possible to the recognized standard, and helps judges to know exactly what they are looking for. This enables a judge to make a carefully considered decision when selecting the most typical Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier present to head his line of winners.
However familiar one is with the Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier, it is always worth refreshing one’s memory by re-reading the standard, for it is sometimes all too easy to overlook, or perhaps conveniently forget, certain features.
The breed standard for the Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier was written by the breed’s parent club, the Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier Club of America, Inc. (SCWTCA), and was submitted and approved the American Kennel Club (AKC) in 1973. Since that time, the standard has been updated and reformatted, though its basic content remains essentially the same. The section on “General Appearance” does a fine job of summing up this handsome terrier breed, as does the section of “Temperament” give the reader an excellent overview of the breed’s character.
AKC STANDARD FOR THE SOFT COATED WHEATEN TERRIER
General Appearance: The Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier is a medium-sized, hardy, well balanced sporting terrier, square in outline. He is distinguished by his soft, silky, gently waving coat of warm wheaten color and his particularly steady disposition. The breed requires moderation both in structure and presentation, and any exaggerations are to be shunned. He should present the overall appearance of an alert and happy animal, graceful, strong and well coordinated.
LIST OF FAULTS
Although the English Kennel Club breed standards no longer list faults for any breed of dog, the Irish (FCI) standard still gives a list of faults for the SCWT. These faults are: undershot or overshot mouths; nose any color other than black; overall mature coat not clear wheaten color; nervousness and viciousness. Disqualifying faults are: yellow eyes; white coats; brown coats; dull, thick, woolly or cottony textured hair.
Size, Proportion, Substance: 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. Major Faults—Dogs under 18 inches or over 19 inches; bitches under 17 inches or over 18 inches. Any deviation must be penalized according to the degree of its severity. Square in outline. Hardy, well balanced. Dogs should weigh 35–40 pounds; bitches 30–35 pounds.
Head: Well balanced and in proportion to the body. Rectangular in appearance; moderately long. Powerful with no suggestion of coarseness. Eyes dark reddish brown or brown, medium in size, slightly almond shaped and set fairly wide apart. Eye rims black. Major Fault— Anything approaching a yellow eye. 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. A hound ear or a high-breaking ear is not typical and should be severely penalized. Skull flat and clean between ears. Cheekbones not prominent. Defined stop. Muzzle powerful and strong, well filled below the eyes. No suggestion of snipiness. Skull and foreface of equal length. Nose black and large for size of dog. Major Fault—Any nose color other than solid black. Lips tight and black. Teeth large, clean and white; scissors or level bite. Major Fault—Undershot or overshot.
The gait or movement of the SCWT should be free, graceful and lively, accomplished by long, low strides.
LEFT: The old-fashioned, untrimmed working farm-dog type of SCWT with wavy, silky coat. RIGHT: The modern SCWT type with moderate grooming style and heavier coat.
Neck, Topline, Body: 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. Chest is deep. Ribs are well sprung but without roundness. Tail is docked and well set on, carried gaily but never over the back.
Forequarters: Shoulders well laid back, clean and smooth; well knit. Forelegs straight and well boned. All dewclaws should be removed. Feet are round and compact with good depth of pad. Pads black. Nails dark.
Hindquarters: Hind legs well developed with well bent stifles turning neither in nor out; hocks well let down and parallel to each other. All dewclaws should be removed. The presence of dewclaws on the hind legs should be penalized. Feet are round and compact with good depth of pad. Pads black. Nails dark.
Coat: A distinguishing characteristic of the breed which sets the dog apart from all other terriers. 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. In both puppies and adolescents, the mature wavy coat is generally not yet evident. Major Faults— Woolly or harsh, crisp or cottony, curly or standaway coat; in the adult, a straight coat is also objectionable.
Presentation—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. The coat must never be clipped or plucked. Sharp contrasts or stylizations must be avoided. Head coat should be blended to present a rectangular outline. Eyes should be indicated but never fully exposed. Ears should be relieved of fringe, but not taken down to the leather. Sufficient coat must be left on skull, cheeks, neck and tail to balance the proper length of body coat. Dogs that are overly trimmed shall be severely penalized.
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. Major Fault—Any color save wheaten. Puppies and Adolescents—Puppies under a year may carry deeper coloring and occasional black tipping. The adolescent, under two years, is often quite light in color, but must never be white or carry gray other than on ears and muzzle. However, by two years of age, the proper wheaten color should be obvious.
SCWT profile shows incorrect bushy stand-off coat without shine, wave or flow. The coat should be neither cottony nor excessively curly (like a Kerry Blue Terrier).
The “Irish” coat is finer and silkier, usually with varying degrees of wave, neither as dense nor as long as modern coats, particularly on the legs.
Modern-type SCWT with moderate terrier trim and correct coat with slight wave, shine and flow. This figure shows the correct proportion and balance.
The show judge reviews each SCWT in the lineup, evaluating its positive features and flaws.
