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Breed Feature – Biewer Terrier
BIEWER TERRIER
– Suzette Woodruffe The Biewer Terrier is an elegant, long-haired, tri-coloured toy terrier with a breed signature ponytail. Permitted colours are a combination of black, tan and white and blue, tan and white where the tan marking is only permitted on the head and a small amount on the vent. White is required on all four feet, up the legs and up the throat to under the chin. It is both possible and acceptable to have an all-white body or an all-black body coat as long as the legs and feet are white. They have a silky single coat with a part down the back and are longer in the body than square but square is acceptable. The tail is carried high over the back and the long hair on the head is tied up into a bow with a signature ponytail – not a rollover. Weight is from 4-8lb.
HISTORY The origin of the Biewer Terriers was initiated by Mr and Mrs Biewer in Germany in 1984 and their development continued until in 1988 the breed was accepted by the Internamtionaler Allemeiner Club der Hundefreunde (ACH).
The Biewer Terrier was the first breed ever to be recognised as a breed of its own using advancements in science utilising DNA and Principal Component Analysis rather than the traditional process of pedigree documentation. The PCA process was used to demonstrate that the Biewer Terriers can be clearly distinguished from the Yorkshire Terrier.
The Biewer Terrier was introduced into main stream America in 2003 at which time there were only a handful of breeders in America and Germany.
The Biewer Terrier was fully recognised in the USA on the 1st January 2021. The first registered Biewer Terriers were introduced into Australia in August 2021 and were fully recognised in Australia with their application/importation on November 3 2021.
GROOMING The Biewer Terrier has a long silky coat that if left long requires daily brushing, There is minimal matting with the silkiest coated specimens, but the softer textured coats are more likely to develop matts. If you choose to keep your Biewer in a short trim there is minimal grooming required beyond a regular brush and an occasional bath to keep them fresh and looking their best. Nails need to be kept short and hair on the ears kept short to ensure the ears remain erect. Teeth should be brushed twice per week or as recommended by your vet.
EXERCISE The Biewer Terrier is a rather easy going dog. Their playful attitude provides them with a natural means of self exercising along with the time spent playing with their human families. Indoor activities could
include chasing a rolling ball along the floor or tug of war with a toy. They also love to go for walks.
TRAINING The Biewer Terriers’ dedication and loyalty make them the ideal family pet having a child-like fun loving attitude. This makes them a great companion for people of all ages and able to make friends with other animals of all types. They are extremely intelligent and easy to train although toilet training may take longer.
EXHIBITING BIEWER TERRIERS IN AUSTRALIA The show scene in Australia, especially for a newly recognised breed, can be one that is not for the faint hearted. There are so many aspects to learn. The gene pool will be very limited to start with, as with any new breed. Biewer Terriers entering the country from the USA are genetically verified as pure bred and with that Australia has adopted the American Standard on the breed.
PREPARING THE COAT FOR THE SHOW RING The Biewer is described as a single coat of silky texture, but in most of the specimens there is the
development of felting next to the skin. The texture is something between the Maltese and the Havanese coat type. It is possible to grow a floor length coat without wrapping the coat on a female specimen but much harder on a male who lifts his leg on his coat. A full coat can still be achieved by banding the side coat or wrapping sections of the male coat. Light oil is recommended between shows to eliminate static breakage.
The topknot of the Biewer is positioned futher back on the scull than the Yorkie or Shih Tzu and only a ponytail is the accepted presentation for the breed. Roll over topknots are a disqualifying point in the breed. The ponytail is tied up in a band with a bow and no teasing or back combing is allowed. Product to hold stray hairs into place is permitted.
Attention is required to the white feet and legs and staining needs to be minimised for good presentation.
Banding an/ or wrapping of the face falls is recommended to grow the best face fall for competition, but is not a main focus in the breed.
The best presentation is achieved by bathing and complete drying the morning of competition with light banding to achieve toileting prior to going in the ring. The Biewer Trerrier is shown with a single bow of any colour, but there is a preference among foundation exhibitors and breeders to the colour purple.
HEALTH Biewers are on the whole healthy energetic dogs and have a expected life span of 16 years.
Care should be taken with the health of the teeth and gums as that can have an impact on the overall health of the Breed.
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