Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier

Breed Rating

Breed Details

General

The Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier originated in Ireland and were bred to hunt rodents, to herd, and to guard farm animals. These dogs are believed to have blood relativity to the Kerry Blue Terrier and became popular in the mid 1940's when they were brought over to the United States.

This breed has a shaggy long coat and a tuft of hair covering the entire length of their face. Their muzzle is long and rectangular with their ears being large and pricked upwards. This breed has a muscular agile body and long athletic legs. Although they are a large breed, the Wheaten is precise and quick when it comes to hunting and herding animals making them great working dogs as well as great family pets.

The Wheaten has a goofy sweet temperament that qualifies them as the perfect family pet. They love children and will play for hours on end with them. Although they get along very well with people, smaller pets such as cats, mice, hamsters, guinea pigs, etc. will not be safe around this breed. The Wheaten has a very high prey drive and any small animal that catches their eye will not be safe. This dog will grow an extremely strong bond with their families and will constantly show affection, loyalty and love.

Color

The soft coated Wheaten terrier will only come in one coloring, which is the wheat/blonde. Their puppies are completely black at birth and will lighten to their wheat coloring as they age!

Coat

This breed has a long messy looking coat that is thick and fluffy to keep them warm when hunting or herding in cold temperatures. They have a hypoallergenic coat meaning they shed a little amount of dander which will be great for people that suffer from animal related allergies. The Wheaten's fur will continually grow, so they will need constant haircuts to keep their coat short and equal length.

Personality

The Wheaten is an animated goofy character that has an infectiously happy personality. They love to be in the company of their family and will become depressed if left alone too often. They are known to be young at heart even when they get to be an older age. Charming and clever, the Wheaten will need thorough training in a gentle manner especially when teaching the house rules. Repetition and consistency will be needed so they can really understand their owners commands. This breed will get along with other dogs well, but should not be around any smaller animals or pets because they consider these to be prey. Socialization as puppies will be needed around dogs and other animals to ensure this breed will be comfortable and aware of his surroundings as an adult.

Care

The soft coated Wheaten terrier will need a moderate amount of grooming to upkeep their coat. Brushing about once per week and bathing once every 2 months will be perfect for this dogs coat. They will need to have their fur trimmed quite often but this is up to how the owner would like the dog to look. Some owners prefer a long haired dog, others prefer their Wheaten to have short hair! This breed is prone to protein-losing enteropathy, hip dysplasia, allergies to fleas and kidney dysplasia.

Training

These dogs are incredibly smart and will not require too much training to understand basic obedience. They just need consistency and gentle repetitive methods to grasp the concept their owner is teaching them. Training should be made fun and include short lessons to encourage the dog to want to keep learning. Even as adults, the Wheaten will still act like a puppy so training will need to be an ongoing activity until they mature.

Activity

This breed will need to be taken to off-leash dog parks so they can run around freely or be taken on a long walk every day. They are not extremely hyper dogs, but do require a good amount of exercise every day. The Wheaten will do well in an apartment and would be better off with a backyard to run around in. When walking this breed, the owner should always have a leash on them in case the Wheaten spots a small animal and begins a chase.