Description: The Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier is a compact dog that is square in shape. It has a moderately long head that when viewed appears to be rectangular, but in proportion with the body. The muzzle is short and has a large black nose. The lips are black and the teeth meet in a scissor bite. With almond shaped eyes that are large and these are reddish brown in colour to a lighter brown colour. The ears are V shaped and fold forward ending at the eye height level of the skull. The neck is medium in length, and thickens towards the body. Front legs are straight with compact feet that are round in shape. The tail is high set and is docked, in countries that permit docking, but it can be left natural. The coat is single thickness, and is shades of wheaten, this is wavy. A note here is that puppies are born black and the final colour will be set by the age of two. The height of the dog is 18-20 inches with the bitch being 17-19 inches. The weight of the dog is 35-45 pounds and the bitches at 30-40 pounds. The life expectancy is 12-15 years.

History: The Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier came from Ireland and is thought to be among the oldest of the Irish dogs. This dog was bred to be an all purpose farm dog being able to herd, being a ratter, watchdog and guard dog for stock. This has meant they are not so aggressive as a lot of the Terrier family who were bred for just the ratting. Despite the fact, this dog has been around for such a long time, and probably due to its working roots, it was only recognised in 1937 by the Irish Kennel Club. In 1973 the AKC recognized the breed. This breed is related to the Kerry Blue and the Irish Terrier. They have had a history of being the poor mans working dog and so have missed early fame.