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Irish Terrier Dog Breed Introduction
Irish Terrier is a medium-sized Terrier dog breed from Ireland. The short legged Irish Terriers were used as the progenitors of both Norwich and Norfolk Terriers. This breed is known for its distinctive red coat( that may either be red wheaten, golden red, or wheaten) and deep chest. However, the early specimens of the Irish Terriers shown had mixed colors, predominantly black, grey and brindle, and black and tan.
When compared with other terriers, Irish terriers have longer legs and body. It is also regarded one of the oldest Terrier breeds. Although Irish terriers are energetic dogs, they should be roused to full activity level quickly and be able to relax inside the house. Often, this breed is dominant with other dogs especially of the same sex. Irish Terriers do not back down from a challenge. This breed fights to the point of serious injury to themselves or the other dog. Most Irish Terriers have strong guarding instincts and when they are properly controlled, they make excellent alarming watchdogs.
Irish Terrier History
Although Irish Terriers are considered one of the oldest Terriers, its precise origin is not known. Irish Terriers are believed to have been developed from the black and tan terrier types dogs of Ireland and Britain. This breed has also been speculated to share the same bloodlines with the Irish Wolfhound. These dogs were bred not so much for their looks but for their gameness and working qualities. Irish Terriers earned their feed as vermin killer, hunting companions on lake and land, watchdogs, and guardians of family and flock.
Initially, these dogs were of all types of colors before the process of selective breeding began in the latter 19th century. In 1879, the first breed club was set up in Dublin. This was the first breed to be recognized as a native Irish Breed by the English Kennel Club. In the late 19th century, the first Irish Terriers were brought to the United States and somewhat became popular. During World War I, these dogs distinguished themselves as sentinels and messenger dogs. Irish Terriers received many accolades for loyalty and bravery.
Irish Terrier Lifespan
The Irish Terriers have a lifespan of 13 to 15 years.
Irish Terrier Grooming
The Irish Terriers have a wiry and dense top coat and a fine and soft undercoat. They require weekly brushing using a bristle brush to keep the coat mat-free, healthy, and clean. Strip the coat to maintain the weather resistant qualities. If properly groomed, the coat of the Irish Terriers will protect the dog from cold and rain. Stripping also helps to keep shedding at a minimum.
Pet Irish Terriers need stripping at least twice a year while dogs that participate in conformation shows should have their coats stripped every few weeks. Although, some owners may choose to clip the coat if they are not showing the dog. Clipping softens the coat texture and makes it loose its color. Additionally, the coat will also loose its weather-resistant characteristics.
An Irish Terrier requires occasional baths unless it rolls off into something stinky. Regular baths makes the coat to loose its weather-resistant characteristics. If the Irish Terrier rolls in mud. A quick brushing will suffice after the mud has dried. Regular use of grooming products strip away the natural skin oils present on the coat. After a bath, thoroughly rinse off the grooming products from the coat to prevent skin irritation. Always wipe the eye corners using canine wipes or a clean damp washcloth.
Trim the nails of Irish Terriers at least twice a month using nail clippers or grinders to prevent splitting, overgrowth, and cracking. Brush the teeth of an Irish Terrier at least twice a week if not daily to remove tartar buildup. Clean the ears on a weekly basis to remove wax or debris buildup using an ear cleanser solution and cotton balls. Make a habit of checking the ears for signs of ear infection such as a dark discharge, odor, and redness.
Irish Terrier Haircut
Typical Irish Terriers have a harsh and wiry coat texture that requires hand stripping using a stripping knife several times a year. Stripping helps in getting rid of the dead hair and maintaining the weather-resistant qualities of the coat. However, some owners may prefer to clip the coat every 2 to 3 months. Clipping makes the texture of the coat to soften as it looses its color.
Irish Terrier Shedding
The Irish Terriers shed at low levels all-year round. The shed hair is barely noticeable if the coat is regularly hand stripped.
Irish Terrier Coat | Coat Type
The Irish Terriers have a double coat; a wiry and harsh top coat and a soft and fine undercoat. The hair grows closely and strongly together that when parted with the fingers the skin is hardly visible.
