For many years, all terriers in Ireland were collectively referred to
as Irish Terriers. References of a wheaten colored dog of the size of the
current Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier exists but not under a separate name
until 1937 when it was differentiated from the others based on coat type.
Of the many terrier breeds in Ireland, the Soft Coated Wheaten was never
popular with the aristocracy, thus became the common folk's otter and badger
hunter, cattle drover, and guard dog. It was first registered with the Kennel
Club of Great Britain in 1943, the American Kennel Club in 1973, and the
Canadian Kennel Club in 1978.
A friend of the common people, the Soft Coated Wheaten was a family dog
as well as a hunter. Thus he is a gentle and loyal pet. He is lively and
puppyish well into old age. This is a breed that does not shed its coat.
The Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier is a medium-sized hardy dog. His head is
rectangular in appearance and moderately long. The skull is flat between
the ears. There is a definite drop off (stop) between the skull and the
muzzle. The muzzle is powerful and strong, with a scissors bite. Skull and
foreface should be of equal length. The eyes are dark red brown to brown
in color, medium sized, almond shaped and set fairly wide apart. The ears
are small, fold over level with the skull and drop slightly forward with
the inside edge next to the eye. The nose is black and large. The neck is
of medium length and strong. The chest is deep. The legs are straight and
well boned. The back is strong and level. The body is rectangular in appearance
and relatively short coupled. The tail is docked and carried gaily. As the
name implies, the coat is a major characteristic of the breed. It is an
abundant single coat that covers the entire body with an extra profusion
over the eyes. The texture is soft and silky with a gentle wave. Coat color
may be any shade of wheaten from light to golden reddish. Blue-gray shadings
on the ears and muzzle are acceptable. Average height is between eighteen
and nineteen inches. Average weight is between thirty five and forty five
pounds.
zupnick@cmsu1.cmsu.edu of Missouri writes:
Great dog.
We are on our second Wheaten. Love the breed. He has to be involved
with everything that is going on and loves to go for car rides. Our first
Wheaten was very healthy, but our current dog has had skin problems caused
by allergies. The allergies stared when the dog was one year old. It has
been a very frustrating situation for both owner and dog. We have not been
able to resolve the problem. But we love him!
david-monroe@columbus.rr.com of Ohio writes:
Great dog p; "neighborhood dog."
Our Wheaten is one year old this month. He is a beautiful dog with a
wonderful personality. He weighs 40 pounds now, but we still hold him and
carry him like a baby. He is so friendly that we often find a neighbor in
the yard playing with him. He is trained to the electric fence, is in the
yard often, and has more friends than the rest of the family combined.
The dog has a great personality. He is funny and curious, but he almost
never barks and he does not dig like some Terriers. I would recommend him
for a family if the children are older than five. The breed is good with
all children, but his enthusiasm for people might be too much for a toddler.
Name withheld by request of California writes:
Great snow dogs.
Wheatens are great snow dogs. Ours loves cross-country skiing with us
and revels in rolling in the snow and pushing it around with his shoulder
and nose. He can easily run 10 km or more to keep up with us. But beware
of ungroomed trails and deep, fresh snow. Ours once became bogged down in
a snowdrift and ended up with ice encrusted on his fine hair, and we had
to put him in the bathtub to thaw out! These are the best dogs, and such
great pals and fun!
blod@onetel.net.uk of England writes:
Good and bad (mostly good).
Well, there is so much I could say about this breed, so I'll keep it
brief. Plus points: fantastic greeting EVERY time you come in the door,
even if you've only been gone five minutes, great character, loves attention,
loves people. Negatives: needs training right from the word go, this is
a VERY strong-willed breed, needs a LOT of exercise as they really do have
boundless energy, my dog is twelve years old and just as active as he was
at twelve months, they need grooming at LEAST every other day to keep their
coats in order. All in all this is a fantastic breed which will reward you
with love, loyalty and lots of fun, as long as you are prepared to spend
the time with them that they need and be firm with the training. (Cannot
be stressed enough, a poorly trained Wheaten will not win any popularity
contests! Don't let their stubborn side develop.) If you do this, then you
will have a furry little friend for life.
dretail@aol.com of Encino, CA writes:
Lovable and gentle.
My Wheaten is full of love. She loves people and is gentle with kids.
