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soft-coated wheaten terrier

 
Dictionary: soft-coat·ed wheaten terrier   (sôft''tĭd, sŏft'-) pronunciation
n.
A medium-sized terrier of a breed that originated in Ireland, having a wheat-colored coat of soft, wavy hair.


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Columbia Encyclopedia: soft-coated wheaten terrier
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soft-coated wheaten terrier, breed of medium-sized dog developed and perfected in Ireland. It stands from 17 to 19 in. (43.1-48.3 cm) high at the shoulder and weighs from 30 to 45 lb (13.6-20.4 kg). Its abundant, soft, medium-length coat is silky and slightly wavy and may be any shade of wheat in color. Related to the Kerry blue and Irish terrier, the soft-coated wheaten has been raised for many years in its native land as a farm dog and vermin destroyer. In recent times it has begun to be popular as a pet in the United States, where it is exhibited in the miscellaneous class at dog shows sanctioned by the American Kennel Club. See dog.


Veterinary Dictionary: Soft-coated wheaten terrier
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A medium-sized, compact dog with a soft, silky, wavy, wheaten-colored coat that covers the face and body. The tail is docked. The breed is affected by a familial nephropathy.

Wikipedia: Soft-Coated Wheaten Terrier
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Soft-Coated Wheaten Terrier
Dog2wheaten.jpg
Soft-Coated Wheaten Terrier standing as if at a conformation dog show
Other names Irish Soft-Coated Wheaten Terrier
and variant spellings: "Soft Coated" and "Softcoated"
Nicknames Wheaten or Wheatie
Country of origin Ireland
Traits
Weight Male 35 to 45 lbs
Height Male 17 to 20 inches
Coat Soft and silky, loosely waved or curly
Color Wheaten or rust color
Litter size up to 8
Life span 12 to 15 years

The Soft-Coated Wheaten Terrier is a breed of dog originating in Ireland. There are four coat varieties: Traditional Irish, Heavy Irish, English, and American. They are considered to be hypoallergenic[1], a trait popular with allergic or asthmatic dog owners. These dogs have hair instead of fur.

Contents

History

The Wheaten was bred in 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. Today Wheaten terriers compete in obedience, agility, and tracking, and are used in animal-assisted therapy as well.

Despite its long history, the Wheaten was not recognized as a breed in Ireland by the Irish Kennel Club until 1937. In 1943 the British Kennel Club recognized the breed as well. The first Wheatens were exported to the United States in 1946 but serious interest in the breed took years to develop. Lydia Vogel was one of the first breeders of the Wheaten Terrier in the United States. Finally, in 1973, they were recognized by the American Kennel Club. The first Wheatens imported into Australia occurred in the 70's by Anubis Kennels. Since then many more have been imported. Recent importation of Irish style dogs have improved and broadened the gene pool.

Appearance

Puppies have a dark coat of either red, brown, mahogany or white. The muzzle and ears of Wheaten puppies may be black or dark brown. The dark puppy coat gradually grows out to nearly white before maturing into a wheaten-colored 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. If adults ever have skin injuries the resulting hair growth will be the dark color of their puppy coat before it eventually grows out to the wheat color.

A Wheaten of the English coat variety

The Soft-Coated Wheaten Terrier is a medium-sized dog, which ranges on average anywhere from 17 to 19 inches and weighs about 30 to 45 pounds. The breed has a square structure and is well built. Its 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.[2]

The Irish coat tends to be thinner and silkier than the American variety.

Health

Soft Coated Wheaten Terriers are generally a long-lifed breed. They are susceptible to protein-losing nephropathy (PLN) where the dog loses protein from the kidneys. There is also protein-losing enteropathy where the dog loses protein from the intestines (PLE) Both PLN and PLE are fatal.

These conditions have an unknown mode of inheritance but there are research programs, mainly in the United States and the United Kingdom.

Other wheaten health issues are renal dysplasia, inflammatory bowel disease, Addison's disease and cancer. Some Wheatens can also suffer from food and environmental allergies.

Temperament

The Soft-Coated Wheaten Terrier is an energetic and playful dog. They require patience and consistent positive training. Harsh methods will often result in fear aggression. A positive, even-handed approach works best with these intelligent yet headstrong terriers. They are enthusiastic greeters and will often jump up in order to lick a person's face, commonly referred to as the "Wheaten greetin'"[citation needed]. These dogs do best when they are exercised regularly. Wheatens are very protective of their families, and although they may bark an alert at strangers, they rarely get aggressive.

Cross breeds

Wheatens are unofficially crossbred with Standard Poodles, to create the mixed breed known as the Whoodle, and with Beagles to create those known as "Wheagles". They are also a cross with a sighthound such as a greyhound, for the purpose of breeding lurchers.

References

External links


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Copyrights:

Dictionary. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.  Read more
Columbia Encyclopedia. The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition Copyright © 2003, Columbia University Press. Licensed from Columbia University Press. All rights reserved. www.cc.columbia.edu/cu/cup/ Read more
Veterinary Dictionary. Saunders Comprehensive Veterinary Dictionary 3rd Edition. Copyright © 2007 by D.C. Blood, V.P. Studdert and C.C. Gay, Elsevier. All rights reserved.  Read more
Wikipedia. This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Soft-Coated Wheaten Terrier" Read more