Wheat Terrier: breed description and content

Many people call the Wheaten Terrier one of the Irish Terrier dogs that were mentioned 200 years ago. It was said that such animals do not bark at thieves, but, on the contrary, at the police. In addition, many believed that terriers are quite loyal to many poor owners.

Historically, the Irish Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier is descended from a terrier with long legs and a slightly reddish coat. In the 19th century, in a book about Irish dogs, this breed of terrier was called "Hayend". Many nobles at that time thought that these dogs did not deserve attention, since only very poor people were engaged in breeding such animals. At this time, terriers were distinguished by color, as well as by the type of their fur. To give birth to a brighter breed of dogs than the previous one, aboriginal terriers were crossed, as well as breeds of English dogs. Thus, three breeds of Irish Terriers were bred at once. The soft-haired terrier was in many ways inferior to its relatives, so this breed was almost on the verge of extinction.

If we talk about wheaten terriers, then these are more working dogs that have been bred through natural selection. Their appearance should not be either too coarse or too graceful. According to the standards, the Wheaten Scotch Terrier has the following description:

• their height does not exceed 46 centimeters in males and more than 44 centimeters in females;
• males weigh no more than 17 kilograms, and females - no more than 15 kilograms;
• the animal's head is rather narrow and tapers towards the eyes, there are absolutely no folds on it;
• well developed jaws, strong and white teeth, scissor bite;
• the nose is quite wide and black;
• the terrier's muzzle has a square shape, moreover, it is not narrowed anywhere;
• the eyes are oval in shape, as well as a rather deep set, their size is average; the edging of the eyes is painted black, above them the superciliary arches are pronounced; eyes are black or yellow;
• ears can be of medium or small size, with short hairs; along the very edge there is a fringe of long hair, slightly resembling a fringe in its appearance;
• the neck is sufficiently muscular, of medium length;
• the physique is quite compact and muscular; the back is straight, with a shortened lower back, and the stomach is slightly pulled in;
• the chest of the animal is well developed;
• the legs are straight and of medium length, moreover, they are quite muscular;
• the tail is thickened and of medium length; it often happens that the owners stop it by two-thirds, immediately after birth, in its natural form it is lifted up.

Their fur is silky and single-layered, besides, it curls a little. It falls a little over the eyes. In addition, such smooth-haired terriers have both a mustache and a beard, and on the neck, as well as on the chest, the hair is arranged in the form of a collar. There are small fleeces on its paws. After 3-5 months, they will need grooming, which must be done once every 3 months.

Wheat is considered the main color. It has varying degrees of saturation. At birth, puppies have a slightly different color, which completely changes only after 15 months. In addition, the change takes place in several stages.

Irish Scottish Terriers are quite capricious and brave, so they very often commit the most reckless acts. Such animals get along rather badly with other pets that live next to them. For example, they can perfectly live with a cat under one roof if they grow up together from childhood... They show strong aggression towards other dogs, they can fight even with dogs of a larger size. In addition, terriers are quite active, so very often they can be seen in sports, as well as at dog shows. These animals are excellent hunters. They will also be able to protect their master from any impending danger.

The Wheat Terrier is highly intelligent, so he easily understands any commands and does what they want from him. Both puppies and adult terriers love to play and fool around not only with children, but also with adults. They are more wary of strangers. They quickly become attached to their masters and serve them faithfully.

With proper maintenance, as well as proper care, these unusual animals will be able to delight their owners for 13-16 years.

To date, the price of an Irish Terrier puppy ranges from 20-25 thousand rubles. To prevent the scammers from slipping a non-standard puppy, it is best to buy them in specialized kennels or clubs. In them, the dog will have a passport and all the records of their pedigree. In addition, when buying, you need to pay attention to the fact that there are records of vaccinations. For those owners who want to get calmer pets for themselves, you need to take females. But males are suitable for more active people. But at the same time, you need to remember that they need not only to be educated, but also to be trained. But still, when buying, you must definitely pay attention to the puppy itself and choose the animal you like.

Following the advice of experienced professionals, you need to adhere to several principles and do everything according to the scheme.

• First of all, this is training to various procedures, walking the puppies. And you also need to vaccinate in a timely manner.
• Treatments include grooming your hair, brushing your teeth as well as your ears. The coat of terriers is very smooth and silky, moreover, it does not have an undercoat, so the animal almost never sheds. In order for the terrier to always be well-groomed, and also to have no tangles, it must be combed out daily.
• Such an animal will not need a haircut, because even at exhibitions they need a more natural look. The only thing that is required is to trim the most sloppy strands a little, which will only emphasize their peculiarity.

