The Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier Club of Australasia

About Us

This collaborative of Australasian breeders who breed true to type Irish Softcoated Wheaten terriers, has over 100 years of combined breeding experience. Breeders from all Eastern States of Australia and in New Zealand are working together to ensure that we leave a healthy and robust breed for generations to come.

Irish Softcoated Wheaten Terriers are generally healthy dogs that should live to 14 - 16 years of age. As in other breeds there are some hereditable diseases that can cause early death in affected dogs. In Wheatens these diseases include; PLN (Protein Losing Nephropathy). PLE (Protein Losing Enteropathy), and RD or JRD (Renal Dysplasia).

The Mission of this collaborative is to work towards eradicating these afflictions through education, better breeding practices, and networking with like minded groups in other countries.

The breeding practices of the members of this collaborative are closely alligned with the advice of internationally respected Veterinarian researcher Dr Meryl Littman of the Veterinary School at the University of Pennsylvania whose research has stated that;

We have traced the pedigrees of more than 40 afflicted dogs and found them to be closely related. Although the exact mode of inheritance is not understood, it would be wise not to inbreed and not to breed close relatives of afflicted dogs".

Other breeders claim to mitigate these health issues through out-crossing their affected lines to Irish lines. There is no evidence that this is an effective practice. Not breeding to close relatives of affected dogs is the only demonstrable practice known to mitigate these health issues.