Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier puppies

About the Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier

The Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier is an Irish farm dog, kept by smallholders to guard the yard, move cattle and kill vermin, and only recognised as a show breed in the twentieth century. They stand 43 to 48 cm and weigh 13.6 to 18.1 kg under a single coat of soft, wavy hair in a warm wheaten colour. Wheatens are more exuberant than most terriers: friendly with strangers, playful well into adulthood, and inclined to greet people by leaping at them.

The coat is the commitment. It is silky rather than harsh and mats close to the skin, so it needs combing right through several times a week plus regular trimming. Exercise is moderate, but the dog is bouncy, so early work on lead manners and on greeting people with four feet down pays off. The AKC rates the breed five out of five with children, though play should still be supervised and socialisation started young. New owners most often let the coat go until it has to be shaved off.

What to expect at eight weeks

At eight weeks a Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier puppy is sleeping around 18 to 20 hours a day, is not house trained, and cannot hold on for more than an hour or two at a stretch. A medium breed puppy at eight weeks is a manageable armful that will not stay that way. Most of the growth happens between now and six months, so buy for the adult dog where you can. This is a high energy breed. At eight weeks that shows up as intensity rather than stamina, and they will need a job to do long before they need long walks. Grooming needs are high. Start daily brushing and short, positive handling sessions at eight weeks, well before the adult coat arrives, or the first professional groom will be traumatic. The socialisation window is open and closing: everything they meet calmly now, from vacuum cleaners to men in hats, is easier for the rest of their life.

Health worth knowing about

Conditions this breed is reported to be predisposed to. Predisposed does not mean inevitable, it means ask about it.

• Protein losing nephropathy and protein losing enteropathy, detected by blood and urine protein testing
• Renal dysplasia, detected by blood tests and abdominal ultrasound, confirmed by kidney biopsy
• Hip dysplasia, screened under the BVA/KC Hip Dysplasia Scheme
• Inherited eye disease, screened under the BVA/KC/ISDS Eye Scheme
• Addison's disease (hypoadrenocorticism), detected by blood work measuring adrenal hormone levels
• Hypothyroidism, detected by a blood test of thyroid hormone levels

Your Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier puppy's first six months

• Vaccination schedule, dated for your country.
• Worming and parasite schedule.
• Feeding calculator. Set expected adult size to Medium for a Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier.
• Adult size predictor, to check growth against the 13.6 to 18.1 kg adult range.
• Puppy names and the first week checklist.

Kit sizes: crate 30 inch (30 x 20 x 23 in, 76 x 51 x 58 cm) for an adult of up to 18.1 kg; chew toys made for medium breeds. Worked out the same way as the crate size calculator. PetMD bases a crate on the dog's own measurements, not weight or breed alone, so measure once the puppy is home.

Buying guides for this

• Best crate for a puppy: wire, plastic or soft, and how to size one with a divider

Other medium breeds

More on the Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier

Previous: Smooth Fox Terrier · Next: Spanish Mastiff

Sources

• akc.org for adult weight and height, life expectancy, energy, grooming, shedding and the temperament ratings, coat type and health notes
• fci.be for country of origin
• Health notes from Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier breed information at https://www.akc.org/dog-breeds/soft-coated-wheaten-terrier/. Discuss any of these with your own vet.

Photo: SusanSmithGSU, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons, cropped. All photographers are listed on the photo credits page.