Wheaten Temperament

“The Standard” as held by the Australian National kennel Council, specifies that the wheaten temperament should be:

“Good-tempered, spirited and game. Full of confidence and humour; a delightful, affectionate, intelligent companion.”

Wheatens were originally found on Irish farms and were an all purpose family and farm dog. The one difference between them and the other farm dogs of Ireland was that Wheatens were allowed, even welcome, inside the house and were considered friends of the family.

This same clever ability that cause the dogs to prove their worth inside the home is alive and well in the modern Soft Coated Wheaten. Wheatens have an uncanny ability to read their owner’s needs and at times seem almost driven to, make their people happy.

Maureen Holmes, one of the people credited with pulling the breed in from the wildness of the farm and helping to develop it worldwide said this of the Wheaten temperament:

“A most inportant point to remember is that a Wheaten is NEVER a yard or kennel dog. He is a people dog and thrives on human companionship.  He loves children and when reared with them will be their faithful and understanding guardian. Keep him (or her) in your home, drive him in your car, talk to him, trust him, train him in the way you want him to go and you will be rewarded by years of happy unquestioning loyalty from a clever happy pal who loves life and you in exuberant, extrovert fashion of his own.”

Combining the bright intelligence of a farm dog, the teach-ability of the very best Labrador, and the snuggliness of the ultimate couch potato, there is no other breed like a wheaten.

The Wheaten has such a need to please that we do not recommend “force based” training (ie. The Dominance model). The dominance model makes people into a threat, and wheaten are peaceful, happy and trusting dogs who would rather have a family that did not practice fear and intimidation. Their quick intelligence makes them ideal for “positive rewards” based training and they do well when they are given enough exercise and training to feel useful to you and the family. Refer to our page “A Day in the Life of a Happy Wheaten” for a sense of how little exercise it takes to keep a wheaten at their happy-go-lucky best.