Irish Terrier Hypoallergenic
The Irish Terriers are widely considered hypoallergenic. They have a low-shedding coat that keeps shedding to a minimum if the coat is properly groomed( stripped). However, there is no truly hypoallergenic pure breed or crossbreed. Owners should spend lots of time with a particular Irish Terrier before adopting to ensure the dog does not trigger their allergies.
Irish Terrier Training
The Irish Terriers are intelligent and loyal dogs that are somewhat challenging, independent, and strong-willed. When compared to other breeds, Irish Terriers have a less of an eagerness to please people. Fortunately, they respond well to firm, consistent, gentle, and reward based training such as the use of treats, playtime, verbal praise, petting, and toys.
The new tasks taught are easily mastered with food and toys working equally well as motivation. Avoid violence if the dog is not responding to your commands. Instead reward the behavior that you want and use distraction. Use of harsh correction methods such as yelling, shoving, kicking, beating and use of choke or prong collars are counterproductive. Keep the training sessions short, upbeat, and challenging to prevent boredom and distraction.
Training sessions of 5 to 10 minutes distributed throughout the day are more productive than teaching your pet for 20 to 30 minutes without a break. Irish Terriers are often dominant with other dogs especially of the same sex. If poorly socialized, Irish Terriers may start fights. This makes socialization training a necessity to raising a well-mannered and well-adjusted Irish Terrier. To socialize an Irish Terrier, expose it to a wide variety of people, surfaces, animals, places, sight, experiences, smell, and sounds such as whistle, baby crying sounds, sirens, door bells, vacuum cleaners, washing machine, and lawn mowers.
Normally, this training starts from the age of 3 to 16 weeks. Enrolling Irish Terriers in a puppy class will also serve as a form of socialization. These classes create a controlled environment where puppies interact with each other. A puppy class is also beneficial to the Irish Terrier parent. It not only enables them to correct and identify bad habits but also have access to training information and assistance.
Start teaching basic command words like come, sit, stay, leave it, drop it, and heel one at a time to avoid overwhelming the dog. Effectively housebreak Irish Terriers by creating a feeding schedule potty training, and crate training. The youngsters of this breed require firm and consistent training so that they may grow into respectful adults. If a pet owner is seeking a trainer, he or she should find a a person who has vast experience with terriers.
Irish Terrier Temperament | Personality
- Loyal.
- Courageuos.
- Alert.
- Energetic.
- Good-tempered.
- Versatile.
- Playful.
- Curious.
- Affectionate.
- Protective.
- Spirited.
- Devoted.
- Independent.
- Strong-willed.
- Dominant with other dogs.
- Lively.
Irish Terrier Exercise
The Irish Terriers are energetic dogs that possess boundless energy. These are great athletes that require daily exercise ideally in a secured fenced yard. Irish Terriers need daily walks several times a day while on a leash to maintain the physical and mental fitness. This breed may also participate in flyball, earthdog, obedience, rally, and agility events which provides an outlet for the breed’s natural athleticism, intelligence, and energy.
Irish Terrier Barking
The Irish Terriers make wonderful watchdogs. They will bark to alert the owner of anyone who is approaching. However, some dogs may easily develop the habit of excessive barking if they are not taught to control barking from an early age.
Irish Terrier Height
Female Irish Terriers have a height of 16 to 18 inches ( approx. 41 to 46 cm ) while their male counterparts have a height of 17 to 18 inches ( approx. 43 to 46 cm ).
Irish Terrier Weight
The female Irish Terriers have a weight of 25 pounds ( approx. 11 kg) while their male counterparts have a weight of 27 pounds ( approx. 12 kg ).
Irish Terrier Size
The Irish Terriers are medium-size terriers that have a height of 16 to 18 inches ( approx. 41 to 26 cm ) and a weight of 25 to 27 pounds ( approx. 11 to 12 kg ).
Irish Terrier Health Issues
The Irish Terriers are healthy and robust dogs with a lifespan of 13 to 15 years. However, this breed may suffer from Cystinuria, Hyperkeratosis(although rare in North America, it may be present in the European lines), hypothyroidism, and eye problems like cataracts.
Apart from Irish Terriers, other dog breeds include:
Irish Terrier Names
An Irish Terrier owner may decide to get a name for the puppy before it joins them home from the breeder or days after the pet has settled home to understand better the personality of the dog. Parents may get name inspirations from the Scottish heritage, coat color and texture, temperament of the dog, celebrity Irish Terriers, movies, songs, books, food, nature, or historical figures.
