Manchester Terrier (Standard) breed guide

Bright, spirited and keenly observant, the Manchester is very intelligent and likes to think its way through every situation. It enjoys pleasing its people and trains easily with positive, reward-based methods.

It does not react well to harsh corrections, so keep sessions fun and full of effusive praise.

Standard Manchester Terriers live 15 to 17 years. AKC says fans around the globe are banding together to develop a genetic test for juvenile cardiomyopathy, a deadly disease that can affect the breed and several others.

If surgery is ever needed, remind your vet to give anesthesia with the same caution as for the breed's Greyhound ancestors and loose knees or patellar luxation, can also affect it.

The Manchester is a very easily maintained wash-and-wear dog. An occasional bath with a dog shampoo keeps it dapper and wiping it down weekly with a damp towel or hound glove gives the coat a healthy shine.

Active, swift and athletic, the Standard Manchester Terrier needs a couple of good walks every day to stay healthy in mind and body. It enjoys the sofa with its owner but is just as eager to chase tennis balls or run and play.

Long before Manchester was famous for a soccer team it was a center of England's booming textile trade. Mill workers of the mid-1800s loved hunting rabbits with small hounds and rat killing, in which a terrier is turned loose in a pit and the results are bet on.

Breeders wanted a two-in-one dog to excel at both and crossed the popular ratter called the Black and Tan Terrier with Whippets. Until 1959 the Standard and Toy Manchester Terriers were registered as separate breeds.