Dandie Dinmont UK Kennel Club

Breed Standard

Distinctive head with beautiful silky covering, with large wise intelligent eyes, off setting long, low weasely body.

Short strong legs; weatherproof coat.

Game workman like terrier.

Independent, highly intelligent, determined, persistent, sensitive, affectionate and dignified.

Head strongly made, large but in proportion to dog’s size, muscles showing extraordinary development, especially the maxillary.

Skull broad, narrowing towards the eye, measuring about the same from the inner corner of the eye to back of skull, as from ear to ear.

Forehead well domed; head covered with a very soft silky hair, which is not confined to a mere topknot.

Cheeks gradually tapering towards deep and strongly made muzzle, muzzle in proportion to skull in three to five. Top of muzzle has triangular bare patch pointing backwards to eyes from nose about an inch broad. Nose black

NOTE: Striped or ‘butterfly’ noses are objectionable.

Rich dark hazel, set wide apart and low, large, bright, full and round, but not protruding.

NOTE: Light or black eyes are most objectionable and should be highly penalised in competition.

Pendulous, set well back, wide apart, low on skull, hanging close to cheek with very slight projection at base; broad at junction of head and tapering almost to a point. Fore-part of ear coming almost straight down from its junction with head to tip. Cartilage and skin of ear very thin. Length of ear from three to four inches. Ears harmonise in colour with body colour. In a pepper dog covered with soft straight hear (in some cases almost black). In a mustard dog, hair mustard in colour, a shade darker than the body, but not black. Both should have a thin feather of light hair, starting about two inches from the tip, and of nearly the same colour and texture as the topknot, giving the appearance of a distinct point. This may not appear until after the age of two years.

Jaws strong wit a perfect regular and complete scissor bite, i.e. the upper teeth closely overlapping the lower teeth and set square to the jaws. Any deviation is highly undesirable. Teeth very strong especially the canines, which are extraordinary in size for a small dog. Canines fit well against each other, to give the greatest available holding and punishing powers. Inside the mouth black or dark coloured.

NOTE: Any mouth apart from a perfect scissor bite, e.g undershot, overshot or level bite, should be heavily penalised in competition.

Very muscular, well developed and strong, showing great power, set well into the shoulders.

Shoulders well laid back but not heavy. Forelegs short wit immense muscular development and bone, set wide apart with chest coming well down between them. Forelegs to follow line of chest, with feet pointing forward or slightly outward when standing. Bandy legs highly objectionable.

Long strong and flexible; ribs well sprung and round, chest well developed and well let down between the forelegs; back rather low at shoulders, having a slight downward curve and a corresponding arch over the loins, slight gradual drop from top of loin to root of tail. Backbone well muscled.

NOTE: The body shape is unique to this breed and any variation is a fault.

Hind legs a little longer than forelegs, rather wide apart, but not spread out in an unnatural manner; thighs well developed. Stifle angulated, hocks well let down, dew claws if present customarily removed.

Round and well padded. Hind feet smaller than forefeet. Nails dark but varying in shade according to colour of body. Flat or open feet highly undesirable.

Rather short form eight to ten inches, rather thick at root, getting thicker for about 10 cms (4 inches) and tapering off to a point. Not twisted or curled in any way, but with a curve like a scimitar, the tip when excited being in a perpendicular line with the root of the tail. Set neither too high nor too low. When not excited carried gaily above the level of the body.

Strong straight impulsion from rear, giving a fluent and easy stride, reaching forward at the front. A stiff, stilted, hopping or weaving gait is undesirable.

NOTE: When viewed from behind good impulsion is shown be the whole pad being clearly visible as the dog moves away.

A very important feature of the breed. Double coat with a soft linty coat underneath and a harder topcoat, not wiry, but giving a crisp feel to the hand. The coat should not ‘shed’ down the back, but should lie in pencils caused by the harder hair coming through the softer undercoat. The forelegs have feathers, about 5 cms (2 inches) long. Upper side of tail covered with wiry hair, underside not so wiry with neat feathering of softer hair

Pepper or Mustard

PEPPER - Ranges from dark bluish black to light silvery grey, intermediate shades preferred. Body colour coming well down shoulder and hips and gradually merging into colour of legs and feet, which varies according to body colour, from rich tan to pale fawn. Profuse silvery white topknot.

MUSTARD - Varies from reddish brown to pale fawn. Profuse creamy white topknot, legs and feet of darker shade than the head.

In both colours feather on forelegs rather lighter than hair on fore part of leg. Some white hair on chest and white nails permissible.

White feet undesirable. Hair on underside of tail lighter than on upper side, which should be of a darker colour than the body.

8 to 11 kilograms (18 to 24 lb.) for dogs in good working condition.

THE LOWER WEIGHTS PREFERRED.

Any departure from the foregoing points should be considered a fault and the seriousness with which the fault should be regarded should be in exact proportion to its degree.