Soft coated wheaten terrier puppies and dog history, training and diseases

Originally from England, the Soft-Coated Wheaten Terrier is divided into four varieties depending upon its coat.



There is the traditional Irish soft coated wheaten terrier dog, the heavy Irish one, the English, and finally the American one.

The soft coated wheaten terrier makes for an excellent pet for those who are asthmatic and those who are allergic to fur. This is because the soft coated wheaten terriers do not have fur.



Instead, they have hair which is hypoallergenic.

Though the history of the soft coated wheaten terrier is not very clear, it is estimated that the dog was primarily bred in Ireland as an all purpose dog. The dog had many different duties, including watching and guarding livestock, herding the farm animals, and hunting vermin and pests.



It can thus be concluded that it was a popular farm dog. Though there are other hunting breeds that were popular around the time, soft coated wheaten terrier were more apt for hunting vermin than their terrier counterparts which were very agile and were used to hunt fox.

However, today, these adorable dogs are recognized for their loyalty, tracking powers, and obedience. They are agile and are increasingly used in therapies that make use of animals. Training a soft coated wheaten terrier is relatively simple and they are often trained as dogs for people who have severe disabilities.

Though the soft coated wheaten terrier had been bred and used widely in Ireland, it was not recognized by the Irish kennel club till the early twentieth century. The British and the American Kennel Clubs took even longer to notice this breed.

Soft coated wheaten terrier puppies have a thick coat, usually white, red or brown. The muzzle and ears are always dark in color even if the puppy is otherwise white. However, as the puppies grow older, the coat begins to lighten until it assumes a wheaten color. Though some soft coated wheaten terrier dogs may be whiter than wheaten, it is considered a serious flaw for the dog to have a white coat.

Soft coated wheaten terriers have long lives. However, they are genetically susceptible to two diseases known as protein losing nephropathy, in which the dog begins to lose protein from its kidneys, and protein losing enteropathy, in which the dog loses protein from its intestines. Both these conditions can prove to be fatal and therefore should be avoided through regular check ups.