Breed

# Australian Terrier

The Australian Terrier is a terrier breed from Australia, standing 9–11 in at the withers, weighing males 14–16 lb · females 12–16 lb. Recorded lifespan is 12–14 yrs.

![A photograph of the Australian Terrier](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breeds/lg/australian-terrier.webp)

Breed group

Terrier

Origin

Australia

Height

9–11 in

Weight

males 14–16 lb · females 12–16 lb

Lifespan

12–14 yrs

Among the 500 breeds here with recorded measurements, the Australian Terrier is taller than 3% of the measured breeds, heavier than 10%, one of 31 in the Terrier group, one of 9 from Australia.

Compare the

Australian Terrier

with another breed

## Living with the Australian Terrier

Two breed references score every breed they cover from 1 to 5 on the things an owner lives with day to day. These are the Australian Terrier’s, with what a 1 and a 5 mean on each row.

Around people and other dogs

Affection with family

4 of 5

1 independent · 5 devoted

Good with young children

4 of 5

1 not suited · 5 very good

Good with other dogs

2 of 5

1 not suited · 5 very good

Openness to strangers

3 of 5

1 reserved · 5 everyone is a friend

Watchdog / protective nature

4 of 5

1 unbothered · 5 vigilant

What they will ask of you

Energy

4 of 5

1 couch potato · 5 busy all day

Exercise needs

4 of 5

1 a short walk · 5 a job to do

Playfulness

4 of 5

1 only when invited · 5 non-stop

Barking

5 of 5

1 only to alert · 5 very vocal

Around the house

Shedding

1 of 5

1 barely · 5 constantly

Drooling

1 of 5

1 a dry mouth · 5 keep a towel

What they tolerate

Tolerates being alone

2 of 5

1 poorly · 5 well

Tolerates hot weather

4 of 5

1 poorly · 5 well

Tolerates cold weather

3 of 5

1 poorly · 5 well

Rated 1 to 5 by the American Kennel Club and DogTime, averaged where both rate the same thing, and read from their breed pages in 2022. Nobody at Woof & Beyond has met this breed — these are the publishers’ judgments, not ours.[Australian Terrier on AKC](https://www.akc.org/dog-breeds/australian-terrier/)[Australian Terrier on DogTime](https://dogtime.com/dog-breeds/australian-terrier)

## Breeds that look like the Australian Terrier

A neural network trained to tell breeds apart by sight read all 510 photographs in this reference, and these are the 6 it placed closest to the Australian Terrier.

- [![](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breeds/australian-silky-terrier.webp)Australian Silky Terrier](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breed/australian-silky-terrier/)
- [![](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breeds/norwich-terrier.webp)Norwich Terrier](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breed/norwich-terrier/)
- [![](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breeds/norfolk-terrier.webp)Norfolk Terrier](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breed/norfolk-terrier/)
- [![](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breeds/sporting-lucas-terrier.webp)Sporting Lucas Terrier](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breed/sporting-lucas-terrier/)
- [![](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breeds/glen-of-imaal-terrier.webp)Glen of Imaal Terrier](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breed/glen-of-imaal-terrier/)
- [![](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breeds/east-european-shepherd.webp)East European Shepherd](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breed/east-european-shepherd/)

Side by side

Height 0–38 in

1. Australian Terrier9–11 in
2. Australian Silky Terrier9–10 in
3. Norwich Terrier9–10 in
4. Norfolk Terrier10–12 in
5. Sporting Lucas Terrier10–12 in
6. Glen of Imaal Terrier14 in
7. East European Shepherd26–28 in

Weight 0–220 lb

1. Australian Terrier14–16 lb
2. Australian Silky Terrier8–11 lb
3. Norwich Terrier11–12 lb
4. Norfolk Terrier11–13 lb
5. Sporting Lucas Terrier14–20 lb
6. Glen of Imaal Terrier34–36 lb
7. East European Shepherd75–105 lb

Lifespan 0–20 yrs

1. Australian Terrier12–14 yrs
2. Australian Silky Terrier11–14 yrs
3. Norwich Terrier~12 yrs
4. Norfolk Terrier12–16 yrs
5. Sporting Lucas Terrier14–15 yrs
6. Glen of Imaal Terrier10–15 yrs
7. East European Shepherd10–12 yrs

Nothing here was grouped by hand. The ranking is an opinion about appearance, not about ancestry, which is why it sometimes puts together breeds no kennel club would — and why it is worth looking at the photographs rather than taking the order on trust.

See the

Australian Terrier

on the breed map

Read about the

Australian Terrier

on Wikipedia
