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Kerry Wheaten |
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He is not recognized by the F.C.I. |
Origin |
Ireland -> U.S.A. | |
Translation |
Francis Vandersteen |
A brief presentation of the Kerry Wheaten |
| The Kerry Wheaten is a hybrid of a Kerry Blue Terrier and an Irish Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier. This is a fairly new breed and, as such, there isn't much information available on the hybrid itself. Therefore, potential information on the hybrid must be obtained from the parent breeds themselves. Kerry Blue Terriers and Irish Soft Coated Wheaten Terriers have a lifespan of 12 to 15 years, an average weight of 15 to 18 kilos and a height of 46 to 48.5 centimeters. The origin of the Kerry Wheaten hybrid is unknown, but both parent breeds originated in Ireland and both were bred for activities involving hunting, driving, guarding, breeding and controlling various types of vermin on Irish farms. Both parent breeds share personality traits of alertness, affection, playfulness, gentleness and loyalty, with the Kerry Blue parent adding aggression, independence and protection to the biological mix. Both parent breeds fall into the high-maintenance category, having medium to long, thick, soft and dense coats. Both parent breeds have low excretion rates and are considered hypoallergenic. Today, they function as companions and family members in addition to the activities for which the breeds were created. |
History of the Kerry Wheaten |
| The Kerry Wheaten is a more recent hybrid dog for which there is little or no information available on the hybrid itself. There is, however, a wealth of information available on the two parent breeds, the Kerry Blue Terrier and the Irish Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier. Since there is no known date or place of origin, nor any information on why the two breeds were combined, we'll have to glean all we can from the history of the two parent breeds. The Kerry Wheaten hybrid is recognized by : The American Canine Hybrid Club, Designer Breed Registry, Designer Dogs Kennel Club , Dog Registry of America, Inc. and the International Designer Canine Registry. |
A little of the Kerry Blue Terrier |
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| The Kerry Blue Terrier, also known as the Irish Blue Terrier, originated in south-west Ireland in the late 1700s or early 1800s, and was bred for hunting and eliminating rats, tending livestock and guarding people and property. The exact heritage of the Kerry Blue is shrouded in mystery, but several other Terrier breeds are thought to have had some influence on the breed's development. These other Terrier breeds included: the Irish Terrier, the Welsh Terrier, the Bedlington Terrier and the Irish Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier. The breed began appearing in the show ring in the late 19th century and was eventually brought to America to appear in the show ring at the 1922 Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show at Madison Square Gardens in the Miscellaneous class. The Irish Kennel Club recognized the breed in 1922, with The Kennel Club (England) following soon after. The American Kennel Club officially recognized the Kerry Blue Terrier breed in 1924. Today, in addition to the breed's excellent performance in the show ring, the Kerry Blue still retains its main strengths in hunting and breeding, as well as cultivating skills as an earth dog, hunting dog, retriever, guard dog and family companion. | ||
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| Standard of the Kerry Blue Terrier | ||
A little of the Irish Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier |
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| The Irish Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier, also known as the poor man's hound, is a breed that also originated in Ireland and can be traced back to at least the 1700s through records in County Kerry and County Cork. Although Wheatens have been found all over Ireland, they were mainly located in the southern and south-western regions of the country several years before record-keeping began. It seems that this breed was more of a wild breed, running free and having their litters in barns, brush, haystacks or any other place where they could find adequate protection for their young. Given this wild start, only the healthiest and fittest Wheatens were able to survive. This is thought to be perhaps the oldest breed of Irish Terrier. This savage beginning wasn't the only blow to the Wheatens; it seems that the tax laws established in early English history prevented the poor man from owning a hunting dog worth more than £5, measuring more than 48 centimetres at the withers and having a long tail without being taxed beyond what he could pay. So the poor man, also known as commoners, developed a breed that stands 48 centimeters tall, is worth less than £5 and has a docked tail to avoid being taxed while providing them with the hunting dog they needed. The Wheaten became a versatile, hard-working dog for struggling tenant farmers and provided them not only with guardianship of their property and people, but was also appreciated as a vermin eradicator and shepherd of a variety of livestock. The Wheaten was truly built for these activities, as the dense coat enabled them to perform virtually any task required and even allowed them to chase badgers and foxes from their dens. This versatile canine breed was highly skilled in all the areas needed by tenant farmers, but it is also gentle and affectionate and quickly became a beloved family companion. It was 1937 before the Irish Kennel Club recognized this versatile canine breed, participating for the first time in the Irish Kennel Club Dog Specialty Show that same year on St. Patrick's Day. The Wheaten made its way to the USA in 1946 and was finally recognized by the American Kennel Club in 1973 and in Canada in 1978. | ||
