Soft Coat Wheaten Terrier. Juliette Cunliffe

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.

       Each dog is compared to the perfect dog described in the breed standard. The SCWT that most closely conforms, in the judge’s opinion, is selected as Best of Breed.

      Gait: Gait is free, graceful and lively with good reach in front and strong drive behind. Front and rear feet turn neither in nor out. Dogs who fail to keep their tails erect when moving should be severely penalized.

      Temperament: The Wheaten is a happy, steady dog and shows himself gaily with an air of self-confidence. He is alert and exhibits interest in his surroundings; exhibits less aggressiveness than is sometimes encouraged in other terriers. Major Fault—Timid or overly aggressive dogs.

       The SCWT’s gait should be strong and lively.

       FAULTS IN THE SCWT

       Weak, underdeveloped rear, straight in rear with low tailset. Straight front, which can be seen even in a coated breed because the front legs are under the body.

       An extreme grooming style that finds favor in some circles, but is incorrect. Note “conehead” and over-angulated rear.

       Short neck, sloping topline; over-angulated rear with gay tail; a bit low on leg.

       Long back, low tail set, straight in rear.

       Approved February 12, 1983Reformatted July 20, 1989

       Without helpful information and sound advice, new puppy owners may find themselves up a tree when it comes to choosing the best SCWT for them.