I live in Southeastern PA and I'm trying to locate a Wheaten Terrier
breeder where the parents of the puppies are onsite. Willing to drive
to NY, NJ, DE, or MD. Thank you.

"red" wrote in message
ups.com...
I live in Southeastern PA and I'm trying to locate a Wheaten Terrier
breeder where the parents of the puppies are onsite. Willing to drive
to NY, NJ, DE, or MD. Thank you.

I suggest that you go to www.akc.org and search for Soft Coated Wheaten
Terriers. There will be a link there directing you to their national club.
And very likely also to breeder and rescue links. There may be local clubs
within your driving distance that you can contact for information.

I suggest also that you read www.dog-play.com to learn just what sort of
questions you need to ask a responsible breeder - and what questions to
expect from them. I'm sure that you want your new family member to be as
healthy and free of genetic problems as possible. You need to know how to
recognize a responsible breeder - and how to recognize those who are not.

For instance, it may not be a good thing to have both parents on site. This
indicates quite often that the breeder was not as concerned about creating
the best possible litter and genetics as in the handiness of the dogs and
their reproductive parts. Not always true, of course. There are many
responsible breeders who DO happen to own (and have on site) both parents.
For some of their litters. But it's a topic that should be discussed in
terms of why the breeder made that choice.

~~Judy

red wrote:
I live in Southeastern PA and I'm trying to locate a Wheaten Terrier
breeder where the parents of the puppies are onsite. Willing to drive
to NY, NJ, DE, or MD. Thank you.


Before deciding to get a Wheaten, I'd do a lot of research into the
breed. They are not an easy breed, especially for a first time owner.
Not only are they very tough dogs under all that coat, but the breed has
a lot of health issues.

There are a fair number of SCWT in this area and while I like them I
wouldn't ever own one. Tendency toward dog aggressiveness, pushy with
the soft owner, liver and kidney problems, it goes on.

On Thu, 01 Dec 2005 01:27:53 GMT, Robin Nuttall ,
clicked their heels and said:

red wrote:
I live in Southeastern PA and I'm trying to locate a Wheaten Terrier
breeder where the parents of the puppies are onsite. Willing to drive
to NY, NJ, DE, or MD. Thank you.


Before deciding to get a Wheaten, I'd do a lot of research into the
breed. They are not an easy breed, especially for a first time owner.
Not only are they very tough dogs under all that coat, but the breed has
a lot of health issues.

There are a fair number of SCWT in this area and while I like them I
wouldn't ever own one. Tendency toward dog aggressiveness, pushy with
the soft owner, liver and kidney problems, it goes on.

what she said. i have had several as clients. Most of them biters.


--
Janet B
www.bestfriendsdogobedience.com
http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/bestfr...bedience/album

"Robin Nuttall" wrote in message
news:tksjf.611644$xm3.27731@attbi_s21...
red wrote:
I live in Southeastern PA and I'm trying to locate a Wheaten Terrier
breeder where the parents of the puppies are onsite. Willing to drive
to NY, NJ, DE, or MD. Thank you.


Before deciding to get a Wheaten, I'd do a lot of research into the
breed. They are not an easy breed, especially for a first time owner.
Not only are they very tough dogs under all that coat, but the breed has
a lot of health issues.

There are a fair number of SCWT in this area and while I like them I
wouldn't ever own one. Tendency toward dog aggressiveness, pushy with
the soft owner, liver and kidney problems, it goes on.


Very true about the health problems. Some serious problems.

They got to be a yuppie breed a couple of years back and the temperaments -
which were probably never appropriate for a first time family dog owner -
got downright crappy. A lot of good breeders chose to stop breeding and
hope the fad would pass quickly.

That said, as not-so-great as some I have seen, I have also met one working
in a child psychologist's office. Lovely, lovely dog.

I'm thinking though that if he does as I suggested and actually finds a
responsible wheaten breeder, that all that would be discussed with someone
who does understand the breed and its problems. Unfortunately, as I said,
they did become a popular breeder for backyard breeders - at least here in
the northeast.

~~Judy

Janet B wrote:



what she said. i have had several as clients. Most of them biters.


I have a friend with Wheatens. She's had an incredibly difficult time
finding her next puppy. She's been looking HARD for two years. She may
now have found one. But many of the ones she's looked at have been
growling at people and dogs from the age of 4 weeks or have really bad
structure, or absolutely no history of anything but being a show dog, or
all three. Right now the trend in the breed seems to be for an extremely
short back, and that coupled with a lot of rear and no neck/straight as
a blade fronts does not bode well for agility, which is what she does
with her current dog. And Wheatens are lousy jumpers at the best of times.

