Irish Terriers as Family Pets

Irish terriers are medium-sized with a strong proud majestic appearance.

They are a brownish colored dog - the colors of their coat are golden red, red wheaten, or wheaten.

Healthy & Lively

Irish Terriers are a very healthy breed of dog and are loyal, lively, and affectionate.

They are energetic and require regular exercise - therefore they are very suited to active families.

Temperament

Irish Terriers are usually hot-tempered, reckless, independent and exceptionally courageous - they can also be combative with other dogs of the same sex and when used in the First World War as messenger dogs were affectionately known as daredevils.

Training

If an Irish terrier is trained with a firm hand from an early age they can become fantastic family pets. While they never will lose their independent streak entirely (part of their appeal) they can be good with children loving and great watchdogs.

Irish Terriers are broken coated, so they don't shed hair all year round - making them a good dog for asthma sufferers. Irish Terriers are strong willed and can be difficult to train and need firm training from an early age.

History

All breeds of dogs are genetically bred over the years for certain purposes, and the Irish terrier is one of the oldest of the terrier breeds. Irish Terriers are believed to have descended from the rough haired Fox Terrier.

They do not have the genetic problems that so many other breeds face.

This is an important consideration as veterinary expenses can be quite high for some breeds.

Terriers are not your usual dogs, and Irish Terriers are not your usual Terriers.

The long-legged terriers were originally bred to dig for game. The soft coated wheaten terriers were used on farms as working and gun dogs.

Irish Terriers were originally hardy all around farm dogs with a quick intelligence. Since Irish Terriers were bred for active work, these dogs need plenty of regular exercise.

Terriers with children

Irish terriers are loyal, lively, and affectionate - often make excellent companions for children, as they are playful and curious by nature.

Not only do Irish Terriers love to play with children, but they will guard them ruthlessly if required. Irish Terriers love people and will be very reliable with them, but their fiery temper with other dogs should always be borne in mind.

A Great all round family pet

Irish Terriers need to spend time with their family and being a small to medium size, neat and unlikely to shed lots of hair - they are good indoor dogs.

Irish Terriers are strong willed as we said earlier, but with the right training you have a dog the whole family will love an cherish.

Irish Terriers are essentially happy natured dogs. Irish Terriers are brassy, bold and playful animals and make great guard dogs.

Irish terriers are quick-tempered and are the second hardest breed to train, beaten only by Basenjis. This may be the reason Irish Terriers are also a fairly hard breed to find.

Why Consider an Irish terrier as a Pet?

They are beautiful, with a proud majestic appearance and their traits of being loyal, intelligent and loving means they are cherished by their owners.

Ok, they can still be a bit independent, but that is part of their endearing charm.

If you are considering a family pet, a well trained Irish terrier is an ideal choice, the whole family will love.