FCI‑Standard N° 40 / 25.
04. 2001 / GB
IRISH SOFT COATED WHEATEN
TERRIER
ORIGIN : Ireland.
DATE OF PUBLICATION OF
THE ORIGINAL VALID STANDARD : 27.01.2001.
UTILIZATION : Wheaten
Terriers were always used by small farmers to kill vermin or help with
the work about the farm.
They were used for a long time in the difficult job of hunting badgers
and otters.
CLASSIFICATION FCI :
Group 3 Terriers.
Section 1 Large and medium sized Terriers.
Without working trial.
BRIEF HISTORICAL SUMMARY
: The history of the Irish Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier has been somewhat
obscured by its closeness to the other Irish Terrier breeds.
The Wheaten is probably the oldest of the four breeds.
Its existence for at least 200 years can be inferred from textual
references to "soft‑coated" dogs.
The relation of the modern Irish Terrier to the Wheaten, though
less well documented, appears to have been the result of deliberate
breeding experiments. So the
humble Wheaten probably has a fairly mixed ancestry.
Despite the long history of the Wheaten, it wasn't until 1937,
that the Soft Coated Wheaten was officially recognised by the Irish
Kennel Club. The breed has
grown steadily in popularity since and is now well known world-wide.
GENERAL APPEARANCE : A
hardy, active, short coupled dog, well built, giving the idea of
strength. Not too leggy nor
too low to the ground.
BEHAVIOUR / TEMPERAMENT :
Spirited and game. Good
tempered. Most affectionate
and loyal to his owners.
Most intelligent. A trusty,
faithful friend, defensive without aggression.
HEAD : In general
powerful without being coarse.
Long, in good proportion to the body.
Hair same colour as on body.
CRANIAL REGION :
Skull : Flat and clean
between ears, not too wide.
Stop : Defined.
FACIAL REGION :
Nose : Black and well
developed.
Muzzle : Foreface not
longer than skull.
Jaws :
Jaws strong and punishing
Teeth : Teeth large,
regular; scissor or level bite (i.e.edge to edge) neither undershot nor
overshot.
Cheeks : Bones not
prominent.
Eyes : Dark, dark hazel,
not too large, not prominent, well placed.
Ears : Small to medium,
carried in front, level with skull.
Dark shading on base of ear allowed and not uncommon, accompanied
by a light wheaten coloured overlay.
This is the only area of the dog where under-coat is allowed.
"Rose" or "flying" ears are objectionable.
NECK : Moderately long
and strong but not throaty.
BODY : Not too long.
Length from withers to base of tail approximately the same as from
ground to withers.
Back : Strong and level
with even top line.
Loins : Short, powerful.
Chest : Deep, ribs well
sprung.
TAIL : Well set, not too
thick. Carried gaily but
never over the back. The
tail is docked so that two thirds of its original length remains
assuming it is in proportion to the dog.
An undocked tail is permitted.
LIMBS
FOREQUARTERS :
Shoulders : Fine, well
laid back, muscular.
Forelegs : Perfectly
straight viewed from any angle. Good bone and muscle.
HINDQUARTERS : Well
developed with powerful muscle.
Thighs : Strong and
muscular.
Stifles : Bent.
Hocks : Well let down,
turned neither in nor out.
Hind dewclaws should be removed.
FEET : Small, not
spreading. Toenails
preferably black but varying dark colours allowed.
GAIT / MOVEMENT :
Straight action fore and aft, going and coming. Elbows tucked in.
Side view : free, light co‑ordinated movement.
COAT
HAIR : A single coated
dog. Texture soft and silky
to feel and not harsh. Young
dogs excluded from this.
Trimming permitted.
Trimmed dogs : Coat cut
close at neck, chest and skull, and left especially long over eyes and
under jaw. Whiskers encouraged. Profuse feathering on legs.
Body coat trimmed to follow the outline of the dog but not
sculpted. Tail trimmed close
and neatly tapered.
Untrimmed dogs : The coat
at its longest not to exceed five inches (12,7 cm).
Soft, wavy or loosely curled with the sheen of silk.
Under no circumstances should the coat be "fluffed out" like a
Poodle or an Old English Sheepdog.
Dogs shown in this condition should be heavily penalised as they
give a wrong impression of type and breed.
Special attention is drawn to puppy coat development.
Pups are seldom born with the correct coat of maturity, care must
be taken when assessing this point.
They go through several changes of colour and texture before
developing the mature adult coat.
This usually occurs between 18 months and 2½ years.
Pups : Are seldom born
with the correct colour or texture coat.
They come reddish,
greyish and sometimes clear wheaten.
The masks are generally black.
Sometimes there is a black streak down the centre back or black
tips to the body coat. These
dark markings clear away with growth.
COLOUR : A good clear
wheaten of shades from light wheaten to a golden reddish hue.
SIZE AND WEIGHT :
Height at the withers :
Dogs 18‑19 inches (46‑48 cm).
Bitches somewhat less.
Weight :
Dogs 40‑45 lbs (18‑ 20,
5 kg).
Bitches somewhat less.
FAULTS : Any departure
from the foregoing points should be considered a fault and the
seriousness with which the fault should be regarded should be in exact
proportion to its degree.
Nervousness.
Viciousness.
Nose any colour other
than black.
Undershot mouth.
Overshot mouth.
Overall mature coat not
clear wheaten colour.
ELIMINATING FAULTS :
Aggresive or overly shy.
Yellow eyes.
Dull, thick, woolly or
cottony textured hair.
White coat.
Brown coat.
Dogs carrying any of the
above eliminating faults should never be bred from.
Any dog clearly showing
physical or behavioural abnormalities shall be disqualified.
NOTE : Male animals
should have two apparently normal testicles fully descended into the
scrotum.
