The
Soft-Coated Wheaten Terrier is a breed of dog that originated in
Ireland. There are four coat varieties, Traditional Irish, Heavy Irish, English,
and American. They are considered to be hypoallergenic. Their name is often
hyphenated, but this may vary.
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The Irish Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier
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Appearance
Puppies have a dark coat of either red or mahogany. The muzzle and ears of
Wheaten puppies may be black or very dark. The dark puppy coat gradually grows
out into a wheat-coloured coat as they get older. The colour can range from wheat
to white, but white coats are not considered desirable by breeders and show
enthusiasts. The adult coat may contain black, white, or darker brown "guard"
hairs in addition to the lighter wheaten-coloured hair.
The Soft-Coated Wheaten Terrier is a medium-sized dog whose hair does not
shed like most dogs; like human hair and Poodle hair, it keeps growing, needs
regular trimming, and drops just a few hairs daily.
Temperament
Wheaten terriers stay young at heart for many years. They are quite active.
Their temperament is curious and friendly. Wheaten owners are familiar with the
famous "wheaten greetin'" these friendly dogs treat visitors with. They are very
sociable.
The Wheaten is a fun-loving, intelligent dog. It can be vocal, making it a
good watch dog although no one should consider this breed to deter burglars as
the dog will greet the burglar as a friend. His temperament should be such that
he considers a stranger a friend he hasn't met yet.
The Soft-Coated Wheaten Terrier is known to be less aggressive in nature than
that of other terrier breeds.
Proper socialization with their environment and with other children and
adults when they are young will ensure a stable temperament in a wheaten. Basic
obedience classes may enable less frustrating co-existence with a wheaten.
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Pics
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Is this rescue a wheaten? or is he a labradoodle thanks! Alan |
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The breed is generally trainable, although the terrier stubbornness does
appear on occasion. Consistency in training and positive reinforcement is the
best method in the training of a wheaten, as they can be very sensitive to
physical correction. With both a short attention span and an energetic
personality, wheatens can be difficult to train as show dogs.
Some wheatens love water while others will avoid it. Wheatens do well as a
sole dog companion and can also be fine in a multi-dog household depending on
the temperaments of the other dogs. Many wheaten owners go on to get a second
one eventually. Typically, one of each sex make best companions for each other.
Wheatens enjoy chasing squirrels.
Health
Soft-Coated Wheaten Terriers have a life expectancy of 13-14 years and they
remain perky to the end. They, like almost all dog breeds, are prone to some
genetic disorders, particularly protein-losing enteropathy and protein-losing
nephropathy. Protein-losing enteropathy and protein-losing nephropathy are both
the loss of protein (from the Intestinal tract, and the kidneys, respectively).
These two conditions are both potentially fatal, and difficult to diagnose.
Renal dysplasia has also been reported, especially in Europe. Hip dysplasia and
Progressive retinal atrophy are occasionally seen.
History
The Wheaten was originally bred in his native Ireland to be an all-purpose
farm dog whose duties would have included herding, watching and guarding
livestock, and vermin hunting. This is probably why they are not as aggressive
as other terriers, who were primarily vermin hunters. They are believed to be
related to the Kerry Blue Terrier. The Story about the Kerry blue terrier is: A
ship docked in Ireland and a strange blue/black dog came ashore. It bred with
the local Wheatens and thus came the Kerry Blue.
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