The Australian Terrier is a small dog breed and has origins in Australia, just as the name States.
This breed was initially bred for hunting purposes, but later on, people realized the breed was also a great watchdog and family companion too.
If you’re here right now, then it must mean you are interested in knowing more information about this breed. Well, the good news is that you’re precisely at the right place.
In this article, you will learn all there is to know about the Australian Terrier, you will learn about
- Australian Terrier temperaments,
- Australian Terrier health concerns,
- Australian Terrier intelligence levels,
- Australian Terrier size and appearance
- What exactly to feed the Australian Terrier dog breed.
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History of the Australian Terrier
The Australian Terrier’s history can be traced back in 1820, and the breed is a result of cross-breeding various kinds of rough-coated Terrier dog breeds, including the Skye Terrier, Irish Terrier, Yorkshire Terrier, Cairn Terrier, etc.
And all these breeds were originally from great British, and we’re brought to Australia in the 29th century.
The UK Kennel Club recognized this breed in 1933, the American Kennel Club recognized it in 1960. Nowadays, the breed is recognized by all Kennel clubs around the world.
The Australian Terrier was originally bred for hunting purposes, specifically rodents and snakes, later on they were said to be great watchdogs and family companions.
Today, everyone wants the Australian Terrier as a family companion because if it’s lovely and charming temperaments.
Physical appearance
With so many Australian Terrier types out there, its perfectly normal to wonde what does the Australian Terrier look like…
Good news is that both the males and female Australian Terrier dogs share the same averege hieht as they stand 10 to 11 inches tall and weigh 14 to 16 pounds.
With Australian Terrier, you can get a silky long haired or the Australian Terrier breed’s shaggy coat which has a rough feel to the touch, with a soft undercoat.
For the silky Australian Terrier, they usually have about two inches in length over most of the body, it is longer on the chest and head. The coat comes in colors such as blue and tan (tan body with a blue saddle), sandy, and red.
The Appearance of Australian Terrier
The breed has a long head; small eyes which are dark brown in color; high set ears which are small, angular and erect in shape; a black nose; a strong muzzle which is square in shape; taut lips which are black in color with teeth which meet in scissors bite, and a dock erect tail.
Temperaments/ Characteristics of the Australian Terrier
The Australian Terrier temperament makes it an excellent lapdog for those looking to own a pet dog that will easily adapt into an excellent apartment living dog but also help with emotional disorders like anxiety, and depression.
Though your medical practitioners would have to prescribe an emotional support dog, you will have the ability to decide which best emotional support dog breed is the right choice for you and your family.
The Australian Terriers are excellent watchdogs.
This dog breed is very alert and sensitive, it will bark at anything they seem suspicious. Yes they are very excellent watchdogs because if their alert and sensitive nature but they are not good as guard dogs because of their small size.
The Australian Terrier dog breed loves to chase
This dog breed was originally bred to be a hunter so it’s in their nature to love hunting. So it’ll chase anything that catches its eye, be it a cat, a rabbit it squirrels.
Aussie Terriers are Avid diggers
By nature, all Terriers dog breeds love to dig. So if you have a beautiful garden of flowers or a pretty lawn, bringing home, the Australian Terrier may not be the right choice for you.
Like it or not, your manicured backyard lawn will be their first target every time they are in the mood to mess everything up.
They are attached to their family.
This dog breed is known for forming very strong bonds with its family members. They are very good with children too.
Australian Terriers are an Intuitive Dog Breed
This breed like we said, tends to form very strong bonds with it’s family members hence it always matches it’s moods with yours. So if your sad they’ll also become calm and quiet, and if you are happy, it will also become very playful and lively.
Food requirements of the breed
When you buy a puppy, it is very important to Know what kind of food will be best for it, because food plays a very important role in making your dog live a healthy, happy and long life.
The food you give your furry friends must first of all be rich in nutrients and also be a balanced diet, because a balanced diet is best and healthy for all dogs and provides all the necessary nutrients to function the body properly.
