Wheaten Terrier Development- Aidan Week 23

Its Aidan's 23rd week and he's weighing in at 29 lbs. It was been a very exciting and confusing week for the little guy. The excitement is all about the stances and the stands. He's really starting to look like a champ with his stance and he's become a man this week by finally lifting his leg and peeing on the big tree in the yard. His daddy is so proud he no longer pees like a girl.

He lost a lot of teeth this week. At one point most of his front top teeth were missing! He continues to be a good boy by only chewing on his own toys.  As you can see below, he lost another tooth on his nice new teddy bear his nana just gave him!

The confusion for him has come due to his mommy having to leave to go to work in Saskatchewan. Apparently he has taken to lying at the front door awaiting my arrival home. His dad continues to corrupt him by allowing him to take mom's spot in the bed!

 He twists and turns his head at the computer and runs to the back of the computer when I Skype his dad. Poor guy just can't figure out why he can hear me but can't smell or touch me. I will try and get a video of it for next week. Until then...

Wheaten Terrier Development: Aidan - Weeks 22

What an exciting week 22 was for Aidan. Weighing in at 27.8 lbs and that is minus some hair. This week we took Aidan to the Second Tub, a local dog spa in Mississauga, ON. What a great group of people there. Firstly our groomer Nadia understood what a wheaten cut should be and because he is still a puppy without a lot of hair, she understood the importance of starting to shape his cut now. She also understood that he was still in training and continued to re-enforce his sits and stays. They protected his ears with cotton balls and put drops in his eyes so that the shampoo and cologne wouldn't hurt him.  He was bathed in oatmeal to protect his puppy skin in a hydro massage bath, his ears where clipped inside and out and his hair was clipped and shaved the way it should be. His nails were clipped and hair around his pads was trimmed and he was sprayed with a nice smelling cologne. He looked and smelled great when I picked him up. He was given an A+ on his report, seems he was a very good dog, the only issue Nadia had with him was that he got a little randy a few times. (boys will be boys)

Here is the before picture.

And the after, notice the fall over his eyes and the white on his chest

We were really surprised at how white (wheaten) his hair was under all that long hair, his head is so soft, it feels like a cotton ball. No wonder they are called Soft Coated Irish Wheaten Terriers!

Even the sun has problems with that bright white head now. Eventually his whole body will turn that colour except for his beard which should remain black. Here you can see just how tall is getting as well. He's going to be a big boy!

  
Special thanks to the staff at Second Tub, they truly love what they do and it shows! http://www.secondtub.com check them out if you are in the Mississauga area.

Wheaten Terrier Development: Aidan - Weeks 20 & 21

Firstly, I'd like to apologize for missing a few weeks. Aidan's daddy had some complications due to a minor surgery and we have been trying to take care of him.

At week 20 Aidan weighed 25.4 lbs and at 21 weeks he is 26.4 lbs. He continues to be a spunky little guy. He loves to run and play and learn new things. At school he learns all his commands and is happy doing them, but when he has to sit quietly while the instructor talks, he'd rather try to leave or play with the other dogs. He is very smart and if he isn't being challenged to do something he wants to play or just do his own thing.  We find around the house, he likes to play by himself. He can entertain himself for hours with his toys and really only wants us to play with him after dinner most nights. (I think we've programmed a schedule into him without even trying!)

His coat continues to grow and change colour. Almost all the black markings he had on his back are now gone, being replaced by the wheaten colour. Hopefully he will keep a little of his apricot colouring but at this stage it is looking like that won't happen. He gets a daily combing, if not the hair starts to mat a bit, especially under his chin and on his legs. Since we started this when he was 10 weeks old, he doesn't mind it and in fact runs to our combing area when I tell him its time to make him look pretty....He is a little vain. He comes running when we say "where's that pretty boy?" or "where's our handsome guy".

 
He enjoys being outside and doesn't mind the rain. We had heard that a lot of Wheaten's don't like the rain, but it doesn't slow him down. We haven't had him swimming yet (still a little too cold around here), but he has no problems walking out into the river to get a drink when we are out for a walk. See how he plays by himself outside.

Wheaten Terrier Development: Aidan - Weeks 17 & 18

 At 17 weeks Aidan was 23 lbs and this week he is 24.2 lbs. He continues to grow like a weed. Up again,  and not out. He was long legs and a skinny little butt. His colour is still slowly changing and his hair is growing. Most days it looks as if he needs a good brushing but it is done daily and since we started this from day one, he actually enjoys getting it done. His favourite part is having his belly combed which he tries to get me to do first instead of last.  We have been extremely lucky with his teething. He continues to chew on his toys and not on any of our stuff! If he's not chewing on a toy he is usually sleeping, not sure if this is normal or not but we are chalking it up to the teething. We bought him a new bed.

