English Black and Tan Terriers or Old English Wirehaired Black and Tan Terriers. As a breed, the Welsh Terrier gained recognition around 1884 and the Welsh Terrier Club was formed in England in 1886. Just two years later, the first Welsh Terriers landed in America.
These dogs belonged to the common man. He helped him to keep his domain free from predators and vermin. They are diggers who work in the soil. The dirt is propelled by their front legs between their spread hind legs. Their drop ears prevent lose dirt from entering the ear canals. Like many other terriers, they work badger and fox.
The Welsh Terrier is a sturdy, compact, rugged dog of medium size with a coarse wire-textured coat. The legs, underbody and head are tan; the jacket black (or occasionally grizzle). The tail is docked to length meant to complete the image of a “square dog” approximately as high as he is long. The movement is a terrier trot typical of the long-legged terrier. It is effortless, with good reach and drive. The Welsh Terrier is friendly, outgoing to people and other dogs, showing spirit and courage. The “Welsh Terrier expression” comes from the set, color, and position of the eyes combined with the use of the ears.
As any class of dogs enters the ring, the primary chore is to discern which dog exhibits those qualities that define breed type. The first thing to understand are the general qualities that define a Welsh Terrier. They are WIRE-COATED, BLACK and TAN, SQUARE, SOLID, STURDY, AND CONFIDENT. Like most breeds, the operative word in the Standard is MODERATE. The Welsh has a “working dog” appearance; however, they should never be coarse, short-legged or unattractive. Although the Welsh Terrier is less likely to start a squabble than some other terriers, they should not back down from a confrontation and once challenged will be just as likely to finish any fight. The Standard describes the color of the furnishings and head as being tan. They should be a rich tan—or what we more commonly would probably consider to be brown. The black or grizzle jacket are equally acceptable. The eyes are set wide apart, squarely in the head.
Males are about 15 inches at the withers, with an acceptable range between 15 and 15.12. Bitches may be proportionally smaller. Twenty pounds is considered an average weight, varying a few pounds depending on the height of the dog and the density of bone. Both dog and bitch appear solid and of good substance.
The range in size of dogs and bitches that are being exhibited should be of concern to both breeders and judges. On the small end you have many bitches which are lacking in bone and body and whose legs are not long enough to give them the appearance of a square dog. On the large size, you have dogs exceeding 16 inches which may appear to be puppy Airedales and lack spring of rib and have a long and somewhat narrow head. Neither a short-legged bitch nor a tall and lanky dog should be rewarded as they lack correct breed type. You may also find a short-legged dog and a tall and lanky bitch.
The entire head is rectangular. The eyes are small, dark brown and almond-shaped, well set in the skull. They are placed fairly far apart. The size, shape, color and position of the eyes give the steady, confident but alert expression that is typical of the Welsh Terrier. The ears are V-shaped, small, but not too thin. The fold is just above the topline of the skull. The ears are carried forward close to the cheek with the tips falling to, or toward, the outside corners of the eyes when the dog is at rest. The ears move slightly up and forward when at attention. Skull – The foreface is strong with powerful, punishing jaws. It is only slightly narrower than the backskull. There is a slight stop. The backskull is of equal length to the foreface. They are on parallel planes in profile. The backskull is smooth and flat (not domed) between the ears. There are no wrinkles between the ears. The cheeks are flat and clean (not bulging).
The Welsh Terrier head should never be confused with that of an Airedale Terrier, Fox Terrier or Lakeland Terrier. Think of the correct balance as being a series of halves. The skull is half the length of the head, the muzzle is half the length of the head, and the width of the backskull is half of its length. Like everything else about the Welsh Terrier, you have a moderate head, not exaggerated in length, width or refinement. The placement of the eyes (fairly far apart) imparts the strength which is required by our Standard. A correctly balanced skull with eyes set too close together will result in a foreign expression as will eyes that are not set in the skull. A large, light or combination of these traits resulting in a “prominent” eye are faults which are unacceptable to me. The ear leather of the Welsh is heavier than that of the Fox Terrier.
The muzzle is one-half the length of the entire head from tip of nose to occiput. The foreface in front of the eyes is well made up. The furnishings on the foreface are trimmed to complete without exaggeration the total rectangular outline. The muzzle is strong and squared off, never snipy. The nose is black and squared off. The lips are black and tight. A scissors bite is preferred, but a level bite is acceptable. Either one has complete dentition. The teeth are large and strong, set in powerful, vise-like jaws.
Please note that our Standard calls for a black nose—regardless of the season!
In order to correctly judge the Welsh Terrier head, you should always use your hand to determine the “full-ness” of the muzzle. Don’t let head furnishings mislead you into thinking the dog has the strength required—feel it! The Welsh Standard also calls for complete dentition. It doesn’t require you to count teeth, as in a Doberman or Rottweiler, but please check the entire mouth for missing teeth and fault accordingly. Keep in mind that the Terrier does his job with his mouth.
The neck is of moderate length and thickness, slightly arched and sloping gracefully into the shoulders. The throat is clean with no excess of skin.
The neck is never to appear swan-like or stuffy. Like every other description in the Welsh Standard, it is moderate and never out of balance with the entire character of the dog.
The topline is level. It should not slope and the withers should always be the high point. The root of the tail should NEVER appear to be higher than the withers. One of the major problems of the breed is the appearance of running down hill. In judging, I consider this to be one of the most serious faults and one that you will encounter on a regular basis.