Here’s how nutrients play an important role in the dog’s body.
Protein: This is a very essential nutrient in the Australian Terrier’ diet, a puppy will need 29 percent nutrients in it’s diet while an adult Australian Terrier will need 22 percent.
Nutrients help in the growth and development of the dog’s muscles and keeps them healthy too.
Vitamins: Vitamins perform a lot of functions in the dog’s body, they help with the eye functioning, bone development, DNA synthesis etc. You’re furry friends will need 2 percent of vitamins on it’s diet.
Carbohydrate: Carbohydrates are a source of energy in the dog’s body, so make sure you give your dog food containing at least 50 Percent carbohydrates, including 5% fiver.
Minerals: Minerals are also very important in the dog’s diet, they help in the development of bones, muscles, etc.
So make sure you provide your dog with 2% of minerals in it’s diet.
Water: Just as water is very important to us, it is also very important to dogs. A puppy will need 80 % of water daily while the adult Australian Terrier will need at least 60% so make sure you provide water to your dog daily on a clean bowl.
Fats: Facts are the main source of energy, but too much of it may lead to obesity. Fats will contribute to your dog’s healthy skin and coat and also healthy immune system. The puppy will needs 20 percent fats while the adult Australian Terrier will need 8 percent..
How Much you should feed your Australian Terrier
How much you feed your dog daily will depend on their age, levels of activities.
But one thing you must know is that the Australian Terrier puppy will need more food than the Adult dog this is because they are still growing and developing.
A puppy should be fed 3 to 4 meals a day, while the adult Australian Terrier Should be fed twice a day.
Grooming requirements
The Australian Terrier sheds minimally. So it does not have too much grooming requirements.
You must at least brush the dog once a week, and bath him only when necessary because bathing regularly can trip it’s natural oils.
So bath him at least after a month or so. Also make sure you check it’s ears if they clean once a week, if you see redness in the ears or bad odor that may be a sign of an infection.
Health Concerns
Just like all other dog breeds, the Australian Terrier is also prone to certain health issues and below we have listed the health problems the Australian Terrier is more likely to suffer from:
Patellar luxation: Patellar luxation occurs when the dog’s kneecap (patella) is dislocated from its normal anatomic position in the groove of the thigh bone (femur). …
It is for this reason that most dogs with the condition will hold up their hind legs for a few minutes. This health condition is very painful to the dog and can be crippling..
Legg-perthes: Legg-Calvé-Perthes Disease involves spontaneous degeneration of the head on the femur bone, located in the dog’s hind leg.
The exact cause of the condition is unknown, though blood supply issues to the femoral head are usually seen in dogs suffering from Legg-Calvé-Perthes Disease.
This health condition may lead to the inflammation of the hip joint. Treatment involves surgically removing the deformed femoral head and neck, and physical therapy.
Diabetes mellitus: This is whereby the dog suffers from either an absolute shortage of insulin (Type I or insulin dependent), or from an incorrect response from the cells to the insulin that is being produced, a condition termed insulin resistance (Type II or insulin resistant).
Both of these conditions will prevent the muscles and organs from converting glucose to energy and will result in excessive amounts of glucose in the blood, which is also referred to as hyperglycemia.
This health condition prevents the dog’s body for regulating blood sugar levels properly.
Allergies: Dogs show that they have allergies when you see them scratching their skin and some cases the symptoms will include the respiratory system, coughing, sneezing, wheezing and a runby discharge from the eyes and nose.
Lifespan of the breed
The Australian Terrier will live for up to 13 to 15 years if well taken care of.
Australian Terrier Fast Facts
- The Australian Terrier is known to be very courageous, independent and hard-working; their small size is not a hindrance.
- The breed can form very strong bonds with it’s family members
- The Australian Terrier can be used as a therapy dog because of it’s intelligence and calm nature etc
- The breed is said to give birth to five puppies only
- Because of it’s high intelligence levels, this breed has the ability to learn a lot of things in a short period of time.
