meet the...Soft-Coated Wheaten Terrier
Breed Summary
Breed Group Group 6: Terrier Breeds
Sub-group 6-A: Large Terriers
Origin Country Ireland
Weight Males: 35-45 pounds. Females: 30-40 pounds.
Height Males: 18-20 inches. Females: 17-18 inches.
Other Name(s) Irish Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier, Irish Soft-Coated Wheaten Terrier, Soft-Coated Wheaten Terrier, Wheaten, Wheaten Terrier
Breed Type Pure
click here for FULL BREED STANDARD
Origins
The four terriers from Ireland were once all considered the same type, simply called Irish terriers. Before separating the dogs into four different breeds, all the ancestors of the four terriers were likely intermixed. Although their origins are not certain, it is believed that they were developed thousands of years ago in Ireland, where they were prized as farmers’ dogs and beloved by commoners. They were watchers of the family property, exterminators of dangerous and disease-carrying pests, herding dogs, hunters of larger quarries such as badgers and foxes, and general all-around working companions. In the 18th century, Irish law prohibited farmers from keeping dogs that were worth five pounds or more. Being that the Irish Terriers were common and mostly associated with commoners and farmers, they were considered by most of society to be worth very little. However, the farmers and commoners that they worked and lived beside considered them invaluable.
Due to the fact that no breeds were established for thousands of years, allowing the terriers to intermix, the look of these dogs varied considerably. They would range from small ratters and turnspits weighing less than nine pounds to the larger badger and otter hunters weighing up to 40 pounds. They could be rough-coated, soft-coated, white, cream-red, black and tan, gray, black, badger, and brindle. In fact, it wasn’t until 1937 that the Soft-Coated Wheaten Terrier was officially recognized as its own breed by the Irish Kennel Club. Today, it has grown to be one of the most popular of the Irish breeds.Breed Characteristics
Head: Mesaticephalic skull type, somewhat long, moderate in size, wedge-shaped under the coat, and in proportion to the rest of the body. The topskull is moderately broad and flat when viewed from the front or in profile. The head furnishings give the head a rectangular appearance. The head is clean-cut and without excess skin or wrinkles.
Eyes: Moderate in size, oval to almond in shape, and medium to dark brown in color. The eye rims are well-fitted and well-pigmented. The eyes are never bulging. There should be sufficient bone in the surrounding orbital sockets to protect the eyes.
Ears: Small to medium in size and triangular in shape, with rounded tips. The fold of the ear breaks level with the plane of the topskull (never above or below). The tips are dropped slightly forward and point down to the ground instead of the eye. The inner edge of the ear lies close to the head, and when alert, the outer edge of the ear appears slightly lifted away from the head. Ears should never appear hound-like, rose, or fly-away.
Muzzle: The muzzle is somewhat long, full, rather deep, and broad. The plane, or bridge of the muzzle, is straight. The upper and lower jaws are well-developed, approximately equal in length, and have good bone substance, never appearing snipey or weak.
Nose: The nose is well-pigmented, black, or self-colored, according to the coat in non-standard color varieties. The nostrils are well-opened.
Neck: Moderate length allows for proud head carriage. It is strongly muscled with a slight arch. The neck tapers smoothly from the deeper and broader body toward the head. The neck is clean-cut and without excess skin, throatiness, or dewlap.
Chest: Deep and broad but never wider than deep. The brisket extends to the point of the elbows.
Body: Compact, solid, short-coupled, and of good substance. The body is never racy or refined. The width at the forequarters is approximately equal to the width at the hindquarters.
Feet: Oval to round and compact, with well-arched toes and tough pads.
Tail: Set high on the croup, thick at the base and tapering toward the tip. The tail is carried gaily at 90 degrees from the topline. The tail may be left natural or docked short. Natural tails are of a medium length, with the tip of the last vertebrae extending to the hock joints when held down. Natural tails may be straight or curved. Docked tails are cut to 2/3 of the original length. The dog should have a good shelf behind the tail.
Movement: Energetic, effortless, and efficient. The characteristics of a healthy structure are evident. When moving away, the forelegs and rear pasterns should remain parallel to one another. When viewing movement from the front, the forelegs should remain parallel, with elbows and paws moving neither in nor out. From the rear, the back pads should be visible when the rear legs are extended. As speed increases, the forelimbs and hindlimbs will converge to the centerline of gravity. From the side, the topline should remain firm and level. Good reach of movement in the front allows the forepaw to extend out in line with the nose. When extended, the width between the forefeet should be approximately equal to the width between the hindfeet when extended, indicating balance, good reach, and good drive. Dogs that exhibit any sign of breathing or locomotive difficulty shall be disqualified from the show ring.
