The origin of the Irish Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier goes back some hundreds of years but is unclear due to the lack of written records. It is believed to be the dog from which both the Irish Terrier and the Kerry Blue Terrier were bred off for certain characteristics. The Wheaten is a medium-sized, well-built terrier with a flowing, wavy coat of a pale to dark Wheaten colour. Wheatens do not shed their coat, but if allowed to grow to the natural wavy length, they do shake out quite an amount of hair, shaking is a natural characteristic of the breed. A puppy requires gentle daily grooming for a few minutes and then longer while young, as the coat grows and changes in character and colour over anything up to 3 years. An adult if kept dry will need a good hour's grooming per week. Wheatens are very strong for their size, they were badger and otter hunters, bitches weigh 16 kg and dogs 20-22kg, of pure bone and muscle. It is cruel to overfeed them, they should carry no excess fat. Wheatens are intelligent, inquisitive companion dogs, also great guard dogs to let you know somebody is around. They have a terrier nature, some dig holes occasionally and will kill mice, rats and chickens. They need stimulation and to have company, to be taught new words and things to do regularly. Some can be a bit dominant, so they have to know from day 1 that you are the pack leader. However, they like to please, so continuous praise when they are being trained and diversion from unwanted actions is the key to training them and you can do this at any age. Our dogs are all 100% pure Irish lines, are registered with the IKC and come with a 5 generation pedigree at least. In fact all the Irish dogs go back to a small gene pool about 27 generations back. Pedigree programmes enable breeders to check how closely dogs are related.

So-called line breeding is permitted, keeping to dogs which are fairly closely related of the same breeding line to retain the same characteristics.
Most of the dogs contain a lot of the Holmenocks line, the best one in Ireland carefully bred for many years by the late Maureen Holmes. Hence the dogs are small and tidy.
A reputable breeder likes to keep in touch with new owners and to do so for the foreseeable future if the owner is interested. He/she is always there for the owner to contact and to discuss any problems, to take the dog back if it turns out to have a hereditary illness, despite being carefully bred, if the owner finds that even after discussion and research the breed does not suit and to sell it for them to a new owner, excluding kennel costs, or to re-home it if there is an illness, family break-down etc. Normally a puppy has to be a bit older to make the journey if it is being exported and is transported in a special travel crate with access to water. Pet passports, special vaccinations etc. may be required, depending on the destination. A special IKC export form has to be completed and sent with the dog. It is very important when selecting a breed to make sure in advance that it is the right one for you, meets your expectations of a dog and fits in with your situation and lifestyle. So its size, liveliness, need for exercise, appetite, nature etc. have all to be considered before you decide which breed to buy. Here are some few useful websites which provide breed information, especially about the Wheaten's requirements and character.

Photos - Logo : Saidhbh (Helene D’Or) Upper right: Parkalissene Bebhinn Lower right: Parkalissene Fechín with Holmenocks Trophy. - www.iscwterrierclubofireland.com, Irish Kennel Club, look up ISCWT under Irish breeds www.ikc.ie - SCWTC of GB website www.wheaten.org.uk - SCWTC of America www.scwtca.org - SCWTC of Canada www.jb-ccs.com/scwtac