Explanation of the Breed Standard

This explanation of the Breed Standard was written by the ‘father’ of the Cesky Terrier, František Horák

The Cesky Terrier has arisen by crossbreeding from Scottish and Sealyham Terriers. Therefore he must be a compromise between the two breeds, and it is a serious mistake to consider him as a coloured Sealyham Terrier.

The Cesky Terrier is allowed to be between 25 and 32cm, but long-term experience shows that the majority of individuals are 27 to 29cm high. As the Cesky Terrier must be lighter and more mobile than the initial breeds, the Standard restricts his weight from 6 to 10kg. The animals with the weight higher than 13kg must not be evaluated as standard.

The Cesky Terrier head is never as slim as that of the Scottish Terrier, but it must not be as wide as the Sealyham’s head. The eyes are always dark, smaller than the eyes of a Sealyham. The ears are ‘v’ shaped, they are smaller than those of the Sealyham, clearly bent above the crown, lying close to the skull and carried forward. Big, hanging at the head, side carried ears as in the Sealyham are a fault.

The occlusion of denture can be of two kinds – scissors or level bite. Both kinds are standard and neither of them should be preferred. The Standard does not request the complete bite, but missing incisors are considered as an excluding fault.

Specific to the Cesky Terrier is the tail set and carriage. The tail should be carried relatively low to the earth in an elegant lengthening of the back line. The tail can be carried higher in motion, but never turned above the back! A low carried tail must not be evaluated as a sign of insufficient temperament in this breed, but should be preferred!

The forelegs should be as straight as possible, and they should be set more on the thorax sides, in order to make free movement possible alongside the body. Legs placed under the body are a fault. The elbows are loose but must not be protruding. The hindquarters are parallel, well angled and mobile. The movement of the Cesky Terrier should be reachy, free, light, lively, gay – the free straight movement of forelegs alongside the body is typical of the breed.

The Cesky Terrier colour ranges through all grey nuances beginning from nearly white colour (platinum) to dark grey-black. White patches are allowed in the area of up to 20% of the total body surface. A lot of Cesky Terrier individuals have yellow marks on the muzzle, chest, lower parts of the legs and under the tail. The marks are different shades, beginning from nearly white to a deep rusty colour. Therefore it is not a fault when the Cesky Terrier has yellow or rusty coloured beard and on the hair on his legs. Brown coloured Cesky Terriers exist infrequently, for these individuals the same is acceptable, as for the grey ones.

The coat is silky, soft, but strong, long and always groomed by cutting. The basic hairstyle is given in the Standard. Therefore the right hairstyle must be emphasised, as it is in other breeds (e.g. the Kerry Blue Terrier, the Bedlington Terrier or the Poodle). Cesky Terriers must always raise a slim impression and the hair grooming should help with this. The hair must not exceed the basic body lines from the side view, from behind and from the above view. Therefore the coat must not be too abundant, too long or too close.

The Cesky Terrier disposition is not typical terrier. This breed is more calm and peaceable than other terriers. Timidity is not desirable, but this breed should not be excessively exuberant or aggressive. The Cesky Terrier should be very calm, even reserved, in the exhibition ring.

The severe faults of the Cesky Terrier, which we can classify by severity:
Faulty gait, a consequence of a disorder (Scottie Cramp).
Faulty type – that is the type, when the Cesky Terrier is resembling a coloured Sealyham Terrier, when he is solid, heavy, big, too strong and considerably muscular, exaggeratedly haired and weighing over 10kg. It is always better when the Cesky Terrier is small, light and sparsely coated, to a Cesky Terrier individual which is big, heavy and overcoated.
Faulty shaped and carried ears – big, heavy, hanging ears, rose ears, Fox Terrier ears.
Faulty body frame – short straight back, too vaulted back.
Faulty carried tail – turned over back.
Missing teeth – 2 or more missing incisors: the dog will be excluded from competition.

Stripes (brindling): – brindled stripes are only allowed in young individuals (under 2 years) on the short-cut areas; conspicuous stripes and stripes in the long hair are unacceptable.
Black colour: – up to the age of 2 years the Cesky Terrier may exhibit only a black colour. After that age the colour must be grey or the dog is excluded from competition.