Temperament: Wheaten terriers are happy-go-lucky dogs with stable and confident temperaments. They are intelligent and possess many natural talents and skill sets, from hunting to herding. The Wheaten is somewhat less gamey than many other terriers, intelligent, affectionate, and loyal, but strict obedience and socialization training should be implemented early on. This will ensure that a Wheaten learns to identify friends from foes and accept other dogs as companions. Any unprovoked aggressive or fearful behavior toward people is incorrect for this breed.
Breed Standard
BREED GROUP 6: Terrier Breeds
Proportions: Off-square with the length of the body, measured from the point of the forechest to the point of the rump, being slightly greater than the height at the withers. The point of the shoulder to the base of the tail, or the point of the withers to the base of the tail, may be equal to the dog's height at the withers. The ideal body-height-to-length ratio from the point of the forechest to the point of the rump is 10:9 to 5:4. The body is well put together, with sturdy substance and medium bone. The weight of males or females is always in proportion to height.
Head
General Appearance: Mesaticephalic skull type, somewhat long, moderate in size, wedge-shaped under the coat, and in proportion to the rest of the body. The topskull is moderately broad and flat when viewed from the front or in profile. The head furnishings give the head a rectangular appearance. The head is clean-cut and without excess skin or wrinkles.
Expression: Intelligent, alert, and engaged.
Stop: The stop is somewhat defined but not steep.
Skull: The ideal muzzle-to-skull ratio is 1:1, with the topskull being equal to the muzzle.
The ideal muzzle-to-skull axis is parallel.
Muzzle: The muzzle is somewhat long, full, rather deep, and broad. The plane, or bridge of the muzzle, is straight. The upper and lower jaws are well-developed, approximately equal in length, and have good bone substance, never appearing snipey or weak.
Lips or Flews: The lips are clean and fit tightly over the teeth and jaws.
Nose: The nose is well-pigmented, black, or self-colored, according to the coat in non-standard color varieties. The nostrils are well-opened.
Cheeks: The cheeks may be smoothly muscled to well-developed. They are never chiseled or coarse.
Dentition and Bite: Forty-two strong, clean, and white teeth. The bite may be level, scissor, or reverse-scissor. Contact must be made between the top and bottom incisors. Missing or broken teeth due to routine work is not to be penalized.
Eyes: Moderate in size, oval to almond in shape, and medium to dark brown in color. The eye rims are well-fitted and well-pigmented. The eyes are never bulging. There should be sufficient bone in the surrounding orbital sockets to protect the eyes.
Ears: Small to medium in size and triangular in shape, with rounded tips. The fold of the ear breaks level with the plane of the topskull (never above or below). The tips are dropped slightly forward and point down to the ground instead of the eye. The inner edge of the ear lies close to the head, and when alert, the outer edge of the ear appears slightly lifted away from the head. Ears should never appear hound-like, rose, or fly-away.
Body and Tail
General Description: Compact, solid, short-coupled, and of good substance. The body is never racy or refined. The width at the forequarters is approximately equal to the width at the hindquarters.
Neck: Moderate length allows for proud head carriage. It is strongly muscled with a slight arch. The neck tapers smoothly from the deeper and broader body toward the head. The neck is clean-cut and without excess skin, throatiness, or dewlap.
Chest: Deep and broad but never wider than deep. The brisket extends to the point of the elbows.
Topline: Level from slightly prominent withers to croup. The back is broad, strongly muscled, and straight, yet supple. The loin is taut, flat, level, or slightly arched, yet supportive. The back is never swayed or roached.
Croup: Flat and level with the back.
Underline: A slight tuck-up is present. The underline is taut and firm, without any indication of sagging or excess weight.
Ribs: Long, well-sprung, well-laid-back, and oval-shaped, never barrel-chested or slab-sided.
Tail: Set high on the croup, thick at the base and tapering toward the tip. The tail is carried gaily at 90 degrees from the topline. The tail may be left natural or docked short. Natural tails are of a medium length, with the tip of the last vertebrae extending to the hock joints when held down. Natural tails may be straight or curved. Docked tails are cut to 2/3 of the original length. The dog should have a good shelf behind the tail.
