Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier

ORIGIN : Ireland.
UTILIZATION : Wheaten Terriers were always used by small farmers to kill vermin or help with the work about the farm. They were used for a long time in the difficult job of hunting badgers and
otters.

BRIEF HISTORICAL SUMMARY : The history of the Irish Soft
Coated Wheaten Terrier has been somewhat obscured by its closeness
to the other Irish Terrier breeds. The Wheaten is probably the oldest
of the four breeds. Its existence for at least 200 years can be inferred
from textual references to “soft-coated” dogs. The relation of the
modern Irish Terrier to the Wheaten, though less well documented,
appears to have been the result of deliberate breeding experiments. So
the humble Wheaten probably has a fairly mixed ancestry. Despite
the long history of the Wheaten, it wasn’t until 1937, that the Soft
Coated Wheaten was officially recognised by the Irish Kennel Club.
The breed has grown steadily in popularity since and is now well
known world-wide.

GENERAL APPEARANCE : A hardy, active, short coupled dog,
well built, giving the idea of strength. Not too leggy nor too low to
the ground.

BEHAVIOR / TEMPERAMENT : Spirited and game. Good
tempered. Most affectionate and loyal to his owners. Most
intelligent. A trusty, faithful friend, defensive without aggression.

HEAD : In general powerful without being coarse. Long, in good
proportion to the body. Hair same colour as on body.
CRANIAL REGION :
Skull : Flat and clean between ears, not too wide.
Stop : Defined.
FACIAL REGION :
Nose : Black and well developed.
Muzzle : Foreface not longer than skull.
Jaws : Jaws strong and punishing
Teeth : Teeth large, regular; scissor or level bite (i.e.edge to edge)
neither undershot nor overshot.
Cheeks : Bones not prominent.
Eyes : Dark, dark hazel, not too large, not prominent, well placed.
Ears : Small to medium, carried in front, level with skull. Dark
shading on base of ear allowed and not uncommon, accompanied by a
light wheaten coloured overlay. This is the only area of the dog where
under-coat is allowed. “Rose” or “flying” ears are objectionable.
NECK : Moderately long and strong but not throaty.
BODY : Not too long. Length from withers to base of tail
approximately the same as from ground to withers.
Back : Strong and level with even top line.
Loins : Short, powerful.
Chest : Deep, ribs well sprung.
TAIL : Well set, not too thick. Carried gaily but never over the back.
The tail is docked so that two thirds of its original length remains
assuming it is in proportion to the dog. An undocked tail is permitted.
LIMBS
FOREQUARTERS :
Shoulders : Fine, well laid back, muscular.
Forelegs : Perfectly straight viewed from any angle. Good bone and
muscle.
HINDQUARTERS : Well developed with powerful muscle.
Thighs : Strong and muscular.
Stifles : Bent.
Hocks : Well let down, turned neither in nor out. Hind dewclaws
should be removed.
FEET : Small, not spreading. Toenails preferably black but varying
dark colours allowed.
GAIT / MOVEMENT : Straight action fore and aft, going and
coming. Elbows tucked in. Side view : free, light co-ordinated
movement.
COAT
HAIR : A single coated dog. Texture soft and silky to feel and not
harsh. Young dogs excluded from this. Trimming permitted.
Trimmed dogs : Coat cut close at neck, chest and skull, and left
especially long over eyes and under jaw. Whiskers encouraged.
Profuse feathering on legs. Body coat trimmed to follow the outline
of the dog but not sculpted. Tail trimmed close and neatly tapered.
Untrimmed dogs : The coat at its longest not to exceed five inches
(12,7 cm). Soft, wavy or loosely curled with the sheen of silk. Under
no circumstances should the coat be “fluffed out” like a Poodle or an
Old English Sheepdog. Dogs shown in this condition should be
heavily penalised as they give a wrong impression of type and breed.
Special attention is drawn to puppy coat development. Pups are
seldom born with the correct coat of maturity, care must be taken
when assessing this point. They go through several changes of colour
and texture before developing the mature adult coat. This usually
occurs between 18 months and 2.5 years.
Pups : Are seldom born with the correct colour or texture coat. They
come reddish, greyish and sometimes clear wheaten. The masks are
generally black. Sometimes there is a black streak down the centre
back or black tips to the body coat. These dark markings clear away
with growth.
COLOR : A good clear wheaten of shades from light wheaten to a
golden reddish hue.
SIZE AND WEIGHT :
Height at the withers : Dogs 18-19 inches (46-48 cm).
Bitches somewhat less.
Weight : Dogs 40-45 lbs (18- 20, 5 kg).
Bitches somewhat less.