Soft Coat Wheaten Terrier E-Book

Juliette Cunliffe

• Herausgeber: CompanionHouse Books
• Kategorie: Lebensstil
• Serie: Comprehensive Owner's Guide
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 230

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2012

Beschreibung

The experts at Kennel Club Books present the world's largest series of breed-specific canine care books. Each critically acclaimed Comprehensive Owner's Guide covers everything from breed standards to behavior, from training to health and nutrition. With nearly 200 titles in print, this series is sure to please the fancier of even the rarest breed.

Leseprobe

Physical Characteristics of theSoft Coated Wheaten Terrier

(from the American Kennel Clubbreed standard)

Head: Well balanced and in proportion to the body. Rectangular in appearance; moderately long. Powerful with no suggestion of coarseness. Skull flat and clean between ears. Cheekbones not prominent. Defined stop.

Eyes: Dark reddish brown or brown, medium in size, slightly almond shaped and set fairly wide apart. Eye rims black.

Nose: Black and large for size of dog.

Muzzle: Powerful and strong, well filled below the eyes. Skull and foreface of equal length.

Chest: Deep. Ribs are well sprung but without roundness.

Forequarters: Shoulders well laid back, clean and smooth; well knit. Forelegs straight and well boned. Feet are round and compact with good depth of pad.

Color: Any shade of wheaten. Upon close examination, occasional red, white or black guard hairs may be found. However, the overall coloring must be clearly wheaten with no evidence of any other color except on ears and muzzle where blue-gray shading is sometimes present.

Ears: Small to medium in size, breaking level with the skull and dropping slightly forward, the inside edge of the ear lying next to the cheek and pointing to the ground rather than to the eye.

Neck: Medium in length, clean and strong, not throaty. Carried proudly, it gradually widens, blending smoothly into the body.

Back: Strong and level.

Body: Compact; relatively short coupled.

Tail: Docked and well set on, carried gaily but never over the back.

Hindquarters: Hind legs well developed with well bent stifles turning neither in nor out; hocks well let down and parallel to each other. Feet are round and compact with good depth of pad.

Coat: An abundant single coat covering the entire body, legs and head; coat on the latter falls forward to shade the eyes. Texture soft and silky with a gentle wave. For show purposes, the Wheaten is presented to show a terrier outline, but coat must be of sufficient length to flow when the dog is in motion.

Size: A dog shall be 18 to 19 inches at the withers, the ideal being 18.5. A bitch shall be 17 to 18 inches at the withers, the ideal being 17.5. Dogs should weigh 35-40 pounds; bitches 30-35 pounds.

Contents

History of the Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier

Trace this unique long-legged terrier of Ireland, one of the “poor man’s terriers,” from the 17th century to modern times, where the breed enjoys popularity and favor around the world. Learn how the Irish terrier breeds developed into individual entities and meet some of the important names that established the breed in the US and beyond.

Characteristics of the SCWT

Make the acquaintance of this most affable terrier, whose personality makes him a terrific companion and whose steadfast working abilities make him a viable choice for the farmer. Find out about the SCWT’s rapport with children and other pets and the breed’s physical characteristics, as well as the inherited health concerns of which every new owner must be aware.

Breed Standard for the SCWT

Learn the requirements of a well-bred Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier by studying the description of the breed as set forth in the American Kennel Club’s breed standard. Both show dogs and pets must possess key characteristics as outlined in the breed standard.

Your Puppy Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier

Find out about how to locate a well-bred Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier puppy. Discover which questions to ask the breeder and what to expect when visiting the litter. Prepare for your puppy-accessory shopping spree. Also discussed are home safety, the first trip to the vet, socialization and solving basic puppy problems.

Everyday Care of Your SCWT

Cover the specifics of taking care of your Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier every day: feeding for the puppy, adult and senior dog; grooming, including coat care, ears, nails and bathing; and exercise needs for your dog. Also discussed are the essentials of dog identification and traveling safely.

