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English White Terrier |
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He is not recognized by the F.C.I. |
Origin |
Great Britain | |
Translation |
Francis Vandersteen | |
This breed is also known as |
White Terrier
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A brief presentation of the English White Terrier |
| The English White Terrier was one of the first, if not the first, Terrier breed developed primarily for appearance and display in the show ring rather than as a working dog. Some claim that the breed was bred exclusively from white Terriers, while others believe it was the result of cross-breeding between Terriers and other dog breeds such as the Italian Greyhound and Whippet. The English White Terrier had a major influence on the development of several other dog breeds, including the Bull Terrier and the Boston Terrier. Unfortunately, the breed suffered from numerous health problems, particularly deafness, and died out in the early 20th century after less than 100 years. |
History of the English White Terrier |
| Although the English White Terrier didn't exist as a distinct breed until the 19th century, its ancestors can trace their roots back to England for centuries, if not millennia. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the earliest written use of the word Terrier dates back to 1440, implying that these dogs were already well known in England by then. However, it is generally accepted that these dogs are much older than that. The word Terrier derives from the French term chien de la terre. Terriers were given this name because they were traditionally used to chase small mammals into their burrows and kill or drive them out. The term was most likely introduced during the Norman invasion of 1066, which would seem to date the origin of Terriers to at least that time, but there is strong evidence of their existence in England over 1,000 years earlier. Archaeological remains dating from the 1st century AD were discovered just south of Hadrian's Wall, built by the Roman emperor Hadrian to defend Roman England and Wales against the Pictish and Gaelic tribes of contemporary Scotland. These remains included the bones of two distinct breeds of dog. One was a medium-sized Greyhound, very similar to a modern Whippet. The other was a long-legged, long-bodied breed, similar to a modern-day Skye Terrier or Dachshund. This implies that not only were Terrier-type dogs present in what is now northern England since the time of Christ, but that they were already being used for their traditional purposes. It seems highly likely that the Greyhound was able to locate its prey and chase it into a burrow. The Terrier would then be sent underground afterwards. Nobody knows how the first Terriers were developed, and so little is known that very few have even attempted to develop theories. It is almost universally accepted that they were developed entirely within the confines of the British Isles, most probably from local breeds. What these breeds might have been is almost certainly lost over time, but it is generally suggested that Terriers share ancestry with the Irish Wolfhound, the Scottish Deerhound or perhaps the Canis Segusius, a wire-haired hunting breed belonging to the Roman Gauls (Celts) group of modern-day France and Belgium. Some have also suggested that smooth-haired Terriers were developed by crossing long-polished Terriers with small breeds of scent hounds such as Beagles or Harriers, but this is little more than pure speculation. Most experts believe that Terriers were first bred by the Celts, but others think they were developed by the virtually unknown peoples that preceded the Celts. However, whenever Terriers were developed, they quickly became extremely popular with farmers all over England. These dogs had two main functions, eradicating vermin and hunting small game. Terriers were tasked with killing rats, mice, rabbits, foxes and other pests of concern to English farmers. In doing so, these dogs increased crop yields and farmers' profits, reduced losses of livestock and poultry to predators, helped fight famine and prevented the spread of rodent-borne diseases such as bubonic plague. On the rare occasions when farmers found free time, they took their Terriers hunting, providing pleasure, pelts and the occasional addition to the pot. The English peasantry often struggled to survive. They couldn't afford to keep a dog that wasn't useful to them, even one as small as a Terrier. This meant that they bred Terriers exclusively for their working ability and, to a lesser extent, their temperament. Appearance mattered only insofar as it affected working ability, such as the development of hard, weather-resistant coats and a big jaw powerful enough to kill other animals quickly. Over the centuries, Terriers have become miniature killing machines, extremely aggressive towards all smaller creatures, motivated to kill, very curious, energetic, athletic, highly tolerant of pain and capable of working all day without stopping. The importance with which work capacity was placed is evident in a traditional Scottish practice, which was perhaps also practiced in England. A young Terrier would be locked in a barrel with a badger or otter, both known for their extreme tenacity and even viciousness when involved in a confrontation. A fight to the death would inevitably ensue between the two creatures. If the Terrier emerged alive, it was deemed worthy of preservation, and if not, the problem had already been solved. Because Terriers weren't bred for looks, these dogs were incredibly variable at any given time. Because travel was so difficult until modern times, a number of local breeds and true breeding stock developed, but they were regularly hybrid and far from standardized in the modern sense. At one time, there were almost certainly dozens of distinct Terrier