What Everyone (including  Judges)
Should Know About the
Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier Coat


The Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier gets its name from its profuse
wheaten coloured coat. Historically this name was used to distinguish
it from its two Irish relatives the blue-grey Kerry Blue Terrier and the
wirey, red coated Irish Terrier. It needs to be remembered however
that since the Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier was bred as a working
terrier that confirmation of the dog is of paramount importance. Any
dog should be capable of performing the function for which it was
bred. Whilst this terrier gets its name from the coat, the coat should
be regarded as the icing on the cake. A Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier
with an attractive coat should be severely penalised if it is not
physically sound.

There are however a number of features of the Soft Coated Wheaten
Terrier Coat that need to be kept in mind.

The coat of the Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier is a continuous growing
coat. Given that, it does not shed and if well kept does not smell. Due
to these factors it has been found that people who are allergic to
other breeds of dogs are not allergic to the Soft Coated Wheaten
Terrier. In the United States, the Wheaten is referred to as the
asthma sufferer’s dog.

Texture and volume of the coat varies. The coat of the traditional
Irish Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier is soft, silky and wavy with a
lustrous shine. This made it an easy coat to care for. With the
development of the breed in England, Europe and the United States
the coat has shown changes with a thicker coat being more evident.
Whilst many of the dogs in these countries might have a voluminous
flowing coat the texture is not as silky and as lustrous as the Irish
style of coat. In Australia with the blend of Irish, American and
European lines the texture of the coat can vary considerably between
Wheatens in the one litter. It is not uncommon to see Wheatens with
predominately American bloodlines with the lustrous silky Irish style
coat. The various styles of flowing coats in Wheatens are neither
good nor bad, just different. A thick woolly coat is however of concern.

Colour also varies from one Soft Coated Wheaten to another. Shades
vary from pale to rich honey, and to reddish wheaten. There may be
black tipping around the mouth and ears. A white coat is not
acceptable.

It is important to be aware that the coat of a Soft Coated Wheaten
Terrier is slow to mature in both texture and colour. Surprisingly
Wheatens are very dark, being almost black, at birth. As the hair
grows, the colour changes along the shaft of hair to the recognisable
Wheaten. It is usual to see baby Wheaten pups with black tipping. As
the coat matures the shades of wheaten can vary. It is common for a
Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier to be very pale, almost white, in colour
at about 12 months of age. As they mature the wheaten colour
develops. Texture also changes with age. Pups can be fluffy and
woolly. In some Wheatens the thick fluffy coat persists until about
three years of age by which time the coat changes to a flowing, wavy
coat. The changes in coat colour and texture in the juvenile Wheaten
can first be seen at the back of the neck and then spreads over the
rest of the body. An immature Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier, by that I
mean a Wheaten under about 3 years, should not be penalised in the
ring if the coat is not wheaten coloured and if it is not flowing.

By far the most controversial topic when it comes to the Soft Coated
Wheaten Terrier is trimming. In “The Native Dogs of Ireland”
published by the Irish Kennel club trimming is recommended as
follows:-

The ear fringes are removed and the hair is cut close to the skull and
cheeks. The fall or top-knot which is the long hair from the forehead
over the eyes, is maintained at full length, down to and in many
cases over, the nose. The whiskers, beard, and leg feathering are left
as profuse as possible. The hair is cut close at the neck and chest and
graded into the shoulders. The long body coat is neatly topped to
follow the outline of the dog. The tail should be cut close and neatly
tapered. (p.82)

With this approach to trimming the Soft Coated Wheaten looks like a
terrier. It was a style of trimming that was functional in a working
terrier. For some time a similar approach to trimming was not
followed by those showing in Great Britain where the Wheaten was
not initially shown in the terrier group. The result was that the
trimming of a Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier in Great Britain meant
that they did not look like terriers, but more like a Bearded Collie. I
was pleased to see on a recent trip to Great Britain that now the Soft
Coated Wheaten Terrier there is included in the terrier group, they
are being trimmed as terriers and more in keeping with the
guidelines recommended by the Irish Kennel Club. The approach to
trimming recommended by the Irish Kennel Cclub is also more
practical in maintaining the coat of a pet Wheaten and lends itself to
making the Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier glamorous for showing, in
what after all is a beauty contest.






                                                                                    
Dr Monica O’Kelly
Larnook Soft Coated Wheaten Terriers
The Foundation of Wheatens in Australia
Copyright 2004 - 2010
All Rights Reserved
Larnook Soft Coated Wheaten Terriers
The Foundation of Wheatens in Australia
About The
Wheaten Coat
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