British Breed Standard
The British Sealyham standard,
as approved in 1994, is provided here in bold face. The standard is
explained in detail in light type primary from the mauscript written
by the late Nancy H. Bilney and published by the Midland Sealyham
Terrier Club in Britian. Miss Bilney was a Sealyham breeder for over
30 years under the kennel prefix VANDON, and her efforts still figure
prominently in the background of pedigrees in several renowned
specialty and Best in Show winning California Sealyham Terrier lines.
Additional assistance and insight was thoughtfully provided by Mr.
David Winsley, who breeds under the kennel prefix DAVMAR. Mr.
Winsley is well known for his many English Champions and multiple
award winning Sealyham Terriers.
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A group of Vandon Sealyham
Terriers
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General
Appearance-free-moving, active, balanced and of great substance in
small compass. General outline oblong, not square-This description could apply to many
breeds. It might give a clearer picture if it were altered to 'should
be that of a strongly built, free moving and active dog, low to the
ground, standing four square, alert and fearless. Each part should be
in proportion to every other part. In the overall British Standard,
it is important to point out that precise measurements are
specifically avoided. The approved standard focuses on how a balanced
Sealyham should appear rather than narrowly focusing on a specific
measurement in one particular area or another.
Characteristics-Sturdy, game and workmanlike.
Temperment-Alert and fearless but of friendly
disposition.
Head and Skull-the skull
slightly domed and wide between the ears. Cheek bones not prominent.
Punishing jaw, powerful and long. Nose black.-the head must be balanced with the
foreface in proportion to the skull. Precise measurements are luckily
not used in the breed but as a rough guide the length of the jaw
should be not less than that of the head. This standard encourages a
headpiece which is much longer and less broad in the skull. The words
'slightly domed' are important. A flat skull usually has prominent
cheek bones which make the skull coarse. The square jaw is sometimes
lost sight of. A long snipy jaw is wrong as there is insufficient
room for the stong level teeth and so the bite will suffer.
Few people will condemn a small
patch on the nose. This nearly always fills in with maturity. The
pale discolored nose is a more serious fault as it seldom becomes
black and spoils the appearance, although, of course, it will have no
adverse effect on the dog's working ability.
Eyes- Dark, well set, round
and of medium size. Dark, pigmented eye rims preferred but
unpigmented tolerated-The reason for these points are worth consideration.
Apart from the appearance of the dog and the foreign expression that
a light eye gives, it is of no importance from the working point of
view. A really dark brown eye usually gives a typical expression. A
hazel eye is allowed by a yellow eye is a fault and is very ugly as
well as being strong hereditary. The shape of the eye is of the
utmost importance. It must be remembered that the Sealyham was bred
to go to ground and so the eye had to be protected. A large
protuberant eye would have easily been damaged. A small eye could
lead to entropion which is a distressing condition only relived by
surgery, so the medium well set eye should always be bred for.
Ears-size medium, slightly
rounded at tip and carried at side of cheek.-The size and carriage of the ears plays
a great part in the dog's expression. Ears should fold level with the
top of the head when the dog is alert. Small ears tend to become high
set and give a foreign expression. Heavy, thick hanging houndy ears
are also not correct. If the cartilage is too think the ears will be
dead in appearance. The ultra think cartilage may result in the ears
being 'flown'; and having a fold down the center.
Mouth-Teeth level and square
with canine teeth fitting well into each other and long for the size
of the dog. Jaws strong with regular scissor bite, ie. upper teeth
closely overlapping lower teeth and set square into the jaw.
The Sealyham is
required to have a strong jaw and a good firm bite by reason of the
work for which it was originally bred. One tooth out of alignment is
not going to make any difference to the strength of the bite,
provided the jaw is square and not narrow.
Neck-fairly long, thick and
muscular on well laid shoulders- The idea that a Sealyham should have a long thin neck
is wrong and would not be in keeping with a strongly built low to
ground dog. A puppy may have a thin neck but as it matures and the
muscles develop the neck should end as medium thickness. Sloping
shoulders are of great importance as so much depends on correct
shoulder placement. A dpg cannot be a free mover if it has straight
upright shoulders. It will have a short stride that gives a stiled
action. A straight should also means a short neck so that the general
appearance of the dog will be 'stuffy'. Forward shoulders which are
due to the lenght of the humerus and the angle at which it is set
usually result in bad ronts and dipping toplines. Shoulders that are
too wide, due to an excess of muscle under the shoulder blade, make
for ungainly action with the dog 'paddling' instead of having the
correct forward and backward movement; as with a pendulum.
