The Soft-Coated Wheaten Terrier (or just plain Wheaten Terrier for short) Is a terrier from Northern Ireland with a considerable amount of sheep dog bred into it.
Coat
The Wheaten coat should be light biege to shimmering gold in color. The dog is named for it's
coat, after all. During
puppyhood, the coat is a dark muddy brown, which lightens usually within 6 months.
Be warned, the Wheaten's coat is very beautiful, but once you give yours a
bath, it will look like a
large rat when soaking wet.
Disposition
Wheatens are
playful; in fact very much so. While this breed is a
sheep dog in part, many
terrier characteristics still remain.
Biting and
aggressiveness are much less of an issue with the Wheaten, although they are still
very stubborn. Have
patience when training them.
The wheaten is a very
friendly dog; certainly more than your average
terrier. They
love social contact with almost any
dog or
human, although they can act a little too
playful around
timid dogs, and the
aggressive barker in your neighborhood will set the Wheaten off like any other
Canine.
I have noticed that
wheatens like to be
lapdogs, and unfortunately they can easily grow to weigh over 30 pounds. Be sure to
discourage this behaviour during puppyhood if you don't want it in later life.
History
The wheaten was originally used on
Irish farms to
herd cattle, defend property and hunt small mammals that were causing problems (
mice,
rats and even
foxes) They have existed since the 1800s, but since they were only recognised by the
AKC in 1950, their status as dogs is a little
fuzzy in the consciousness of many dog enthusiasts.