But of course he likes our bed better....he seldom gets a chance to get on it, so when he does, he snuggles down into the pillows.

But his favourite spot is under the dining room table, curled up on the table legs.

We've heard that Wheaten's enjoy sleeping under something. Around here its the dining room table, coffee table or desk, he just stretches out and dreams. His legs twitch, his nose and ears wiggles, his tail wags and he even lets out a little woof now and then in his sleep. (although he really isn't much of a barker!)

Wheaten Terrier Development: Aidan - 10 weeks to 14 weeks

Wheaten Terrier Development: Aidan - 10 weeks to 14 weeks: I decided to start this blog because after getting a new puppy, I could not find a growth progress for our little guy. He is a soft coated I...

Wheaten Terrier Development: 15 Weeks Old

Wheaten Terrier Development: 15 Weeks Old: Aidan's 15 weeks old and weighs in at a whopping 17.6 lbs, must be all the treats his dad and his grandparents have been feeding him! A 2.2 ...

Wheaten Terrier Development: 16 Weeks

Wheaten Terrier Development: 16 Weeks: Aidan is now 4 months old and weighs in at a whopping 20.2 lbs, although he seems to just be growing up and not out. This week has seen a re...

16 Weeks

Aidan is now 4 months old and weighs in at a whopping 20.2 lbs, although he seems to just be growing up and not out. This week has seen a real change in him. Firstly his puppy teeth have now become tiny razor blades, shredding people and anything else that comes close to them. His coat is really starting to get the wheaten colour, especially on his back and he is starting to develop his wheaten back leg strength.  He can really balance himself nicely, lord help us when he can reach the counter tops!

We spent a day at Aidan's grandparents house this week where he played with his 'cousins' Sophie, Erin and Charlie. Sophia the old girl really didn't want to have much to do with the rowdy newcomer. But Erin and Charlie, the pugs, were up for the fun and games. It was interesting to see Aidan and Charlie, two alpha males, try and decide who would be the boss, especially when it came down to Erin.

15 Weeks Old

Aidan's 15 weeks old and weighs in at a whopping 17.6 lbs, must be all the treats his dad and his grandparents have been feeding him! A 2.2 lb gain in a week, but then again he is a growing boy.

His legs are growing and he is getting longer in the body, but really hasn't filled out much. You can see a few blonde (wheaten) coloured hairs starting to come in on his back. Slowly he will turn that colour all over except for his beard. It's going to be interesting to see how it all unfolds.

'Experts' say that you really can't train dogs commands before they are 16 weeks old, but we started at 14 weeks and continue to prove that a young dog can learn just as well. From week 14 to week 15 he has mastered the sit and the shake a paw as well as something we didn't teach him!  Have a watch.

Check back next week to see what is happening with Aidan.

Aidan - 10 weeks to 14 weeks

I decided to start this blog because after getting a new puppy, I could not find a growth progress for our little guy. He is a soft coated Irish Wheaten Terrier. We got him from a breeder near Drumbo, On. Canada four weeks ago when he was 10 weeks old. His CKC name is Marayne's Aidan from MacFinn, or Aidan for short.  His mother is from Canada and his father is direct from Ireland.

Above is Aidan at 11 weeks, he weighed in at 12.4 lbs. Below is him at 13 weeks weighing 13.6 lbs and 14 weeks at 15.4 lbs.

  At 11 weeks Aidan went for a check up and we found out he had a nasty parasite which they treated with a Sulpha drug.....watch your pets very carefully if they are given this drug. We almost lost our little guy who turned out to have an allergy to it. He became lethargic, wouldn't eat, and couldn't keep his eyes open. These are all signs of a drug reaction. Call your vet immediately and do not give your pet this drug if you see any of these signs....better safe then sorry! Once he was off it for 24 hrs we had a happy lively puppy once again.

Wheaten's are one of the only non shedding purebreds so they are great for families with allergies! They are  energetic little guys who are known for their "Wheaten Greetin'" which is a polite term saying they love to jump!  They do entertain themselves a lot and love to learn. At 14 weeks Aidan is already a good sitter, he can kiss on command and can shake a paw. He loves running in the garden and eating sticks but also has to be watched closely as he wants to dig!

Wheaten Terriers change colour as they become older and nowhere was this documented. So stay tuned. I'm going to try and post Aidan's development weekly so others can see what to expect from this loveable little guy.