Training Your Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier

Begin with the basics of training the puppy and adult dog. Learn the principles of house-training the Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier, including the use of crates and basic scent instincts. Enter Puppy Kindergarten and introduce the pup to his collar and leash, and progress to the basic commands. Find out about obedience classes and other activities.

Healthcare of Your SCWT

By Lowell Ackerman DVM, DACVD

Become your dog’s healthcare advocate and a well-educated canine keeper. Select a skilled and able veterinarian. Discuss pet insurance, vaccinations and infectious diseases, the neuter/spay decision and a sensible, effective plan for parasite control, including fleas, ticks and worms.

Showing Your Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier

Step into the center ring and find out about the world of showing pure-bred dogs. Here’s how to get started in AKC shows, how they are organized and what’s required for your dog to become a champion. Take a leap into the realms of obedience trials, agility trials and more.

KENNEL CLUB BOOKS®

SOFT COATED WHEATEN TERRIER

ISBN 13: 978-1-59378-303-7

eISBN 13: 978-1-59378-975-6

Copyright ©2004 • Kennel Club Books® A Division of BowTie, Inc.

40 Broad Street, Freehold, New Jersey 07728 USACover Design Patented: US 6,435,559 B2 • Printed in South Korea

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form, by photostat, scanner, microfilm, xerography or any other means, or incorporated into any information retrieval system, electronic or mechanical, without the written permission of the copyright owner.

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Photography by Carol Ann Johnson

with additional photographs by

Ashbey Photography, Mary Bloom, Paulette Braun, T.J. Calhoun, David Dalton, Fleabusters Rx for Fleas, Isabelle Français, Bill Jonas and Karen Taylor.

Illustrations by Patricia Peters.

The publisher wishes to thank all of the owners whose dogs are illustrated in this book, including Zara Petit, Marjorie and Dan Shoemaker and Lisa Thompson.

Once the dog of Ireland’s poor, the SCWT is now a popular pet and show dog around the world.

The Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier is an Irish breed, and Ireland is a country that abounds in folklore and legend. Unfortunately for us, the history of dogs in Ireland tends to be passed down by word of mouth rather than in writing, making it difficult to be entirely clear as to what happened in the breed’s dim and distant past.

Let us begin by taking ourselves back to ancient times, when there were already references to dogs native to Ireland. The Romans are said to have held Irish dogs in high regard, so much so that such dogs were reproduced on coins, on tapestries and on musical instruments. These were, of course, the dogs that hunted with the nobility, but there were other smaller dogs in Ireland too. These were called “cotters” dogs, and included Ireland’s early terriers. It is worth noting that Ireland’s earliest canine archeological evidence is the bone of a dog believed to be of terrier type.

In 17th-century Ireland, only the gentry were allowed to keep hounds, greyhounds and land spaniels. The terrier was the “poor man’s dog” and was used by farmers as a general-purpose dog, protecting both people and property. Such dogs could herd sheep and work cattle, and were of great use in keeping down vermin. They hunted foxes as well as badgers and otters, both on land and in water, and there are reports of some even having been used with the gun. These were intelligent dogs, big enough to show their authority, yet not so big that they were excessively expensive to keep. At one time it was said that this was “the best dog ever for poaching.”

An irresistible Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier puppy, showing great promise as a winner of ribbons and hearts!

THEORY OF ORIGIN

Although it is impossible to know exactly how the Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier came about, there is a theory that the breed evolved from Portuguese Water Dogs that were used as couriers between ships during the time of the Spanish Armada. It is suggested that some of these dogs swam to Ireland after their ships sank, and that survivors bred with the local terriers.

It is difficult to say when the Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier emerged as a specific breed, but it is thought to be over 200 years old. In the areas around Cork and Wicklow in southern Ireland, and Ballymena in what is now Northern Ireland, there were references to long-legged terriers, wheaten in color and with open coats.

