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Irish Soft-Coated Wheaten Terrier
Topic Started: May 31 2018, 04:17 PM (202 Views)
Taipan
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Soft-coated Wheaten Terrier

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Common nicknames Wheaten or Wheatie
Origin Ireland
Traits
Weight Male 14–20 kg (31–44 lb)
Height Male 45 to 50 cm (18 to 20 inches)
Coat Soft and silky, loosely waved or curly
Color Wheaten or rust color
Litter size up to 8
Life span 10.7 to 12.5 years

The Soft-coated Wheaten Terrier (Irish: An Brocaire Buí) is a pure breed terrier originating from Ireland. Wheatens typically have one of two coat types: Irish or American. The Irish coat is considered to be the breed standard. It is generally more silky and wavy than the American coat, which is thicker and more "wooly". Wheatens are generally friendly and playful, and tend to get along well with children and other dogs.

History
The Wheaten was bred in Ireland for over two hundred years to be an all-purpose farm dog whose duties included herding, watching and guarding livestock, and vermin hunting and killing. They share a common ancestry with the Kerry Blue Terrier and the Irish Terrier but were not owned by gentry. In Ireland, they were commonly referred to as the "Poor Man's Wolfhound." Their tails used to be docked to avoid taxes and were often kept to a specific size.

Despite its long history, the Wheaten was not recognised as a breed in Ireland by the Irish Kennel Club until 1937. In 1943, the British Kennel Club recognised the breed in the UK as well. The first Wheatens were exported to Lydia Vogel in the United States in the 1940s, but serious interest in the breed took another ten years to develop. In the 1970s, the first Wheatens were imported into Australia by Anubis Kennels. Finally, in 1973, they were recognised by the American Kennel Club. Recent importation of Irish-style dogs have improved and broadened the gene pool. Today, Wheatens compete in obedience, agility, and tracking and are occasionally used in animal-assisted therapy as well.

Appearance
Puppies have dark coats of red, brown, mahogany or white. Their muzzles and ears may be black or dark brown. The reddish-brown puppy coat gradually grows out to nearly white before maturing into a wheaten-coloured coat as they get older. The adult coat may contain black, white, or darker brown "guard" hairs in addition to the lighter wheaten-coloured hair. If adults ever have skin injuries, the resulting hair growth will be the dark colour of their puppy coat before it eventually grows out to the wheat color. It may also come out to a molten chocolate colour, either white or milky coloured. The breed standards for the English, American and Irish Wheaten state a Wheaten must have a single, soft silky coat.

The Soft-coated Wheaten Terrier is a medium-sized dog, which ranges on average from 17 to 20 inches (43 to 51 cm) in height and about 30 to 45 pounds (14 to 20 kg) in weight. The breed has a square structure and is well built. Their soft, silky hair does not shed like most dogs; like human hair and Poodle hair, it keeps growing; they do need trimming and should be brushed and combed once a day to avoid mats. They are very smart dogs, and are easy to train. They love people, and they rarely have aggression issues.

The Irish coat tends to be thinner and silkier than the American variety. The Irish coat has a devoted following in Ireland and Europe. Breeders of the pure Irish type believe this is the original working coat. The coat is not thin – breeders of the Irish type consider the American heavy coat to be "bouffant", not that of the original working terrier type. There are a few breeders of the Irish type in the US and Canada. In the AKC conformation show ring, the judges do not always accept the Irish type well. The Irish is well received in the UK and Europe. The "Heavy Irish" coat is usually a result of cross breeding between coat types – American/English coat with an Irish type. The Irish coat still requires daily brushing to stay free of matted hair.

The Wheatens seen in Ireland today are of the same size, shape and coat texture as those seen and documented well over 100 years ago. Evidence of this can be seen from the famous artwork "The Aran Fisherman's Drowned Child" by the Irish painter Frederic William Burton.

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Health
Soft-coated Wheaten Terriers are generally a long-lived breed. They are susceptible to various heritable diseases, although are most known for two protein wasting conditions: protein-losing nephropathy (PLN), where the dogs lose protein via the kidneys; and protein-losing enteropathy (PLE), where the dogs fail to fully absorb protein in their digestive tracts, causing it to pass in their stool. Both PLN and PLE are potentially fatal, but if caught early enough, can sometimes be managed with strict dietary changes and pharmaceuticals. Laboratory tests can aid in diagnosing PLN and PLE; Wheaten owners should check their country's advised testing protocols. Research suggests that PLE and PLN often are more prevalent in female wheatens and often happen in concurrence, with PLE following diagnosis of PLN. While a genetic predisposition has been suggested, an unknown mode of inheritance remains. Research programs, mainly in the United States and the United Kingdom, are looking for answers.

Other Wheaten health issues are renal dysplasia, inflammatory bowel disease, Addison's disease, and cancer. Some Wheatens can suffer from food and environmental allergies, and can be prone to developing the skin disease atopic dermatitis. Potential owners of Wheaten Terriers should discuss health issues with a breeder before deciding to get a puppy.