varieties in the British Isles. Scottish breeders favored short-legged, long-bodied Terriers with stiff, solid skins, and these dogs became very popular in that country. Irish breeders came to prefer a much larger dog with longer legs and a soft coat, less aggressive and capable of herding livestock. English breeders preferred a small Terrier, but with slightly longer legs than those found in Scotland. Although there are many wire-haired Terriers in England, the country was mainly known for its smooth-haired Terriers. Until the late 1500s, Terriers were almost exclusively owned by the British lower classes. This was largely due to the fact that the small game in which they specialized lay beneath the nobility, who greatly preferred stag, boar and wolf. Thanks to technological progress and social change, the English population continued to grow dramatically from the late Middle Ages to the second half of the 20th century. Larger populations demanded more farmland, and much of England was deforested. Big game species became extremely rare or disappeared altogether. To supplement their traditional stag hunts, the nobility began to pursue foxes. Foxhunting eventually became the most popular sport among the British upper classes and became a highly ritualized event. A new breed of hound was developed to pursue foxes, while riders followed on horseback - the Foxhound. However, a dog big enough to run alongside horses was not small enough to chase a fox into its burrow. The nobility began to keep their own Terriers, whose main task was to hunt foxes. Hunters began breeding Terriers specifically for this purpose. Hunter Terriers were originally almost all smooth, having been developed mainly from English Terriers. These dogs also tended to be slightly larger and longer-legged than other non-Irish Terriers, as they sometimes had to run alongside horses too, at least for a short distance. Towards the end of the 1700s, a large number of foxhunting Terriers began to show white on their coats. Exactly when this coloration began to appear is not known. In 1790, British painter Sawrey Gilpin created his work "A Hunter with a Hound". The painting clearly shows three smooth-skinned Terriers with unmoored tails, all of which are white in color with brown spots all over their bodies. Other works from the same period show Terriers coated in the same way. Previously, almost all descriptions of Terriers said their color was brown, black, fawn, gray or black and tan. It's possible that some English Terriers have always had white colors, but that these dogs were very rare. It's also possible that English breeders traditionally killed all white Terriers at birth, a practice carried out for centuries in the Scottish Highlands, where pure white Terriers were born in normal litters with some frequency. This was done because white Terriers were considered very inferior. The few records seem to indicate that Scottish breeders thought white Terriers were weak, but they may have realized that they were very often deaf. Perhaps the English nobility didn't share the beliefs or knowledge of Scottish farmers and so didn't kill White Terriers. It could also be that they came to favor them for their good looks. It has also been suggested that English Terriers were never white until the 18th century, but then a mutation occurred, giving some a white coat, which was subsequently preferred. While either theory is entirely possible, most experts agree that the white coat was first introduced in English Terriers as a result of cross-breeding with other breeds. The most likely sources are Scottish White Terriers, Beagles, Harriers, English Foxhounds, Greyhounds, Collie-type dogs, old English Bulldogs and Italian Greyhounds, which were sometimes crossed with Fox Terriers to improve certain aspects of their hunting and abilities. In the late 1700s, breeders of English Foxhounds began to keep herd books of their dogs and set up clubs to regulate their reproduction. The aim was to keep their animals purebred and improve future generations. Their efforts were so successful that breeders of many other British dogs began to follow suit. This was particularly true of Fox Terriers, which were often bred by the same hunters as Fox Hounds. British nobility greatly preferred a more refined and beautiful animal, and Fox Terriers began to be bred for the first time, both for their appearance and their working ability. By the early 19th century, a sizeable percentage of the English Fox Terrier population had some white on their coats, although these dogs were still in the minority. A number of renowned Fox Terrier breeders began actively promoting the development of white-haired dogs. Perhaps the most important of these was the Reverend John Russell, better known in history as Jack. Russell bred a large number of white-coated Fox Terriers throughout his lifetime and had a major influence on the Fox Terrier breed. A number of enthusiasts continued to breed his lines long after his death, eventually giving rise to the Jack Russell Terrier, Parson Russell Terrier and Russell Terrier. However, other breeders were also developing white Terriers at the same time, and Reverend Russell never had trouble finding other white Terriers to breed. Although Terriers, which were predominantly white, were already common, the vast majority of these dogs had extensive areas of colored markings. This began to change in the early 19th century. No one knows exactly when plain white Terriers began to appear or who developed them, but they were apparently relatively widespread by the late 1840s. When the Kennel Club first recognized the breed in 1874, they stated that it had been known for at least 30 years and possibly longer. Given that the Kennel Club was founded by the greatest dog experts discovered in England at the time, this information can be considered at least as valid as any other. White English Terriers