TERRIERS OF IRELAND

It is likely that the three long-legged terriers of Ireland—the Irish, Kerry Blue and Soft Coated Wheaten—are closely related, as indeed is the Glen of Imaal Terrier, which is much lower to the ground. It is likely that the Soft Coated Wheaten is the oldest of these four breeds, and this is certainly borne out by the fact that the wheaten color crops up from time to time in the Kerry Blue Terrier. This is a recessive trait and can hence lie dormant for generations, thus bearing no reflection on the recent pureness of pedigree of sire and dam. In years gone by, terriers in Ireland were undoubtedly interbred.

An often-told story of the origin of the Kerry Blue is that following a shipwreck in 1775, a large blue dog swam ashore to Ireland, where it mated with a wheaten-colored terrier, bringing about the Kerry Blue Terrier breed known so well today. Indeed, in the 18th century, the Wheaten is said to have been numerous.

The Kerry Blue Terrier may have derived from Wheatens breeding with large blue shipwrecked dogs that swam to the shores of Ireland.

The Irish Terrier, as a distinct breed, is represented by this modern show dog, which captures the breed’s graceful racy appearance.

It is generally agreed that the Wheaten is of somewhat mixed ancestry, and it would appear that they were allowed to mate freely with other breeds, although clearly the breed’s many qualities gave good reason for enthusiasts to want to maintain its type. Having said that, for a good while there was some confusion with the breed described as the Irish Terrier, as can be seen from show reports from the latter part of the 19th century. Undoubtedly, deliberate breeding experiments took place, and Irish Terrier enthusiasts made every effort to breed dogs that adhered in type to the standard set down by their own breed club.

WORK OF ART

An engraving by F. Bacon, dated 1843, is titled The Aran Fisherman’s Drowned Child. This clearly shows a Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier in the foreground, mourning the dead child as if the dog were a family member.

Because of the lack of written documentation, it is difficult to know where divisions between the various breeds actually lay. However, in the second half of the 19th century, there were some thoroughly absorbing reports from shows in Ireland. In 1873, the Live Stock Journal said of the class of Irish Terriers at the Dublin show that the dogs were all of different types and had “no reason to be called Irish, except that they had Ireland as a birthplace!”

The least known of the Irish terriers, the Glen of Imaal Terrier from County Wicklow, a game and spirited long-bodied terrier, colored in blue, wheaten or brindle.

By 1874, the Dublin show offered prizes for Irish Terriers under 9 pounds in weight, while in 1876 there were 34 entries for Irish Terriers above 16 pounds and below 16 pounds. Of particular interest is that, at this show, the judge had been selected because he had been a breeder of “wild Irishmen” for 20 or 30 years, and so had special knowledge. It was believed that his findings would meet with general approval and would settle, once and for all, the question of type. However, contrary to expectations, the results gave rise to “a wailing and gnashing of teeth.” Prizes went to long legs, short legs, hard coats, soft coats, thick skulls and long thin skulls, and some prizewinners were mongrels.

The following is part of an amusing poem, published after this particular show and called“The Wail of the Irish Terrier”:“My father came from Limerick,My mother came from York;A half-bred Yorkshire blue-and-tan,They hailed me from Cork;An Irish terrier I was called,And sent on bench to show,But oh! How little they believed I should cause such a row!”

The above is intended just to give the reader a small taste of the confusion that reigned in Ireland prior to the turn of the 20th century. It is prudent to add that at that time the Irish Terrier was required to have a coat that “Must be hard, rough and wiry, in decided contradistinction to softness, shagginess and silkiness, and all parts perfectly free from lock or curl.” Clearly it was the Irish Terrier that we know today to which this description was aimed, but it is also clear that today’s Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier was at that time among their ranks.