Regardless of where you will source the name, ensure the name chosen freely rolls off your tongue and will not make you embarrassed when uttered out loud in the public. Irish Terriers and other dog breeds better understand names that have vowels. If the parent settles with a long name, he or she should find a cute name for the dog.
Avoid giving your pet a name that rhymes with the command words to avoid confusion. If the Irish Terrier shares a name with any family member or guests who frequent the home, it may cause confusion. Some of the names that Irish Terrier owners give to their pets include:
- Patrick.
- Clover.
- Torrey.
- Dublin.
- Apollo.
- Wesley.
- Bubba.
- Otis.
- Bella.
- Eloise.
- Albany.
- Roomba.
- Calvin.
- Chase.
- Utopia, etc.
Irish Terrier Food
The amount of food that Irish Terriers feed on depend on their activity level, age, metabolism, size, and body build. Irish Terrier puppies tend to have a high metabolism rate as compared to adults and senior dogs. Therefore, a youngster needs to feed 3 or 4 times a day from when it starts weaning until the age of 6 months. From the age of 6 months, Irish Terriers should feed on two meals a day for the rest of their lives with snacks and treats in between. However, Irish owners should watch out for calorie consumption and weight level to avoid overfeeding their pets.
The Irish Terriers may feed on dry food, wet food, home made, or a raw diet depending on the budget and time of the pet parent. Regardless of the food brand or type, the owner should ensure that the pooch feeds on a balanced diet. This allows it to maintain a good health eventually allowing it to develop cognitively and physically. If the Irish parent decides to feed the dog the commercial dry or wet food, he or she should ensure the first three ingredients are proteins from a known source.
The commercial dog food should never contain preservatives, chemicals, additives, Meat by-products, generic meat products, and fillers. The same goes to the snacks. Feed an Irish Terrier with food for medium-sized puppies, adults, and senior depending on its age. Make a habit of regularly checking the physique of your dog to know whether it is overweight or underweight.
If you can see the ribs, chances are the dog is underweight. Although, if the ribs are not visible but you can feel them without pressing hard, the Irish Terrier has an ideal weight. If you cannot feel the ribs, the Irish Terrier is obese. After getting a puppy from a breeder, the owner is likely to switch to another quality food. They should gradually do this over a period of one month by mixing both old food and new food. As the weeks progresses, the amount of old food reduces as the new food increases until the Irish Terrier is only feeding on new food during the fourth week.
Irish Terrier Grey | Black | White | Colors
The Irish Terriers may have a solid colored golden red, bright red, wheaten, or red wheaten. A small white marking on the chest is permissible in the whole-colored dogs. White color on any other part of the body is not desirable. At times, puppies may have black hair at birth which should disappear before they are mature. As the Irish Terriers grow old, grey hair may appear here and there. Originally, this breed had all colors like, grey and brindle, black and tan, red, and wheaten of all shades before selective breeding.
Irish Terrier Mini
There are no size varieties for Irish Terriers i.e. standard, mini(miniature), or toy-sized.
Irish Terrier Ears
The Irish Terriers have small and V-shaped ears of moderate thickness. The ears are set well on the head and drop forward closely towards the outside corner of the eye.
Do Irish Terrier Shed
Yes. Irish Terriers shed at minimal levels throughout the year.
Are Irish Terriers Hypoallergenic
Yes. Irish Terriers are widely regarded hypoallergenic. They shed at low-levels all-year round and the shed hair is barely noticeable if the coat is properly hand stripped. However, apart from hair, dog’s dander, urine, mucus, and saliva contain a protein allergen that triggers allergic reaction. Therefore, there is no 100% hypoallergenic purebred or crossbreed.
Are Irish Terriers Good Family Dogs
Yes. Irish Terriers are active dogs that make good family dogs for active owners. They are intelligent, loyal, playful alert, curious, athletic, affectionate, and spirited.
Irish Terriers Quick Facts
- They have a distinctive all-red coat.
- Irish Terriers are one of the oldest of the Terrier breeds.
- It is the only terrier that has a longer body and longer legs.