If the owner nevertheless decided to trim his pet, then this should be done according to the following scheme:

1. first, you need to shorten the fur on the cheekbones, as well as the neck and head; this can be done with a typewriter or with ordinary scissors; to make the dog look more focused, you can leave it with a small beard and eyebrows;
2. you need to cut so that the dog can see;
3. to make the terrier look a little neater, the coat needs to be shortened not only on the sides, but also on the back;
4. after that, it is necessary to cut off the hair on the shoulders and near the tail;
5. on the paws and on the belly, the fur seems to form a skirt; if necessary, it can be cut by a few centimeters, but such a haircut is only suitable for a pet dog, but for those dogs that are being prepared for an exhibition, a specialist should do the grooming.

• The Terrier needs to be bathed from time to time. This should be done as soon as they become dirty or before an exhibition. You can use special shampoos that are available in any veterinary pharmacy or zoological store.
• It is necessary to get used to brushing your teeth from a very young age so that older dogs do not perceive it aggressively. In addition, they can be cleaned using deontological agents or special bones.
• The ears should be examined daily for the presence of sulfur in them and cleaned with special ear sticks. And you should also look for ticks or any inflammatory diseases. If a dog lives in an urban environment, then he should definitely cut his claws, because in such conditions they do not have the opportunity to grind themselves. If they are too long, then the pads on their paws can be injured from this. And this, as you know, causes some discomfort when moving.
• Vaccination must be carried out from two months, and then follow the scheme. Be sure to inspect your pets for burrows or any weed seeds. This is to ensure that they do not get under the skin.
• It is best to keep such animals in country houses, because initially they were considered yard dogs. Therefore, they need to run a lot, as well as hunt. However, the dog must also have a lot of contact with its owners in order to be as close to them as possible. In cities, you need to walk your pets at least 2 times a day.

To feed your pet properly, you need to know everything not only about his health, but also about some of the features of his metabolism. For example, too much protein can cause dermatitis in terriers, but too fatty food can cause stomach upset or a common liver disease. You can choose for food both industrial and natural products. If you prefer the first option, you can use both dry food and soft food. Both of them contain all the vitamins necessary for the dog, as well as trace elements. However, you only need to buy the highest quality feed - premium or super premium feed.

When choosing natural feeding, the following products should be preferred:

• meat can be given both raw and boiled; the main thing is that it is not greasy, so chicken, turkey or beef are suitable for this;
• offal;
• various cereals, for example, rice, buckwheat, barley or oatmeal;
• sea ​​fish, it is better if it is boiled and boneless;
• dairy products - it can be low-fat cottage cheese, and low-fat kefir or yogurt;
• Fresh or boiled vegetables - Terriers love carrots, pumpkins, squash, or red beets.
• a complex of vitamins and minerals that dogs need on a daily basis, but it is very important to maintain an exact daily rate.

Among many dogs, the Wheaten Terrier is easy to train and therefore amenable to training. If you start education at an early age, then his aggression and all the negative traits of his character will disappear. He can master the commands in just a few days. It is enough to repeat them several times and the animal will immediately remember everything. Among other things, he will carry out the commands of not only adult family members, but also children, which will allow even an inexperienced breeder to keep a dog.

In addition to various commands, terriers can also be trained in various circus tricks. For example, during the Second World War, terriers were used for sanitary service. In addition, dogs from an early age can be taught to hunt both large and small animals. For example, it can be hares, badgers, and foxes. After training, they are able not only to drive their prey into the hole, but also to crawl after them there and pull them out either dead or alive.

In addition, during such training, a person must teach the dog to understand that it is impossible to attack pets or a person. And it is also necessary to remember that such an animal has tremendous jumping ability. If the terrier is too excited, then he can jump even to the face of an adult. To prevent this from happening, the puppy must be weaned from jumping from the very youth. If you do not wean them, then in such a rush the dog will be able to dump a small child or an elderly person on the floor.

For the dog to be obedient, you need to train the animal every day. Since the dog has a rather playful character, first of all it is necessary to teach him forbidding commands, for example, "Fu", "To me", "Place", "Lie down" or "Stand". It is very difficult to deal with terriers, because they are great actors. Therefore, if they do not want to execute any of the commands, then he can pretend that he is very offended.

Generally speaking, wheaten terriers are almost all excellent athletes. Therefore, any training activity, except for maintaining physical shape, will give them pleasure, and will also help them to be healthy and strong. In addition, it will prolong their life for several years. It is worth noting that the Wheaten Terrier is perfect for keeping both in apartments and in country houses. The main thing is to give them proper care and create the necessary conditions for their maintenance.

A story about the breed in the next video.