Since I took her for early obedience training and worked regularly with
her, she is very well-mannered (even though her first instinct is to be
overly excited and jump up on people to greet them). If you aren't willing
to bathe a dog every other week and go to the groomer every six to eight
weeks, don't get a Wheaten. If you are willing to train and groom, this
is the most lovable non-shedding dog you can have.
PJC5755@aol.com of Connecticut writes:
Best breed ever.
I had a SCWT back in the '80s. I lost him to kidney failure. He was
a super dog always there giving his loving kisses and affection. Just recently
rescued a four-year-old male who is just as loving as the first. Yes, the
grooming is a must but well worth it. The time put into the grooming certainly
outweighs the time cleaning up after a breed who is constantly shedding.
Great with kids, listens well. The SCWT is a wonderful family pet.
Name withheld by request of Canada writes:
Best dog!
I have a Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier. He is an angel. He sleeps in his
kennel and learned how to sit in two hours! He loves everyone, and no one
can escape from his Wheaten kisses! And when he's tired he just wants to
snuggle. He is a great dog. I would recommend the Wheaten to people who
have a lot of extra time (grooming, playing, exercising, and loving). All
in all I think they are the best dog!
Name withheld by request of Pennsylvania writes:
Excellent dog!
This is probably the best dog I have ever owned. He speaks for a treat.
He does play a little rough once in awhile, lightly gnawing on my fingers
and feet. He's excellent in the car, and with children and other pets, even
strange cats and dogs. He is a lot of work to groom, but well worth it.
His hair is always cut short because he is just so cute like that.
goldiegirl_27_@hotmail.com of Wisconsin writes:
Favorite animal.
I have a Wheaten Terrier. I've grown up around Wheatens, since my mom
groomed them. They never abandon you and they are so loving. If it were
up to me I'd never get another breed of dog.
Name withheld by request of Connecticut writes:
Great dogs, but not for everyone.
My second Wheaten (a male) is now thirteen months old and just a wonderful
character. He has grown up to be bigger than the usual average at 50 pounds
but has a great personality, a real clown and is very loving and friendly
p; almost too friendly as everyone and I mean everyone he meets gets
the royal and high energy "wheaten greetin." He was great as a
puppy and housebreaking was fairly easy. These are not dogs for everyone
however. A lot of grooming is required and their energy level is high p;
regular exercise is a must, not an option. They also like to be very involved
in your daily life and are not very happy if not included on a regular basis.
Obedience training should also be considered to be a mandatory part of their
upbringing due to their lifetime long puppy-like personalities, high energy
levels and their tendency to be somewhat stubborn at times. But after having
a wonderfull female for nearly fourteen years and this guy for one, there
is no other breed I would even consider,
dstovall@gci.net of Anchorage, AK writes:
I can't imagine our home without our Wheatie!
Our Wheaten is eighteen months old now. When we walk in the door he
jumps up and down p; a full six feet p; and you get a slurp on the
cheek. He sleeps on our bed, goes everywhere with us; he's a great sailing
buddy as we sail on weekends. He's ALWAYS with us p; under foot, going
anywhere. He's incredibly smart, sometimes too smart. He learns things quickly,
and is a necessary part of our family, giving us friendship, making us laugh,
seemingly feeling our emotions. He LOVES snow. He doesn't like to hear any
arguing, hates being ignored, manages to get his own way by being "cute,"
and gives us a positive reason to go home every night. We've had other good
dogs, but have never totally loved a dog like we do our Wheaten.
pmbatchelder@aol.com of Oswego, IL writes:
Fun-loving and very loyal.
We love our two-and-one-half-year-old Wheaten. He is truly part of our
family. He is always ready for a walk and loves to play "catch"
with his ball. The only drawback is that the grooming is nonstop unless
he gets practically shaved. It truly can be a daunting task.
tedcr1@aol.com of Sunrise, FL writes on 8/31/01:
The most amazing dog I've ever known!
Our five year old female Wheaten is without a doubt one of the most intelligent
and fun dogs I've ever known. She loves to play around the house with us.
There must be two dozen or so words that she understands. She reacts to
words such as car, pool, swimming, bedtime and many others. At least once
a day she has us in stitches with her antics, especialy when she goes into
her crazy dog routine which consists of spinning in both directions, racing
around the family room and bouncing off of the couch and loveseat. Taffy
is paper trained, and she will let us know when she has gone to the bathroom
because she knows she will be getting a treat. Sometimes however she tries
tofake us out. If someone happens to use her bathroom she will follow that
person and try to weasel a treat out of them. All in all I find the breed
to be absolutely fantastic. I intend to have Wheatens around me forever!
hifco@aol.com of Connecticut writes on 3/15/01:
Be wary.
