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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 often considered to be hypoallergenic.
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 color 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.
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.
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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