Soft Coat Wheaten Terrier. Juliette Cunliffe

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