generally resembled other working Terriers, but their appearance differed from that of their coats. These dogs tended to have a more refined body that often appeared more sculpted than that of other Terriers. They also had elongated heads with a less pronounced stop. Because of these differences, it is widely believed that the White English Terrier is actually the result of crossbreeding between Terriers and Italian Greyhounds or Whippets. This theory seems to have some merit, as breeders of Manchester Terriers, a cross between a Black and Tan Terrier and a Whippet, have often also bred White English Terriers. Most descriptions closely associate the two breeds, apparently very similar in appearance. It is also assumed that Manchester Terriers and English White Terriers are regularly born in the same litters. In fact, the English White Terrier may have been an accidental side-effect of the Manchester Terrier's development, resulting from the introduction of white-sighted hunting blood into the Black and Tan Terrier. It's also possible that the breed was developed from the whitest examples of the Fox Terrier, possibly with the addition of Italian Greyhound and/or Whippet blood. This is the preferred theory of several other authors. The White English Terrier was originally bred as a working dog, tasked with both vermin eradication and fox hunting. However, it was soon discovered that the breed was ill-suited to these purposes. Many of these dogs were totally or partially deaf and therefore useless for work. In addition, the breed was said to have a weak constitution and was often nervous. This may indicate strong inbreeding. In the 1850s, the English White Terrier was rarely, if ever, used in fields or pits, and was mainly an urban pet. In the 1850s, James Hinks began crossing the English White Terrier with the Bull and Terrier, a cross between the Old English Bulldog and various Terrier breeds used in the extremely popular sport of dog fighting. Previously, the Bull and Terrier had a face quite similar to that of the Bulldog, small, tall and powerful. Hinks greatly preferred the elongated head of the white English Terrier and began to choose this trait as well. Other breeders followed Hinks' example and a new line of Bull and Terrier was developed. This breed had a pure white coat, erect ears, a long, straight tail, a long face and a unique brick-shaped, non-stop head. These dogs eventually became known as Bull Terriers, while the older Bull and Terriers, which were more like Bulldogs, were also known as Staffordshire Terriers. Some sources claim that the English White Terrier was also used as a fighting dog, but there is apparently no record of this. It also seems highly unlikely that a breed too fragile to hunt foxes or rats would be well suited to fighting with other dogs. Any claims about the use of the English White Terrier as a fighting dog are probably the result of confusion with the Terrier. In the mid-19th century, dog breeders began exhibiting their dogs in competitions designed to select the best examples of different breeds. Dog shows were born and became extremely popular throughout England. Breeders began to develop dogs primarily for display at these shows, which radically altered the appearance of a number of British breeds forever. The English White Terrier was a regular participant in most early British dog shows and won numerous championships. Many champions were extremely selective and their offspring became highly inbred. The English White Terrier was perhaps the first breed to see its health seriously compromised by such selection practices. One of the first English White Terrier champions was completely deaf, but he was supposed to be of such high quality that he had been bred for it anyway. The English White Terrier went on to develop a number of health and temperament problems and fell victim to shivering, nervousness and a short temper. Regardless of these problems, English White Terriers continued to be bred, and the dog was one of the very first to be registered with the Kennel Club when it was founded in 1874. The Kennel Club's first studbook included 54 English White Terriers, and many more were registered over the next thirty years. In the last years of the 19th century, the English White Terrier was imported to America. Most of these dogs went to a few cities on the eastern seaboard, notably New York and Boston. In Boston, English White Terriers were crossed with Bulldogs and American Pit Bull Terriers, giving rise to the Boston Terrier. Perhaps due to its propensity for deafness, or simply to differences in American preferences, the English White Terrier never established itself in the United States, and almost certainly became completely extinct there by 1900. Back in England, the English White Terrier became increasingly rare. Many Terrier breeders strongly criticized the breed for its physical fragility, deafness and temperament problems. Fewer and fewer breeders wanted to work with the breed. In 1894, Rawdon Briggs Lee wrote Modern Dogs. He pejoratively described the breed as "the most fragile and delicate of all our Terriers", but asserted that, although the breed was not capable of being a sportsman's companion, it made a good pet, even if it needed cuddling and care." At one point, a club dedicated to English White Terriers was founded and even published a written standard for the breed, but this organization eventually disappeared as the breed became rarer. In the last decades of the 19th century, British breeders began to develop the miniature Bull Terrier from the Bull Terrier. To do this, they made extensive use of crosses with the small English White Terrier. The development of the Miniature Bull Terrier was used so often by English White Terriers that the breed's numbers began to fall even faster. By the end of the 19th century, the breed was very rare. In 1904, the very last English White