Plate 103 · Oceania
Australian Terrier
澳大利亚㹴
“Australia's first homegrown breed.”
- Origin
- Australia
- Australia (19th-century settler terriers)
- Country of origin
- Developed in Australia from British rough-coated terriers; the marker is the country's reference point. The first breed club was founded in Melbourne.
- The point is a reference position in the country of origin.
- Era
- Reportedly from the early 1800s
- Today
- Companion · Dog sports
Under editorial review — sources listed below.
History
01 · Origin
Australia (19th-century settler terriers)
A small, sturdy working terrier, the first native breed recognized in Australia.
02 · Historical role
What it was bred for
Killing rats, mice and snakes, and watching over homesteads.
03 · Breed development
How it changed
Bred from rough-coated terriers brought by British settlers. First known as a rough- or broken-coated terrier, it later took the name Australian Terrier.
04 · Today
Companion · Dog sports
A companion with a working terrier's spirit.
Personality
- Courageous
- Affectionate
- Spirited
- People-oriented
General breed tendencies, not guarantees — individual dogs vary with genetics, training and environment. Ratings: the AKC’s trait scores as its breed page gives them (the AKC’s 1–5 guidance for owners, not a measurement). Other profiles here use editorial ratings, a different source, so compare across them with care.
- Exercise
- Energetic: daily play sessions and walks keep it out of mischief.
- Grooming
- Easy: a weekly brush; pluck long hairs near the eyes.
- Training
- Bright but independent: short, varied, consistent sessions.
Living with one
- Size
- Small
- Lifespan
- 11–15 years
- Coat
- Harsh, weatherproof double coat with a soft topknot; blue and tan, sandy or red
Field note
It was among the smallest of the working terriers, and killed snakes as well as rats.
Recognition & today
- AKC
- Terrier Group
- Also recognized by
- FCI (Group 3, standard 8), Australian National Kennel Council
- Popular in
- No reliable data
AKC: Terrier Group, recognized 1960.
AKC registrations: ranked 150 among breeds in 2025.
Sources3 references
- Australian Terrier — breed information — American Kennel Club
https://www.akc.org/dog-breeds/australian-terrier/
Registry · accessed 2026-10-14 · Registry status, group, size, life expectancy and registration rank; history as the AKC tells it. Ratings: the AKC's own 1–5 owner-guidance trait scores as the page gives them (energy level, trainability, barking level, openness to strangers, good with other dogs), not measurements.
- Australian Terrier — Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australian_Terrier
Encyclopedia · accessed 2026-10-14 · British terrier ancestry, development from about 1820, the 1892 renaming, the 1906 Melbourne show.
- Australian Terrier — FCI breed nomenclature — Fédération Cynologique Internationale
https://www.fci.be/en/nomenclature/AUSTRALIAN-TERRIER-8.html
Kennel club · accessed 2026-10-14 · Country of origin Australia; Group 3, section "Small sized Terriers"; accepted 1963.
Text is written by World Breeds from the references above; it does not reproduce registry descriptions. Location note: Developed in Australia from British rough-coated terriers; the marker is the country's reference point. The first breed club was founded in Melbourne.