BREED NAME CONTROVERSY

There was certain controversy surrounding the name of the breed in the early days. “Irish Wheaten Terrier” was at first suggested, but breeders of the Irish and Glen of Imaal Terriers were very much opposed to this, as the color “wheaten” was an accepted color for each of these breeds. Indeed, wheaten was then the preferred color for Irish Terriers.

THE TERRIER BREEDS DIVIDE

The first breed standard for the Irish Terrier was drawn up in 1880 but, as we have already seen, dogs with open or soft coats were often benched with them. The colors of these soft-coated dogs could include blue, gray, silver and wheaten. Only from 1914 onward was the Kerry Blue separated as a distinct breed.

The Soft Coated Wheaten was the last of Ireland’s terriers to be recognized as a distinct breed, apparently because some influential people had a vested interest in other of the terrier breeds, thereby preventing the Soft Coated Wheaten from making the necessary progress. Mr. Patrick Blake, who was a Kerry Blue fancier, had been highly impressed by a Wheaten Terrier that performed especially well at a field trial in 1932, and he was determined to guide the breed away from obscurity and possible extinction. With his friend Dr. G. J. Pierse, in 1934 Blake founded the Softcoated Wheaten Terrier Club, and several applications for recognition were made to the Irish Kennel Club. Recognition was finally granted in 1937, when the official name “Softcoated Wheaten Terrier” was adopted and the breed was presented at the Irish Kennel Club Show in Dublin, held on St. Patrick’s Day. In 1939, the breed was recognized as a National Breed.

A WORKING TERRIER

For many years, the Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier was employed for the work of hunting both otters and badgers. This was a difficult job and, when the breed was entered in field trials, it often took prizes more consistently than did other breeds, thereby establishing itself as one of Ireland’s top working terriers.

The breed is highly trainable and excels in agility trials. This Wheaten is clearing the bar jump at an agility trial.

In the breed’s early days at Irish shows, to become a full Irish champion, a certificate of gameness was also required. There were two necessary trials, minor and major. In the minor trial, the dog had to go after rabbits, showing an interest in them by following the scent persistently and, if possible, catching one. This test also involved releasing rats into a canal, and the dog was expected to go in after the rats without hesitating. For the second test, the major, a badger was sent into a winding tunnel and the terrier was then released into the tunnel. The dog had to find the badger within one minute and then had six minutes to make contact, but without making a noise. It was better still if the dog pulled the badger out! These trials were mercifully outlawed in the mid-1960s, so that from then on Soft Coated Wheatens could become champions in the show ring without proving their prowess with game.

There were two main reasons for outlawing these trials. In the first instance, they were considered cruel and, as a result, were giving the breeds involved with them a bad name. Secondly, it was rumored that other breeds were being introduced into breeding programs in an endeavor to make the dogs more game, which was damaging breed type. Nonetheless, it is known that secret badger trials took place for many years after they had been officially banned.

The Soft Coated Wheaten was recognized in Britain in 1943, but by 1950 it had still not yet gathered many supporters on the other side of the Irish Sea. However, the breed was doing fairly well in Ireland, with 18 dogs entered at the Irish Terrier Club’s show that year.

BATTLE OF THE SCISSORS

Mrs. Maureen Holmes had her first Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier in 1932 and later had a dog called Silver Wheat, from Dr. Pierse. Although Dr. Pierse did not encourage trimming, Mrs. Holmes began trimming hers, and what she described as “the battle of the scissors” began. This trimming, though, was done only in a very moderate way, merely to enhance the outline of the dog.

IRISH LAW

It is interesting sometimes to research early laws, for often they have references to our canine friends. In Ireland, during the 18th century, tenant farmers were actually prohibited from owning any dog with a value greater than £5.

In 1950, Soft Coated Wheatens were entered at Crufts, but after a few years of success it is said that in England their appearance changed dramatically, almost overnight. The Irish dogs that appeared at Crufts soon looked out of place and were disregarded by judges.