Terrier to register with the Kennel Club entered the stud book. Although it's not clear exactly when the English White Terrier became extinct, it was probably before the outbreak of the First World War. Even if there were a few English White Terriers left at the time, the dog certainly didn't survive the hardships created by this conflict. Although the White English Terrier is now extinct, its blood persists in a number of other breeds. The Bull Terrier, Miniature Bull Terrier and Boston Terrier are all descendants of the breed, as are the Dogo Argentino, Gull Terr and Gull Dong due to their Bull Terrier ancestry. It is also widely accepted that the Manchester Terrier, Smooth Fox Terrier, Wire Fox Terrier, Jack Russell Terrier, Parson Russell Terrier and Russell Terrier were influenced by the English White Terrier, and some have suggested that the Sealyham Terrier, Staffordshire Bull Terrier, American Staffordshire Terrier, American Pit Bull Terrier, Rat Terrier, Teddy Roosevelt Terrier, American Hairless Terrier, Australian Terrier and Silky Terrier were too. The deafness that afflicted the English White Terrier was inherited by its descendants, the Bull Terrier and the Miniature Terrier, and at the turn of the century, new colors were introduced into these breeds to solve the problem. |
Appearance of the English White Terrier |
| Unlike most other extinct breeds, the English White Terrier was a regular in the ring and even had a written standard. There are numerous paintings and drawings of the breed, and even a considerable number of photographs. As a result, we know a great deal about the dog's appearance. The English White Terrier was a small to very small breed. In the early days of showing, there were two size classes, one for dogs weighing less than 2.5 to 3 kilos, and another for dogs weighing more. The written breed standard allowed English White Terriers to weigh between 5.5 and 9 kilos, 6.5 being ideal, but by the end of the 19th century, almost all members of the breed weighed significantly less than 6.5 kilos. Rawdon Briggs Lee, an accomplished Terrier judge and influential dog writer, said, "In fact, I don't recall ever seeing a so-called pure English White Terrier weighing up to 9 kilos, the maximum allowed by the club." This breed had a very refined body, with the pronounced musculature found on many Terriers. Most dogs were very lightly built like a Manchester Terrier or Italian Greyhound, although some were a little heavier. This breed had relatively long legs for its size, which were often quite narrow. The ideal breed member had the wide feet of a Fox Terrier, but most had the narrow feet of an Italian Greyhound. This breed's tail stood out directly from its body and was of medium length, traits it passed on to its Bull Terrier descendant. The English White Terrier's head was among the most refined of terrier breeds, and much more reminiscent of that of most sight hounds than other members of its group. The muzzle was very long for the size of the dog. Although very broad at the base, the muzzle tapered noticeably towards the tip. The English White Terrier had an even bite. The breed's eyes were generally brown or amber, but sometimes black. The breed's natural ears were quite variable, some being fully erect, others lowered and button-shaped, while others were intermediate between the two. At one point, breeders tried to distinguish the ear varieties, but had little success, as all three were born in the same litter and the breed became so rare that it became impossible to separate them. In all cases, the breed's ears were almost always triangularly cropped. The English White Terrier had the short, smooth coat common to most English Terrier breeds. This dog only came in one color, solid white. Apparently, an English White Terrier would sometimes be born with brindle, brown, black or other markings, but these dogs would have been quickly eliminated from the breeding pool. |
Temperament of the English White Terrier |
| The English White Terrier is said to be much gentler than most others of its kind. It was said to be extremely affectionate and devoted to its family, and was known to make an excellent urban pet. Many of these dogs showed the liveliness and eagerness common to other Terriers, but not all of them did. Some of these dogs were apparently aggressive enough towards animals to kill rats and mice, but the dog was not as adept at the task as many other Terriers, including its close relative, the Manchester. Most sources claim that the breed lacked intelligence and was difficult to train, but this is probably due to the fact that many of these dogs are deaf rather than an inherent defect. The breed had a reputation for being extremely nervous and hot-tempered, but these traits were probably also influenced by deaf animals. It is known that this breed preferred to be an indoor companion rather than an outdoor working dog, and the dog was supposed to have greatly appreciated being cuddled and comforted by its owners. The English White Terrier was known to be a very unhealthy breed, which was one of the main reasons why it became extinct. By the end of the 19th century, enthusiasts were complaining that the dog had become too inbred and had developed a weak constitution. The breed's number-one problem was deafness. There is a strong link between coat color and hearing in animals, and all predominantly white dog breeds suffer from high rates of deafness. The English White Terrier apparently suffered from very high rates of deafness, with virtually every source discussing the breed mentioning its propensity for deafness. Breeders actively bred dogs they knew to be completely deaf, allowing the problem to become even more pervasive. It is quite possible that the majority, if not the vast majority, of the breed's members were partially or totally deaf at the time of the dog's extinction. |
English (United Kingdom)