Irish Terrier

History of origin

There are many legends about the origin of the Irish Terrier. Residents of Ireland, whose national pride are these dogs, claim that red terriers inhabited their island thousands of years ago and that even the famous Irish wolfhound is just an overgrown terrier.

In fact, this is most likely not the case, but one thing is certain: Irish terriers are perhaps the oldest breed among terriers. For several hundred years, these dogs helped people hunt both fairly large game and rats, and by the XNUMXth century they had become one of the most popular breeds in the British Isles. The dogs of those times differed little from modern ones, except that their color was not limited to red, as it is now, but could be tan, gray and even white. A single breed standard was adopted in the middle of the XNUMXth century.

By the way, the European ban on ear cropping appeared thanks to the Irish Terriers. The fact is that English cynologists one fine day demanded that all terriers have their ears cut off, otherwise the committee simply will not register “eared” dogs. Of course, this greatly outraged their owners, who staged a real boycott of the English kennel club. The movement against ear cropping began to spread across the country and eventually led to the fact that this practice was canceled altogether. So the Irish Terriers got cute half-hanging ears.

The mind and intelligence of these dogs made them real heroes of the front during the Second World War. Terriers served on land and at sea, helping soldiers fight against the Nazis.

Irish terriers are also popular in our country, in many cities there are clubs of admirers of this breed.

Breed description

The Irish Terrier is a medium-sized dog (height at the withers reaches 48 cm) and an athletic build. The whole appearance of the Irish speaks of his activity and strength, while he never gives the impression of a rude dog. The muzzle is rectangular, rather long, the eyes are small, slightly slanting, the look is attentive and cheerful. The ears are semi-pendulous – the tips are bent forward. The body is slender, taut, the neck is long, muscular, the tail is set high and carried up or even bent over the back, but does not curl into a ring. The coat is hard, coarse, on the muzzle it forms a “mustache” and a “beard”. Does not shed, so the dog needs trimming. The color is red in all shades, wheaten, on the ears the hair is always darker than on the rest of the body. Small white spots on the chest are allowed, markings on the rest of the body are undesirable.

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Character

Thanks to the kind open disposition and positive mood, Irish Terriers have gained their popularity. These dogs surprisingly combine working qualities and loving nature. They will become excellent guards of your house, protect the owner from hooligans, exterminate all the rats in the basement, but at the same time they will never rush at a person for no reason.

Irish terriers are active and temperamental dogs, but still their positive is not expressed as violently as, say, foxes. They are just always ready to play and endlessly happy to communicate with their owner and his friends. They love to walk and move, they are interested in everything. Willingly communicate with other dogs, but can be bullies. However, they are not fighting seriously, this is also just a kind of game.

Care and maintenance

The Irishman is not at all a difficult dog to care for, because it does not take up much space and does not even shed or get dirty – dirt simply does not stick to coarse wool. Despite its cheerful and agile disposition, this terrier may well live in a small city apartment – the main thing is to walk with him more. Perhaps the need for long walks for some people is the difficulty associated with this breed, although for others this is an undeniable advantage. Everyone needs movement and fresh air, and if in ordinary life we ​​often postpone walks for the sake of some other business, or even laziness, then the dog will not let us relax.

Another important point is trimming. Since the dog itself does not shed, it is necessary to help her get rid of the old dead hair – just pluck it. Moreover, this procedure may well be mastered by every dog ​​owner, except that the first time is better for a professional to do it. Trimming should be done once or twice a year.

Education and training

The Irish Terrier has long established itself as an excellent service dog, it is quick-witted and intelligent, but those who decide to train this breed of dog should be patient. The fact is that the Irish are stubborn and sometimes they can refuse to carry out commands not because they have not learned them, but simply because they do not want to. In the learning process, it is worth alternating classes and games, otherwise your student will quickly get bored with all this. In no case should you show rigidity and strength – if you offend this dog with something, he will never want to obey you again. So act gently, but at the same time confidently, so that the dog feels the main thing in you. And build the learning process in the form of a game.