Her current dog is a total sweetie with people, but does not like
strange dogs in his space and will (and has) attacked other dogs for
being too close. She's worked hard with him and he's much, much better
than he used to be. But he also has the beginnings of protein losing
syndrome, is hypothyroid, etc. Yet many in the breed club were very
upset when she neutered him. He's a Ch, only the second Wheaten to ever
get a CDX (with scores in the 190s yet), TD, MXJ...and she'll tell
people not to get a Wheaten.

"Robin Nuttall" wrote in message
news:laCjf.583901$x96.183820@attbi_s72...
Right now the trend in the breed seems to be for an extremely
short back, and that coupled with a lot of rear and no neck/straight as
a blade fronts does not bode well for agility, which is what she does
with her current dog. And Wheatens are lousy jumpers at the best of times.

The, for lack of a better phrase, "older" wheaten show breeders that I know
also are very upset about coats. Wheatens were traditionally shown as a
minimally groomed breed. That's not going to get you a championship
nowadays. Moving the breed away from its origins. I haven't talked with
them for over a year now, but I'm guessing they would be lamenting those
other changes as well.

But he also has the beginnings of protein losing
syndrome, is hypothyroid, etc. Yet many in the breed club were very
upset when she neutered him. He's a Ch, only the second Wheaten to ever
get a CDX (with scores in the 190s yet), TD, MXJ...

I knew they had some sort of possibly heriditary protein issues. I remember
standing outside a show ring with a group of wheaten owners and one asked
another about what sort of special diet she used to address the issue
proactively. She was very bluntly informed that no such problem existed and
that *her* dogs received no special diet. All that talk about protein
problems was just absurd.

The breed club should be concerned with how to reproduce that dog - without
the health problems. Breeding him is not the best way to accomplish that.
It's probably not even a very good way. Which is why your friend - who very
much wants another HIM - had him neutered.

and she'll tell
people not to get a Wheaten.

Which is pretty much what I figured the OP would find when/if he located a
responsible breeder. The "good guys" seem to be closing ranks and severely
limiting breeding until they can get a handle on the problems in the breed.
And at their best, they're not a dog that any responsible breeder would
suggest or even allow in an inexperienced home.

NOT that I know that to be true of the OP. But the fact that he doesn't
have any contacts of his own would suggest that he has never had a wheaten
or relationship with a responsible breeder of a similar breed and does
suggest that he lacks first hand knowledge of the breed. For instance, our
schnauzer breeder has never bred wheatens. Or PBGVs. But if I got it in my
head that I really wanted one, she is the first resource I would tap.

~~Judy

Janet B said in
rec.pets.dogs.breeds:

There are a fair number of SCWT in this area and while I
like them I wouldn't ever own one. Tendency toward dog
aggressiveness, pushy with the soft owner, liver and kidney
problems, it goes on.

what she said. i have had several as clients. Most of
them biters.

At the other end of the spectrum, I see many soft SCWTs. I do
know one hinky one (a biter if she was allowed) and one *great*
representative of the breed. Soft is certainly not to standard,
so I'd also stay away from the breed unless I was willing to do
a ton of research into lines.

--
--Matt. Rocky's a Dog.

On 1 Dec 2005 17:29:48 GMT, Rocky , clicked their
heels and said:

At the other end of the spectrum, I see many soft SCWTs. I do
know one hinky one (a biter if she was allowed) and one *great*
representative of the breed. Soft is certainly not to standard,
so I'd also stay away from the breed unless I was willing to do
a ton of research into lines.

It's a bit risky, isn't it? Friends have one that is a nice enough
dog. He's a bit fearful and reserved, not my kind of dog, but not a
danger to people or other dogs. They had adopted one through rescue
before him who bit 2 of 3 family members though.

They appeal to a lot of people because they are non-shedding, medium
sized and cute. Unfortunately, most people don't seem prepared for
the dig-in-your-heels stubborness that comes along with them.

--
Janet B
www.bestfriendsdogobedience.com
http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/bestfr...bedience/album

Janet B said in
rec.pets.dogs.breeds:

They appeal to a lot of people because they are
non-shedding, medium sized and cute. Unfortunately, most
people don't seem prepared for the dig-in-your-heels
stubborness that comes along with them.

The owner who worked well with her SCWT in agility understood
her dog and focused his terrier energy well. They were a great
team.

I wonder what happened to April and her good advice about SCWTs.
When I see one at the off-leashes with a female owner, I
sometimes call "April", but no one comes.

--
--Matt. Rocky's a Dog.