Forequarters and Hindquarters
Forequarters: The forequarters are always balanced with the hindquarters and well-angulated with well-laid-back shoulder blades. Shoulder blades are approximately equal in length to the upper arm and forearm.
Elbows: The elbows are close to the body. The point of the elbows is approximately half the dog’s height at the withers.
Forelegs: Frontal View: Straight, of good muscle, of moderate bone, and parallel to one another.
Side View: The forelimbs appear straight with strong pasterns.
Pasterns: Never weak or broken.
Hindquarters: The upper and lower thighs are equal in length, strong, sturdy, of moderate bone, and well-muscled.
Rear View: When viewed from the rear, the rear pasterns are parallel to one another.
Side View: Good angulation will allow the rear toes to align with the point of the rump or within one to two paw-lengths behind the point of the rump, with the rear pasterns remaining perpendicular to the ground and parallel to one another.
Stifle Joint: Well-angulated with a good bend to well-let-down rear pasterns.
Angulations: The angulation of the hindquarters is always in balance with the angulation of the forequarters.
Feet: Oval to round and compact, with well-arched toes and tough pads.
Coat
Skin: Well-fitted, yet supple. The skin should never obstruct the outline of the dog.
Coat Type: The coat of a Wheaten can take up to two, sometimes three years, to mature, so this should be taken into consideration when evaluating puppies, adolescents, and young adults. The coat is wiry in appearance, not in feel. It is a moderately full, soft, silky textured single coat. It should never appear or feel harsh or rough to the touch. It must never appear fluffy, puffy, cottony, tightly curled, kinky, plush, stand-offish, or blown out by a blow-dryer.
Wheatens may be shown in a natural coat (not to exceed five inches) or a coat that has been lightly tidied (never stripped, plucked, or clipped) by a professional groomer into a show terrier outline with sufficient coat length remaining to flow when the dog is in motion and reveal texture and quality. The brow falls forward over the eyes. Hair is left on the head, cheeks, muzzle, chin, and brows and is sculpted into a rectangular outline. Ears are trimmed short (not shaved) to reveal the proper set and type. The chest, legs, and underline are left with longer hair and appear profusely feathered. The body coat is lightly trimmed to follow the natural outline of the dog. Dogs that are overly groomed, blow-dried, or trimmed to the point that the coat quality and texture cannot be made out will be penalized.
Coat Color or Pattern: CKC recognizes two color varieties of the Soft-Coated Wheaten Terrier breed: the standard and nonstandard.
Standard coat color variety: Any shade of wheaten ranging from light to golden reddish wheaten. Darker shadings and some red, white, or black guard hairs may be found. Ears and muzzle may be shaded red or gray.
Puppies under two years of age may appear deeper or darker in coloring with an overlay.
Nonstandard coat color variety: A mature coat that is white, red, brown, red, grizzled, brindle, or with dark overlay (badger). Ginger-liver or pink-nosed, with or without brown shading on the coat.
Movement
Energetic, effortless, and efficient. The characteristics of a healthy structure are evident. When moving away, the forelegs and rear pasterns should remain parallel to one another. When viewing movement from the front, the forelegs should remain parallel, with elbows and paws moving neither in nor out. From the rear, the back pads should be visible when the rear legs are extended. As speed increases, the forelimbs and hindlimbs will converge to the centerline of gravity. From the side, the topline should remain firm and level. Good reach of movement in the front allows the forepaw to extend out in line with the nose. When extended, the width between the forefeet should be approximately equal to the width between the hindfeet when extended, indicating balance, good reach, and good drive. Dogs that exhibit any sign of breathing or locomotive difficulty shall be disqualified from the show ring.
Temperament
Wheaten terriers are happy-go-lucky dogs with stable and confident temperaments. They are intelligent and possess many natural talents and skill sets, from hunting to herding. The Wheaten is somewhat less gamey than many other terriers, intelligent, affectionate, and loyal, but strict obedience and socialization training should be implemented early on. This will ensure that a Wheaten learns to identify friends from foes and accept other dogs as companions. Any unprovoked aggressive or fearful behavior toward people is incorrect for this breed.
Faults
All dogs should be in proper healthy condition, free from disease or defect. Any departure from this description is considered a fault. Unless altered, all male dogs should have two fully descended testicles.