Attractive. Sure. And they have excellent P.R. ... but ours was incourrigible!
It vied for attention with the children for two years, it defecated on the
guest room bed anytime we had company. We tried everything we could to keep
it from running off any time it had the chance. The last straw ... a play
session on the floor resulted in a through-the-cheek bite to our eight year
old daughter. We hear the dog is happy with its adoptive mom ... she lives
alone and gives the dog FULL attention.
Name withheld by request of Canada writes on 10/8/00:
Practically perfect.
Soft Coated Wheaten Terriers are great dogs. First and foremost, they are
perfect for neat and tidy people because they don't shed, and for the same
reason, they're great for people with asthma because the dog hair doesn't
aggrivate allergies. All they need is a regular grooming session and occasional
brushing. They're very energetic and spunky (if that's what you like) and
are wonderful with kids. I find that they have incredible tolerance for
little kids poking them or touching them. My dog will growl from time to
time, but I have never known her to bite. However, as I said before, if
you don't like energetic, fiesty dogs perhaps you should look elsewhere.
Wheatens are always excited to see their owners (the trademark "Wheaten
Greetin'" comes to mind: when the owner walks in the door, the dog
jumps up and licks their face!) and are very enthusiastic about playing
around in the backyard or going for "walkies." Anyway, in a nutshell,
Wheatens are wonderfully tempered, enthusiastic, energetic, loving pets!
rickashey@hotmail.com of Vancouver, B.C. writes on 8/25/00:
The most loveable dog!
We have a 9 month old Wheaten Terrier and he is the best dog I have
ever had .. .and he certainly has made us popular. Everytime we are out
for a walk someone always comments on how beautiful or how well behaved
he is and unfortunately, we can't take any credit! He has also been labelled
the happiest dog at the park! He does not have an aggressive bone in his
body but he does have a sixth sense of when to be protective with strangers
or other aggressive dogs. He is very loving, affectionate, playful and loyal.
His only bad habit is that he is very good at playing innocent when he knows
he's gotten into trouble thus making it very hard to reprimand him when
he looks at you with those puppy dog eyes like "Oh, you mean I wasn't
supposed to do that?" I would reccommend this breed to anyone that
can give them as much love as they give you!
k_hindfelt@hotmail.com of Sweden writes on 8/25/00:
Not for just any dog owner!
They may look sweet - but one has to remember that they are working terriers
with lots of energy. If the dog doesn't get a chance to do obedience, agility,
search & resque or something else worthwile, it might use all its energy
to trash your house, yard or something else. The Wheaten needs a firm hand
and an owner that can combine this with lots of TLC. A Wheaten trains easily
provided that one knows how to work with it, traditional methods of training
just doesn't cut it! Do keep in mind that the wonderful coat requires quite
a lot of work. They do have a marvelous sense of humor & I sincerely
recommed the breed to experienced owners, but it might not be the best breed
to get if its going to be your first dog ever.
Name withheld by request of Green Bay, WI writes on 4/12/00:
I would recommend Wheatens to anyone with a loving home.
Wheatens are the best dogs that I have ever owned. They are very smart,
friendly, and super cuddly. We had one male, who just passed away last week,
and one female, I have never in my life felt closer to a pet than I did
with those two. I would recommend these dogs to anyone with children who
may be looking for a fun loving, yet gentle dog, or someone just looking
for warmth and companionship.
trigubalicia@yahoo.com of Buenos Aires, Argentina writes on 2/27/00:
I have fallen in love with this breed.
They are always happy, loyal, obedient and easy to train. They don't shed
and adaptable to your lifestyle. They are intelligent and soft to touch.
They are kind to children. I want to be home with this breed.
Name withheld by request of Washington, DC writes on 2/15/00:
Lovable, friendly, great with kids.
I had two beautiful SCWTs and I can't tell you enough good about this
breed. I never owned another dog that loved me as much. They are all terrier,
and active and lively, but will put up with much abuse from young children
with patience and understanding. They like to play herding games, and will
not retrieve a ball or bone no matter what you do. As for the coat, it is
beautiful and soft and doesn't shed. It requires more maintenance than a
shedding dog, but for my pet dog I used to just buzz cut him in the summer
and leave it at that.