And remember: there is no such thing as “too early” in learning. Start interacting with the puppy not even from the first days, but from the first minutes of meeting you, and then in the future the two of you will become a real well-coordinated tandem.

Health and disease

Perhaps the most common diseases among Irish Terriers are joint dysplasia and hypothyroidism (dysfunction of the thyroid gland). So, if you want your dog to live a long and healthy life, firstly, check if the puppy’s parents suffered from similar diseases, and secondly, make sure that your dog does not get injuries (especially in childhood), which later may result in musculoskeletal disorders.

In general, the Irish Terrier is a fairly healthy breed and with proper care, full (but not excessive!) Feeding and long walks, the dog will not get sick with anything.

Also, do not forget to treat your pet from parasites – both external and internal.

Word to the breeder

Sofya Bobukh, breeder of the Gentle Flame kennel, (Saratov) talks about Irish terriers like this: “If we talk about the breed, then for me Irish terriers are comfortable dogs for keeping in a variety of conditions. Moreover, both in size, hair care, and in character. They are very versatile, sociable and easily trained individuals. But at the same time, we must remember that they reveal their talents in communication and training. Education, left to chance, leads to the fact that many advantages can turn into disadvantages.

Vera Borisovskaya, breeder of the kennel “Irish Terriers of Yekaterinburg” adds: “This is a very interesting breed with a long history, the breed standard was first written in 1861, and since that time the official history of the breed has been counting down. In fact, by this time the breed had already been formed, and this happened much earlier. Now, when there are calls around to take dogs from shelters, we are very sorry that such a centuries-old history of the breed is simply ignored. It is very important to preserve the breed (any!) if only because for so many years people have been creating and preserving it.

The Irish Terrier is a unique breed. Medium-sized (45-50 cm at the withers), quite smart and contact, the Irish Terrier is perfectly trained and is able to master not only the general course of training, but also special skills; Irish Terriers are also used in canistherapy.

The Irish Terrier does not require much effort in grooming, the coat is hard and almost does not shed, but it requires special treatment – trimming. The affectionate Irishman is capable of much, but there are rumors about his pugnacity, although this is not entirely true. With this size, even a teenager can handle the upbringing of an Irish terrier, but at the same time he is quite a serious dog and can provide worthy resistance to an intruder or a thief.

Shares with ” Healthy Food Near Me” and happy the owner of the Irish terrier Willa, a big fan of the breed Svetlana Nekrasova (St. Petersburg): “How do they describe the nice Irish guys of the classics? Surely, red-haired stubborn, lovers of boasting and chasing after the ladies, not missing a single glorious fight. Ireland go! And now let’s look at the Irish Terrier and we can’t help but agree that this is the true embodiment of the Irish temperament .. The dogs are amazing … This is a cute kitten at home, faithfully looking into the eyes of the owners and decorously folding its paws on the rug. By the way, from puppy pranks I can only remember a torn piece of wallpaper, but he himself brazenly hung in the wrong place. And that’s it. True, there is a tendency to end up in the most inappropriate places on the floor of an apartment, where you can step on a redhead or stumble on a grand scale. But they are terriers! On the street, a quivering creature turns into a reveler-slasher and just a bully. This breed simply needs training interaction with a person from the early days .. Then training will be able to extinguish the temperament … no, temperament! If you find a common language with your dog, then he will be a true friend for life. If you can’t, then you will be measured by characters endlessly. This is a strong and charismatic personality, after communication with which he is no longer attracted to any other breed. At least that’s how it goes for me.

The undoubted advantage of our breed is that modern selection has not reached it. The Irish did not have time to become victims of fashion. Therefore, their health is excellent.”

Popular questions and answers

We talked about keeping Irish Terriers with zoo engineer, veterinarian Anastasia Kalinina.