Dog Breed Guide

Soft-Coated Wheaten Terrier

Profile

Size

Medium

Country of origin

Ireland

Origin

18th century

Bred for

All-purpose farm dog, Ratting, Watchdog

Height

male 46 - 48cm (18 - 19in), female 44 - 46cm (17 - 18in)

Weight

male 16 - 18kg (35 - 40lb), female 14 - 16kg (31 - 35lb)

Life span

12 - 15 years

Its defining feature is a silky, gently waving coat the color of ripe wheat. Puppies are darker and turn a bright wheaten color as they grow. A fringe falling over the face and a beard give it an endearing expression.

Bright, cheerful and people-loving, the Wheaten greets its family by leaping and spinning and expressing joy with its whole body. Fans call this enthusiastic welcome the "Wheaten greetin'."

It has a terrier's liveliness but is gentler than other terriers. It sheds little, but its soft coat tangles easily, so daily brushing is essential.

Good to know

For more than 200 years it lived in Ireland as an all-purpose farm worker. It herded livestock, caught rats, guarded the house and sometimes helped with the hunt; there was nothing it could not do.

In Ireland at that time, poor tenant farmers were not allowed to keep hounds such as the Irish Wolfhound. This dog became their valued hunting partner instead, and it was called "the poor man's wolfhound." There is also a story that tenants were not allowed to own dogs above a certain value and docked their tails to show this.

A legend says its ancestors swam ashore from shipwrecks of the Spanish Armada, but there is no solid evidence. The Irish Kennel Club recognized the breed in 1937.