Although in Ireland every endeavor has been made to keep to breed type, this seems not to have been so in all countries. The Irish breed club has tried to educate newcomers to the breed, warning them when the club felt that the breeders were straying from typicality. Over the years, there has been some concern about the fact that Irish breeders sent abroad too many of their own Soft Coated Wheaten Terriers, this at the risk of not retaining sufficient numbers of high-quality stock in the breed’s homeland.

THE WORLD CONGRESS OF KENNEL CLUBS IN DUBLIN

An especially important year for the Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier was 1995, for the World Congress of Kennel Clubs was held in Dublin, and the Irish breeds were the main topics for the seminars. By then, the Soft Coated Wheaten had spread to 22 countries throughout the world, but concern was expressed that some of the dogs entered at FCI (Fédération Cynologique Internationale) shows no longer fitted the Irish (FCI) standard and, in consequence, there was a risk of losing true breed type.

TERRA

The word “terrier” actually comes from the Latin word terra, which means earth. All such dogs carrying this name were selectively bred to be not only very brave but also tough. It is generally accepted that most terriers originated in the British Isles, where they have been known since the Middle Ages.

It was most unfortunate that Mrs. Maureen Holmes, the longest established breeder of Soft Coated Wheatens, was unable to be present at the Congress because she was hospitalized. However, her own strong views were conveyed by Mr. Tony Killykeen Doyle, Chairman of Ireland’s specialist breed club. Before passing on some of Mrs. Holmes’s comments, it is important to mention that for over 40 years she was the breed representative to the Irish Kennel Club and also had carried out several offices within the breed club, including that of President. Through her Holmenocks Kennel, Mrs. Holmes worked hard for the promotion and recognition of the Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier, both in Ireland and abroad, and was author of two books about the breed. Sadly, she passed away in 1996.

Mrs. Holmes wished to bring attention to the fact that “some retired American champions of a different type, style and build” had been used extensively at stud. She considered that because of the American dogs’ smart, flashy appearance, they had almost decimated the sturdy Irish type.

Most breed enthusiasts, whether or not they are owners of Soft Coated Wheatens, would surely agree that there are very evident differences in the appearance of the breed from country to country; how they view these differences is for each to decide for himself. However, as conveyed at the Congress, Mrs. Holmes was very open in her personal view that the breed had been brought to what she called “the brink of disaster” by indiscriminate breeding. She believed that dogs were part of a country’s heritage and, like other valuable things, should be preserved.

The Wheaten was recognized in Britain in 1943 and is frequently seen taking home ribbons at the shows. This modern dog is winning at Crufts, Britain’s premier competition.

SOFT COATED WHEATEN TERRIERS IN AMERICA

The first SCWTs to arrive in the US were a breeding pair imported by Lydia Vogels of Springfield, Massachusetts in November 1946. Some 17 puppies were produced from this pair. Although Vogels’s dogs were shown with some success in the AKC Miscellaneous Classes, there was insufficient interest in the breed for it to receive full championship status by the AKC. The breed was exhibited at the famous Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show in 1947, but it did not take hold until the O’Connors (of Brooklyn, New York) and the Arnolds (of Connecticut) imported some dogs in the 1950s.

It was about ten years after Lydia Vogels’s initial import that the O’Connor family brought in a bitch named Holmenocks Gramachree from Maureen Holmes, the most influential breeder in Ireland. It was through seeing picture of Lydia Vogels’s Soft Coats that the O’Connors had fallen in love with the breed. The “shaggy dog” look attracted them.

The O’Connors decided they would like the breed to be granted AKC recognition and so, with the help of Maureen Holmes, they tracked down descendents of the Vogels’s dogs and other Irish imports. This led to the formation of the Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier Club of America (SCWTCA), on March 17, 1962, St. Patty’s Day! However it was believed that there were fewer than 30 representatives of the breed in the country. Influential dogs from these early days, owned by the O’Connors and Arnolds, include Holmenocks Hallmark, Gads Hill, Liam and Maud.