Forequarters short, strong
and as strait as possible consistent with chest being well let down.
Point of shoulder in line with point of elbow which should be close
to side of chest. In
some types of Sealyhams, ie. the rather narrow light in bone type,
the leg is often too long. The correct short, well boned type of
foreleg goes with the low to ground, strongly made dog, which is what
the Sealyham should be. Some argue that the forelegs of a low to the
ground dog with a deep, broad chest cannot be straight, but this is
not so. The majority of Sealyhams whether of the solid type of not
have perfectly sound straight fronts, with good bone. Light bone
should be considered as much as a fault as a crooked front, which may
be out at the elbow, overbent in the shaft of the bones from elbow to
the pastern or knucked over at the pastern.
Body-Medium length, level
and ribs well sprung. Body very flexible, chest broad and deep, well
let down between forelegs. I would add that the loin should be muscular with no
sign of weakness. The body should be well ribbed back, so that the
loin is not too long. This gives the overall picture of a medium
length body. Too often the shortbacked dog is admired, but if the
essential flexibility is to be maintained it follows that the back
must be of medium length. One with a short back usually has a short
neck and upright shoulders and is too square in body. The long dorsal
vertebrae, ie. a well-ribbed back, give space between each rib so
there is room for chest expansion. The chest must be deep and well
let down between the forelegs. The narrow fronted flat side dog is
incorrect as is the barrel shapped body which rests on top of the
forelegs instead of being let down between them. A dipping topline is
undesirable and could be due to badly placed shoulders, a weak loin
or incorrectly placed pelvis.
Hindquarters-Notably
powerful for size of dog. Thighs deep and muscular with well bent
stifle. Hocks strong, well bent and parallel to each other.
The standard describes
hindquarters clearly but no mention is made of the second thigh which
should be well developed. Unfortunately there are dogs in many breeds
which have weak hindquarters and thighs are anything but deep and
muscular. These dogs usually have correspondingly weak cow hocks.
This is an ugly fault which may be due to lack of exercise or may be
hereditary. Without the powerful quarters, movement will lack drive
and it is obvious that if the dog is cow hocked its hind legs cannot
move firmly and parallel to each other.
Feet-Round and cat-like with
thick pads. Feet pointing directly forward. This gives an adequate description but I
would add that feet should turn neither in nor out but face
straightforward. Thick pads are necessary as they are made of elastic
material which cushions the feet and prevents jarring. If the muscles
of the foot are kept in condition through exercise, the dog will be
up on its pasterns and the toes will be bunched close together thus
giving a 'cat-like' foot.
Tail-Set in line with back
and carried erect. Quarters should protrude beyond set of tail.
Customarily docked. When the tail is erect, it is an important indication
of the dog's character. A nervous, shy dog will keep the tail down.
The tail is a continuation of the sacrum which is the wedge-shaped
bone at the base of the spine. The tail root should leave the sacrum
level with the spine. If the sacrum tends to run downwards to the
rear, the tail will be low set. Dogs with low set tails that have a
fearless nature try to remedy the low set and in keeping the tail up
tend to carry it forward over the back. This gay tail is ugly and
spoils the dog's outline. With a correctly set tail the posterior
curve of the quarters should protrude slightly beyond the posterior
side of the tail.
Gait/Movement-Brisk and
vigorous with plenty of drive.
Coat-Long, hard and wiry
topcoat with weather-resistant undercoat. It should not be dense and woolly, but
should have a weather-resisting undercoat covered by a harsh topcoat
of medium length. Soft coats with over profuse furnishings are
unsuitable for a working bred and are beyond the skill of most pet
owners to groom.
Color-All white or white
with lemon, brown, blue or badger pied markings on head and ears.
Much black and heavy ticking undesireable. Heavy marking, even on the head, is
objectionable and detracts from the appearance of the dog.
Size- Height should not
exceed 12 inches (31 cms) at shoulder. Ideal weight : dogs
approximately 20 pounds (9 kgs), bitches approximately 18 pounds (8.2
kgs). General conformation, overall balance, type and substance are
main criteria. Males
and females should be different in size, with the females being
appropriately smaller. The 12 inch size being appropriate for males
while females should be less. This is a general guideline, as no hard
and fast rule can be laid down for height. The low to the ground type
is the ideal but a really good one in all other respects should not
be condemed because it is slightly over the standard height. A well
boned dog of substance may well weigh more than 20 pounds, but slight
overweight is infinitely preferable to a light boned weedy specimen
that is within the weight limit.
Faults-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.
Note-Male animals should
have two apparently normal testicles fully descended into the
scrotum.
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