Australian Terrier
The Australian Terrier was the first native-bred Australian dog to be
shown, and the first to be recognized overseas. Its origins are uncertain,
but its immediate ancestor was without doubt developed in the United Kingdom
in the early 1800s from the precursors of today's British and Scottish
terriers. Some of these breeds are now extinct, but the Aussie likely
has a mixed ancestry comprising the same dog types that produced today's
Yorkshire, Dandie Dinmont, Manchester, Irish, and Cairn terriers.
A new
rough-coated terrier was evident in Australia by the late middle-nineteenth
century; the selectively-bred terrier was used for rodent and snake control,
as a watchdog, and occasionally as a herding dog.
The
first Broken-coated Terriers were exhibited in Melbourne in 1868 and the
Australian Rough-Coated Terrier Club was founded in Melbourne in 1887.
The breed was exhibited as the Australian Terrier, Rough-Coated in 1899.
Official breed status was granted in the UK in 1933 and in the US in 1960.
The
Australian Terrier was recognized by the United Kennel Club in 1969.
Breed Clubs and Societies
- AUSTRALIAN TERRIER CLUB OF GREAT BRITAIN. Sec. Mrs B M Brown. Tel No: 01698 860714
- SOUTHERN COUNTIES AUSTRALIAN TERRIER CLUB. Sec. Ms C Foskett. Tel No: 01252 657405
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