But things moved ahead steadily and a stud book was commenced in 1965. By 1968 there were 280 Soft Coated Wheatens registered. The club held its first matches in 1970 and 1971, but the breed remained in the Miscellaneous Class, where large numbers of Wheatens flooded the ring in an effort to show the AKC that the breed was ready for the big time! In October 1973 the Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier was allowed to compete in the Terrier Group, thanks to the clever guidance of Dan and Marjorie Shoemaker. In addition to the O’Connors, Arnolds and Shoemakers, Jacqueline Gottlieb, her daughter Cindy Gottlieb Vogels, Emily Holden, Carol Carlson, Eileen Jackson, Ida Mallory and Gay Sherman Dunlap are among the other breeders whose dedication and hard work led to the SCWT’s success in the US during the first ten years of AKC recognition.

Ch. Abbey’s Postage Dhu O’Waterford, the first AKC champion Wheaten. Owners, Dan and Marjorie Shoemaker.

Dan Shoemaker served as the Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier Club of America’s first president for the first five years. The club drew up its own standard of points, which was adopted by the American Kennel Club. Champion Abby’s Postage Dhu O’Waterford, owned by Dan and Marjorie Shoemaker, became the breed’s first AKC champion.

From the late 1960s onward, the breed has continued to increase in popularity in the US, so that by the early 1990s it had become the seventh most popular terrier breed in the country. Annual registrations with the AKC had risen to over 2,000 per year; a great leap forward from the numbers of the 1960s. There are local SCWT breed clubs in ten states plus the District of Columbia.

Canada also has a “soft” spot for the Wheaten. Ruth Cronk of British Columbia imported the first SCWT to Canada in 1969. The first Canadian-born litter was whelped by Appl and Ruth Gunther of Saskatchewan in 1977. The parents were American imports. Full recognition of the SCWT by the Canadian Kennel Club was attained in 1978 thanks to the determination of British Columbia residents Alan Fox and Anne Goodsell. Today the Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier Association of Canada continues to promote and protect the breed and publishes a quarterly newsletter called the Wheaten Wags.

A handsome lineup of American-bred SCWTs showing off their well-groomed “terrier outlines.”

With a joy for living and steadfast loyalty to his family, the Wheaten is an excellent choice for an active, interactive household.

WHY THE SOFT COATED WHEATEN TERRIER?

Although its name might be appealing, whether or not any owners have been drawn to the Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier by its name is perhaps debatable, for it has to be admitted that it is rather a mouthful! When writing about the breed, the initials SCWT are frequently used, so I hope readers will not mind my using them here.

This is a breed about which there is a lot to like. The SCWT has stamina, gameness, strength, intelligence and a joy for living, as indeed have other of the terrier breeds. However, the SCWT is somewhat steadier than many other terriers, and is incredibly loyal to its family. Having said that, to be fair, SCWTs are not perfect pets for everyone, as they can be somewhat stubborn and rather headstrong.

PERSONALITY

The SCWT is a natural terrier, and one that has strong sporting instincts. The breed should be spirited and game, but good tempered with plenty of confidence. This is a delightful companion, affectionate and intelligent, and the breed seems to have a marvelous sense of humor.

The SCWT pup should possess the affection and humor with which the breed has come to be associated.

This breed manages to combine the alert intelligence of the terrier with the steadiness of a working dog, which is an admirable combination. As puppies, SCWTs are exuberant, and somehow they still have that joy for living in adulthood and retain a medium to high energy level throughout their lives.

SCWTs do like to be close to the people of whom they are most fond, and seem happy to adapt to life in either the country or the city. Wherever they live, it is important that they be given plenty of time and attention. The SCWT must be taught to accept its standing in the family’s pecking order, for the dog often wants to be the leader and can be a little headstrong.

The Wheaten is a fine choice for a home with children, provided that the children take an active part in the SCWT’s education and rearing.