Irish Terrier

Irish Terrier

The Irish Terrier is a dog breed from Ireland, one of many breeds of Terrier.

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Appearance

The Irish Terrier is an active, compact dog with a steady temperament. He has a proud appearance. He has dark brown eyes with a piercing intelligent expression. His ears are folded, although they may need some glueing during adolescence. His tail was docked soon after birth (not in European countries); and, most likely, his dew claws were removed at the same time.

The outline and conformation of the Irish Terrier differ markedly from those of other terriers. For example, the Irish Terrier's body is proportionately longer than that of the Fox Terrier, with more of a tendency toward racy lines but with no lack of substance or sturdiness of bone structure. Actually, in outline if not size the Irish Terrier is unmistakably similar to the Irish Wolfhound.

Coat

The Irish Terrier is coloured golden red, red wheaten, or wheaten. As with other whole-coloured breeds, a small batch of white is allowed on the chest. The outer part of the double coat should be wiry in texture, never soft, silky, curly, wavy, or woolly. The inner part, the so-called under-wool, is also red and may be hard for the inexperienced eye to see. Coat should be quite dense and so that "when parted with the fingers the skin is hardly visible" 1]. The coat should lie flat agaist the skin, and, though having some length, should never be long enough to hide the true shape of the dog.

The Irish Terrier has a small beard and some longer hair on the legs, but never as much as a Wire Fox Terrier or Schnauzer. The coat must be stripped by hand or a non-cutting knife to remain its weather-resistent qualities.

Size

Most countries have breed descriptions that say that the Irish Terrier should not be more than 48 cm measured at the whithers. However, it is not unusual to see bitches that are 50 cm tall or dogs that are even 53 cm. Younger generations are closer to the ideal, but there is a downside to this: when an Irish Terrier is very small and light-boned, it loses the correct racy type.

Very seldom does one see Irish Terriers that weigh only 11 to 12 kg (25-27 lb). 13 kg for a bitch and 15 for a dog are acceptable.

Temperament

The Irish Terrier is full of fun, but not hyperactive. They are often dominant with other dogs, and some poorly socialized individuals will start fights with minimal (if any) provocation, particularly with dogs of the same sex. Thus, early socialisation is a necessity. They can have strong guarding instincts and when these intincts are controlled, make excellent watchdogs. Most Irish Terriers need a reason for barking, and will not bark continuously.

During World War I, Irish Terriers served as messengers and sentinels with incomparable spirit and disregard of danger. As sporting dogs, Irish Terriers can catch and kill small game, and they are lethal on vermin. From Dr. E. S. Montgomery's book, The Complete Irish Terrier, Denlinger's, 1958:

Hardy and adaptable, an Irish terrier can do well in country or city, in cold climates or hot. He’s good with children if they are good with him.

Care

Irish Terriers are strong willed and can be difficult to train. They are highly intelligent, but they have a sense of humor which can surface in the middle of an obedience class... so the owner needs a sense of humor, too. They can learn complex tasks with relative ease, when they have the motivation to do so!

Irish Terriers respond best to firm, consistent training from a relaxed, authorative person. Violence should never be used - it is always best to outwit and lure. They should know who is the boss, and have natural respect for him/her.

The Irish Terrier is an active dog, and loves to be challenged mentally and physically. Because of this many excel at dog sports, particularly agility, and flyball. It is not impossible to teach Obedience to an Irish Terrier. They have a good nose and can learn to track either animal blood or human scent.

The Irish Terrier's wiry coat is fairly easy to groom, pet dogs (rather that show dogs) needing hand stripping only once or twice a year. Never cut the coat - use your fingers or a non-cutting knife.

They should be bathed as infrequently as possible, as shampoo destroys the coat's texture. When groomed properly, the Irish Terrier coat will protect the dog from rain and cold.

History

The breed's origin is not known. It is believed to have descended from the black and tan Irish Terriers, just like the Kerry Blue and Irish Soft-haired Wheaten Terriers in Ireland or the Welsh, Lakeland and Scottish Terriers in Great Britain.

F. M. Jowett writes in The Irish Terrier, 'Our Dogs' Publishing Co. Ltd., Manchester, England 1947 - 7th Edition: They are described by an old Irish writer as being the poor man's sentinel, the farmer's friend, and the gentleman's favourite...These dogs were originally bred not so much for their looks as for their working qualities and gameness, the Irish Terrier being by instinct a thorough vermin killer. They were formerly of all types and of all colours -- black-and-tan, grey-and-brindle, wheaten of all shades, and red being the predominant colours. Colour or size evidently did not matter if they were hardy and game."

The proper selection process of the breed began only in the latter 19th century. They were shown now and then, sometimes in one class, sometimes in separate classes for dogs under and over 9 pounds.

The first breed club was set up in Dublin in 1879. Irish Terriers were the first members of the terrier group to be recognised by the English Kennel Club as a native Irish Breed - this happened just before the end of the 19th century. The first Irish Terriers were taken to the US in late 19th century and quickly became somewhat popular.

Although the breed has never been very "fashionable", there used to be big influential kennels in Ireland, the Great Britain and US up to the 1960s. Nowadays there is ambitious breeding in many continents, including North America, (Northern) Europe and Australia.