Dog
Group:
Terrier 
Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier Champions
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Pronunciation:
sawft koh-tid hweet-n ter-ee-er
Breed Description:
The Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier breed of dog should be an athletic dog that is well-proportioned. They should be medium in size with a square build and a level top line. The overall look should be of a well-built dog without any exaggerations. The head should be rectangular in shape and the tail is commonly docked. The medium sized ears should hang down the side of the head.
The coat of the Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier should be thick and abundant. There should only be one layer of hair and it should be slightly wavy. The hair should be long and there should be a silky texture to it. The color of the coat should only be wheaten, which is a beige or yellow color, but it can range in shade. Some blue-gray shading on the ears and muzzle as well as red, white or black guard hairs are allowed but not preferred.
Temperament:
The Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier breed of dog is a happy breed of dog that is known for their easy nature and ability to fit into any lifestyle. This is a breed that usually loves everyone. They do very well with children and while they will bark at strangers, they are usually very accepting of everyone and don't make a very good guard dog. The breed is usually very easy to train and they do well in homes with other dogs. The breed does have a high prey drive and may not be suitable for homes with small non-canine pets.
Height:
The average height for a Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier is between 17 to 19 inches for a female and 18 to 20 for a male.
Weight:
The average weight for a Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier is between 30 to 40 pounds for a female and 35 to 45 pounds for a male.
Health Problems:
The Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier breed of dog is considered to have low to average health since more dogs in the breed are affected by the few health problems that they do have. It is important to understand Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier health before you purchase and to be aware of the health problems they could have including Atopic Dermatitis, Retinal Dysplasia, Protein-Losing Enteropathy, Protein-Losing Nephropathy, Allergies and Progressive Retinal Atrophy.
Living Conditions:
The Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier breed of dog is versatile when it comes to living conditions and they can live in both apartments and homes with yards. They should not live outdoors and do best when they are inside with their family. They do need a fenced yard since the Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier has a strong prey drive and may chase neighborhood animals.
Exercise:
The Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier breed of dog has a very versatile exercise need. They tend to adapt to their owners lifestyle so if their owners are active, they will be as well and will keep up to any exercise requirements that you put on them. However,regardless of their owners energy, the breed should get one or two good walks a day to keep them fit.
Life Expectancy:
12 to 15 years
Grooming:
The Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier breed of dog can be easy or difficult to groom depending on whether you are showing them. For pets, you can keep the coat natural and brush it weekly or clip the coat every six to eight weeks. They are very easy to maintain and a weekly brushing will keep the debris out of the coat. If you are showing your Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier, then brushing will need to be done once or twice a week. The beard will need to be maintained and trimming will be required to create a specific shape. Nails should be trimmed once or twice a month and ears should be cleaned weekly.
Origin:
The Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier breed of dog was developed in Ireland but outside of that fact, very little information is known about the breed. We do know that the breed can be traced back to the late 1500's. In addition, it is clear that the breed was developed as the "Poor Man's Wolfhound," and was used for hunting and also as a herding and guard dog. They were commonly kept by peasants and were kept at a specific size to prevent taxing. Despite their long history, the breed did not gain popularity and it wasn't until 1946 that the breed was first imported into the United States. From there, the breed continued to remain rare and after their numbers dwindled to close to extinction in North America, another attempt at raising the popularity of the breed was done in the 1950's. In the end, the Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier has remained an uncommon breed to this day. Comments
The standards for all the breeds accepted to the AKC are used here for breed information, and those not part of the AKC are resourced from FCI standard information, where it is written and coded into the club rules for those breeds.
