Manchester Terrier
Thursday, December 1st, 2011It is not always easy to find a good dog that suits your needs. Most people would by impulse get the first dog that comes into their heart, while there are others who prefer to do research and investigate before getting a dog. If you have interest in getting a dog such a Manchester Terrier then there are few very important things that you should understand.
The first and the foremost thing that you should understand is that the Manchester Terrier comes in two different varieties, the Toy and the Standard Manchester Terrier variety. Both varieties of this dog are somewhat similar to each other except for the difference in their size.
For instance the toy Manchester Terrier variety can weigh between 6-12 pounds while the standard Manchester Terrier variety weighs between 16-19 pounds. There is also a marked difference in height between these two different varieties and this is reflected in the lack of inches in the toy Manchester Terrier variety. These dogs can grow up to about 10-12 inches while the standard variety grows about 15-17 inches in height.
Both the verities of the Manchester Terrier do are good companions and highly intelligent in nature. Even though the toy Manchester Terrier possesses hunting skill, it is not used for this purpose, the better suited dog for this purpose if the standard Manchester Terrier. All said, it really doesn’t matter whether you get a standard or a toy Manchester Terrier as most people these days would not use these dogs to hunt.
These dogs are primarily used as companion dogs or competitive dogs. These dogs are highly intelligent and can be trained if this is taken of at a very early age. Otherwise both the toy Manchester Terrier and the standard Manchester Terrier have been to known to be willful and sometimes to not listen to its owner. A firm hand is a must when training your Manchester Terrier.
Having children, especially young children, is another factor that you should keep in mind while getting either a toy or a standard Manchester Terrier. You will want to be very careful while the dog is near children as the dogs may become very aggressive if the aggression has not been bred out of them or trained out of them at an early age.
And since they were bred specifically as rat hunters, if you have any pet hamsters, gerbils or mice roaming around the house you might want to think of getting another type of dog or giving away your rodent pets. Although the Manchester Terrier can be kept alone with smaller animals if trained from the beginning, you might not want to trust in training against instinct, too much. The best thing that you can do would be to take temptation out of the way!
Check out this great dog book on all dog breeds.