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| Standard of the Irish Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier |
Appearance of the Kerry Wheaten |
| The Kerry Wheaton is a hybrid of a Kerry Blue Terrier and an Irish Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier. As this is a more recent breed, and little information is available on the hybrid itself, we have to glean what we can about the Kerry Wheaton's appearance from the parent breeds. The Kerry Blue Terrier is described as a medium-sized dog with a sturdy, well-muscled body and a thick, wavy, blue-gray coat. It has a long, well-balanced head, whiskers, beard and bushy eyebrows. The ears are small and V-shaped, folding towards the eyes, which are small, dark and expressive. The Kerry Blue has a black nose with large, wide nostrils, a high-set tail of medium length and carried high. Kerry Blue puppies are generally black in color, gradually lightening as they age, a process called "cleaning". Colors available for the Kerry Blue are blue or gray. The Irish Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier is described as a medium-sized dog with a compact, square body and a thick, wavy coat colored in shades of wheat. The Wheaten's head is described as long and rectangular, with a strong muzzle and V-shaped ears that fold back towards the skull. It has expressive almond-shaped brown eyes and a large black nose. The Wheaten's tail is docked and always carried straight. Both parent breeds have a level scissor bite and strong jaws. |
Temperament of the Kerry Wheaten |
| Your Kerry Wheaten hybrid may inherit some or all of the temperament traits of the parent breeds, the Kerry Blue Terrier and the Irish Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier. As such, it can be: affectionate, aggressive, alert, playful, gentle, friendly, independent, loyal, playful and protective. Both parent breeds are excellent with children, but perhaps not so much with the family cat or other small animals, both parent breeds bringing strong hunting and tracking skills to the biological mix. They're both rated with moderate to high wandering and hunting tendencies, so whenever you and your Kerry Wheaten are outside or outside the backyard fence, you'll be well advised to keep him on a leash, unless you like to let your pet hunt as he picks up an interesting scent and takes off after it wherever that pursuit takes him. Both breeds are generally friendly with strangers, can tolerate moderate weather conditions, can live in urban or rural environments and really don't like to be left alone. |
Needs and activities of the Kerry Wheaten |
| Your Kerry Wheaten hybrid family member will need at least 60 minutes of exercise a day. This hybrid product created from crossing a Kerry Blue Terrier with an Irish Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier is likely to have moderate to high energy levels, as provided by the parent breeds. The exercise requirement may take the form of daily walks or jogs, playing in the dog park, playing and racing in the fenced yard, dog sports such as herding, agility, earth dog training, tracking, fly ball or any type of ball. Your Kerry Wheaten hybrid will probably be able to adapt to most moderate weather conditions, enabling him to live in any climate, provided he receives appropriate protection against extreme weather conditions if necessary. They can live in urban or rural environments, in apartments, condos or family homes with or without fenced yards, provided they get the exercise - at least 60 minutes a day - they need to stay healthy, fit and happy. |
Maintenance of the Kerry Wheaten |
| The Kerry Wheaton, being a hybrid mix of the Kerry Blue Terrier and the Irish Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier, can take on the maintenance traits of one or both of its parent breeds. As such, it is likely to be hypoallergenic, a minimal excretor and will require relatively high maintenance to keep its medium to long coat thick, dense, wavy, silky and clean, free from debris and loose, untangled hairs. The brushing program required will probably be several times a week, with baths as needed. Regular weekly checks of his ears for debris and infection with appropriate cleaning as required, together with regular weekly brushing of his teeth will help keep him healthy and happy. Your veterinary professional can guide you on the appropriate ways to accomplish these maintenance tasks. Monthly trimming of his nails will be necessary unless his normal activities allow him to keep them at an appropriate length. Regular eye examinations should be carried out by your veterinary professional to assess and monitor any known eye conditions in one or both parent breeds. Both parent breeds fall into the lower categories of drooling and odor. |
English (United Kingdom)