The body shows good substance and is well ribbed up. There is good depth of brisket and moderate width of chest. The loin is strong and moderately short. The tail is docked to a length approximately level (on an imaginary line) with the occiput, to complete the square image of the whole dog. The root of the tail is set well up on the back. It is carried upright.
The dog should be viewed from both the side and from above to determine the breadth and depth of the body. The body and length of leg should each contribute equal amounts to the total height of the dog. That is, the Welsh Terrier should neither be long nor short on leg.
When viewed from above, the animal should never appear to lack rib or be over-done. Dogs which are over-done in body will appear to be short on leg when viewed from the side. Among the most objectionable faults I find in a terrier is a low-set tail (when the Standard calls for a well-set tail). In addition, I like to see a fairly straight tail that does not bounce as the dog moves. When a dog is in an excited state, I do not find it objectionable for the tail to tend to somewhat come over the back. This should not be confused with a gay tail that curves over the back. A tail with a kink (bend towards either side of the dog) is a major fault to me.
The front is straight. The shoulders are long, sloping and well laid back. The legs are straight and muscular with upright and powerful pasterns. The feet are small, round, and catlike. The pads are thick and black. The nails are strong and black; any dewclaws are removed.
The Standard statement that “the front is straight” refers to the front legs and not to the front assembly. A dog with short, mincing steps is highly objectionable to me. These dogs lack front angulation and often side-wind because their front movement cannot keep up with their hind action. When examining a terrier, please take the time to look at the feet. These are one of their primary “tools of their trade” and shouldn’t be over-looked. Weak pasterns are also hard to over-look.
The hindquarters are strong and muscular with well-developed second thighs and the stifles well bent. The hocks are moderately straight, parallel and short from joint to ground. The feet should be the same as in the forequarters.
Please make special note that our Standard calls for a well-developed second thigh—something that is difficult to find. A good “shelf” behind the tail is another desirable trait—it may also be described as “butt behind the tail.” This adds to the appearance of a well-set tail and a strong-muscled thigh.
The coat is hard, wiry, and dense with a close-fitting thick jacket. There is a short, soft undercoat. Furnishings on muzzle, legs, and quarters are dense and wiry.
One of the hallmarks of a terrier is the quality of their coat. A poor quality coat is never acceptable. One of the hallmarks of a terrier judge is their ability to ascertain the quality of the coat without mauling the dog. There is no need to run your entire hand through the coat to determine the quality. Feel a small patch near the center of the back and lift to check for undercoat. If the dog has a good quality of furnishing, they will likewise have a good quality undercoat. If they have sparse furnishings, they will have the same type of undercoat. You can also be certain that a dog with a coat of good texture also has the proper color. Quality of texture and color go together. You won’t find a poor quality coat with correct color.
The jacket is black, spreading up onto the neck, down onto the tail and into the upper thighs. The legs, quarters, and head are clear tan. The tan is a deep reddish color, with slightly lighter shades acceptable. A grizzle jacket is also acceptable.
Many new terrier judges are very concerned with the natural color of the dogs being exhibited. What should concern you is the texture of the coat and furnishings. I have NEVER seen a dog with good texture and bad color or good (natural) color and bad texture. I really believe if you judge with this in mind you will never make a mistake. So, reward good texture and it will have naturally good color.
I doubt that this will ever be a deciding factor, but I also greatly prefer clean tan markings. I find black in the tan (a smutty mixture) to be unattractive. On the other side, these dogs tend to have very harsh coats with the best color.
The movement is straight, free and effortless, with good reach in front, strong drive behind, with feet naturally tending to converge toward a median line of travel as speed increases.
These are working dogs which need to travel some distance. Restricted, choppy movement should not be rewarded.
The Welsh Terrier is a game dog-alert, aware, spirited-but at the same time, is friendly and shows self control. Intelligence and desire to please are evident in his attitude. A specimen exhibiting an overly aggressive attitude, or shness, should be penalized.
A shy, frantic, crazed, spooky, distraught, unsure, distressed, flustered, agitated, uneasy dog should never be rewarded. Disposition is a problem in our breed and rewarding unacceptable behavior only encourages breeders, handlers, and exhibitors to make excuses for dogs which should not be included in breeding programs. This behavior can be seen in dogs that fail to pay attention to their handlers and are distracted by sounds which most other dogs ignore. They are often constantly “flicking” their ears and appear to be in fear of the “sky falling.” I can’t stress this point enough. I really believe there is no better companion than a Welsh Terrier with a good temperament, and as judges, it is our responsibility to intelligently evaluate this characteristic.
Some judges spar dogs, others don’t. I do so if I believe it will help me evaluate two dogs who might not be using themselves at their best. Some dogs show just as well for toys or bait. Others will never look as good as with another animal. If you do spar, please do not bring out more than two (or possibly three) dogs at any one time. This will prevent you from losing control of your ring, having a dog fight on your hands, and not truly being able to see the dog, which is the entire point of this exercise.
Make it clear to the handlers that the dogs are supposed to be looking at each other and nothing more—and that you expect them to keep them under control. However, if dogs do “defend their turf,” move quickly to have the handlers move the dogs back in line and don’t penalize the dogs.
Any deviation from the foregoing should be considered a fault; the seriousness of the fault depending upon the extent of the deviation.
All About Judging