Temperament
The Soft-coated Wheaten Terrier is an energetic and playful dog. It requires patience and consistent positive training. Harsh methods will often result in fear and/or aggression. A positive, even-handed approach works best with this intelligent yet headstrong terrier. It is an enthusiastic greeter, and will often jump up to lick a person's face, commonly referred to as the "Wheaten greetin". Wheatens are considered less scrappy than other terriers, but they can be hyper and more active than many other breeds. For this reason these dogs do best when they are exercised regularly. They are cool weather dogs and can become easily overheated in hot weather. If socialised with cats and puppies, they may get along fine with them; if not, care should be taken in introducing them to cats, as the breed has a very strong "prey drive" because of its vermin-hunting origin. Wheatens are extremely friendly and loving pets, and get along well with other dogs if properly socialised. Wheatens are very protective of their families and, although they may bark in alert at strangers, they rarely get aggressive. Many Wheaten owners thus say they make great watch dogs, but poor guard dogs. Wheatens are a great dog for children and are generally friendly towards them.




Blame the mother's gene: Discovery for a blinding canine eye disease

May 30, 2018, University of Helsinki

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Irish soft-coated wheaten terrier. Credit: Lohi research group

A gene for canine congenital eye disease has been identified by a collaborative research led by Professor Hannes Lohi's research group in the University of Helsinki. Defective RBP4 leads to vitamin A deficiency and abnormal eye development during pregnancy. The study defines a novel recessive mode of maternal inheritance, which may underlie other types of birth defects.

Collaborating research groups from the University of Helsinki, UC Davis and the University of Jyväskylä describe a new genetic cause for canine congenital eye disease in Irish Soft-Coated Wheaten Terriers. The affected dogs suffer from bilateral microphthalmia i.e. very small eyes and anatomical defects, resulting in incurable blindness. Similar findings are seen in the Microphthalmia-Anophthalmia-Coloboma (MAC) spectrum of human congenital eye malformations, which are important causes of childhood blindness.

"This is the first dog model for MAC disorder and may help to understand the human disease," says DVM Maria Kaukonen, first author of the study and a Ph.D. student in the University of Helsinki.

RBP4 defect leads to vitamin A deficiency—a known risk factor for eye diseases

The genetic and functional analyses revealed a deletion mutation in the RBP4 gene. The encoded protein (RBP) binds vitamin A and transfers it from liver to other tissues. Vitamin A transport is essential during the pregnancy, as the lack of this nutrient causes abnormal eye development. During pregnancy, the fetus receives vitamin A through the placenta.

"The mutation changes RBP structure, so that the protein is secreted abnormally from liver and does not function. This greatly reduces RBP and vitamin A levels in bloodstream," says Professor Tom Glaser from UC Davis, a co-corresponding author of the study.

RPB4 has been implicated in human MAC disease. The study demonstrates once again the clinical and genetic similarity of human and canine eye disorders.

Unprecedented mode of maternal inheritance

The study demonstrates a novel recessive mode of genetic inheritance, which has not described before. The researchers discovered that the dam's genotype determines the puppy's disease risk as both the dam and puppy must be homozygous for the mutation to manifest the disease.

"Interestingly, the disease is apparent only when both the puppy and mother are homozygous for the RBP4 mutation. Normally, recessive diseases in mammals depend only on the individual's genetic make-up. Our findings highlight the delicate interaction between the mother and fetus during pregnancy. It is possible that there are similar birth defects with this type of genetic relationship," explains Professor Hannes Lohi, the lead corresponding author of the study.

New genetic test for breeding and diagnostics

As a part of the research, a DNA test has been developed for veterinary diagnosis and breeding purposes. DNA testing is important for breeders to avoid producing more blind dogs. The test can identify carriers and allow better breeding plans. Veterinarians can also use the test for differential diagnosis and to confirm the genetic basis of a suspected condition. So far, the mutation has been found in Irish Soft-Coated Wheaten Terriers but according to Kaukonen it might be present in other breeds too.

https://phys.org/news/2018-05-blame-mother-gene-discovery-canine.html




Journal Reference:
Maria Kaukonen et al, Maternal Inheritance of a Recessive RBP4 Defect in Canine Congenital Eye Disease, Cell Reports (2018). DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2018.04.118

Highlights
•Recessive RBP4 defect with maternal transmission causes congenital eye disease
•Disease manifests only if both the dam and the offspring carry homozygous mutation
•Mutation disrupts RBP4 folding in vivo and results in protein hypomorph
•Biochemical serum vitamin A deficiency leads to disrupted fetal eye development

Summary
Maternally skewed transmission of traits has been associated with genomic imprinting and oocyte-derived mRNA. We report canine congenital eye malformations, caused by an amino acid deletion (K12del) near the N terminus of retinol-binding protein (RBP4). The disease is only expressed when both dam and offspring are deletion homozygotes. RBP carries vitamin A (retinol) from hepatic stores to peripheral tissues, including the placenta and developing eye, where it is required to synthesize retinoic acid. Gestational vitamin A deficiency is a known risk factor for ocular birth defects. The K12del mutation disrupts RBP folding in vivo, decreasing its secretion from hepatocytes to serum. The maternal penetrance effect arises from an impairment in the sequential transfer of retinol across the placenta, via RBP encoded by maternal and fetal genomes. Our results demonstrate a mode of recessive maternal inheritance, with a physiological basis, and they extend previous observations on dominant-negative RBP4 alleles in humans.

https://www.cell.com/cell-reports/fulltext/S2211-1247(18)30718-6
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