CODE of ETHICS

To download a printable version of the Club’s Code of Ethics, please click on the following link – C of E

Last revised 2022

All members of the Soft-Coated Wheaten Terrier Club of Great Britain undertake to abide by its general Code of Ethics.

Club members
1. Will properly house, feed, water and exercise all dogs under their care and arrange for appropriate veterinary attention as and when required.

2. Will agree without reservation that any veterinary surgeon performing an operation on any of their dogs which alters the natural conformation of the animal, or who carries out a Caesarean section on a bitch, may report such operation to the Kennel Club.

3. Will agree that no healthy puppy will be culled. Puppies which may not conform to the Breed Standard should be placed in suitable homes.

4. Will abide by all aspects of the Animal Welfare Act.

5. Will not create a demand for, nor supply, puppies that have been docked illegally.

6. Will agree not to breed from a dog or a bitch which could be in any way harmful to the dog or to the breed.

7. Will not allow any of their dogs to roam at large or to cause a nuisance to neighbours or to those carrying out official duties.

8. Will ensure that their dogs wear properly tagged collars and will be kept leashed or under effective control when away from home.

9. Will clean up after their dogs in public places or anywhere my dogs are being exhibited.

10. Will only sell dogs where there is a reasonable expectation of a happy and healthy life and will help with the rehoming of a dog if the initial circumstances change.

11. Will supply written details of all dietary requirements and give guidance concerning responsible ownership when placing dogs in a new home.

12. Will ensure that all relevant Kennel Club documents are provided to the new owner when selling or transferring a dog, and will agree, in writing, to forward any relevant documents at the earliest opportunity, if not immediately available.

13. Will not sell any dog to commercial dog wholesalers, retail pet dealers or directly or indirectly allow dogs to be given as a prize or donation in a competition of any kind. I will not sell by sale or auction Kennel Club registration certificates as stand alone items (not accompanying a dog).

14. Will not knowingly misrepresent the characteristics of the breed nor falsely advertise dogs nor mislead any person regarding the health or quality of a dog.

15. As a member of the Soft-Coated Wheaten Terrier Club of Great Britain I pledge that I will adhere to the Rules of the Club, adopt the Breed Standard, display good sportsmanship and conduct myself in such a manner as to reflect credit upon the Club and upon Soft-Coated Wheaten Terriers, and at all times maintain a high standard of health and care for my Soft-Coated Wheaten Terriers.

It is my intention to keep my Soft-Coated Wheaten Terrier for the whole of its life, but in the event of my being unable to do so I will notify the Committee, after prior reference to the Breeder, for advice and assistance with rehoming.

16. I will consider the welfare of my own dogs, and the breed in general, above any personal gain or profit. I will take responsibility for any dogs I own, or own in partnership, whether or not the dogs reside with me.

17. I will attempt to help and befriend novice exhibitors and breeders and new members of the Club.

Health

18. I will make every effort to keep informed of any problems within the Breed with regard to soundness, temperament, hereditary defects, etc.

The Committee for its part, will inform the membership of any developments in respect of the above via the Health Notice Board of the Bulletin, as soon as the information is to hand.

19. I will inform the Committee of any serious problems that I have with my dog’s health, particularly where the Veterinary diagnosis indicates a disease of potentially genetic origin.

The Committee for its part will offer advice and support and, where there is a possibility that this disease is hereditary, will seek verification from the appropriate professional experts. I accept that the Health Secretary will, in the event of confirmation of a hereditary disease, provide clear dissemination of the information to the affected dog’s breeders and to the membership.

20. I will endeavour to take advantage of any scheme devised to test the dogs for any known serious health problems or hereditary defects and inform the Health Secretary of the results.

21. I agree to co-operate with any health directives and associated breeding recommendations made by the Club following advice from the relevant experts. (Refer to Code of Ethics section 28, points c, d, e, f & g for recommended health tests.)

22. In order to facilitate the keeping of full health records, I will inform the Secretary of the death of my Wheaten at whatever age.

Breeding

A breeder’s main objective should be to produce puppies of superior quality to the bitch.

A stud dog should be chosen to compliment the bitch and improve on any faults she may have.

The owner of the stud dog and the owner of the bitch have equal responsibility for adhering to the following points:

23. I will only breed from Wheatens which conform to the Breed Standard and are of sound temperament and which are registered with The Kennel Club (or entered into a corresponding register kept by a recognised Kennel Club with which The Kennel Club has a reciprocal agreement).

24. I will not breed from any Wheaten for which there is specialist veterinary evidence that it is affected by, or is carrying, a serious inherited disease.

25. It is advised that all breeding stock should be identified by microchip, tattoo or DNA profile. (See note at the end of the Code of Ethics re microchipping).

26. Brood Bitches:

a) In line with the Kennel Club’s regulations regarding breeding:

I will not allow my bitch to have more than 4 litters in her life time.

Nor will I allow her to have more than 2 litters by Caesarian section, save for scientifically proven welfare reasons. (This is only normally provided if the application is made to the Kennel Club prior to the mating.)

I will not mate father and daughter, mother and son, or brother and sister, save in exceptional circumstances or for scientifically proven welfare reasons.

I will not allow my bitch to whelp after the age of 8 without prior permission from the Kennel Club and a certificate from the veterinary surgeon regarding the bitch’s health & fitness.

I will not allow my bitches to be mated before the age of two.

I will not permit a bitch to have her first litter after her fifth birthday without prior veterinary consultation.

I will not breed from them on consecutive seasons without a certificate from a veterinary surgeon regarding the bitch’s health and fitness.

b) It is recommended that I provide my new owners with a Contract of Sale, and if the puppies are endorsed ‘progeny not for registration’ give clear details as to whether or not this will be lifted and on what conditions.

If as part of the Contract of Sale, the breeder of the bitch states that the endorsement ‘progeny not for registration’ will be lifted under certain agreed conditions, but not lifted prior to a mating taking place, then full details of this Contract condition should also be disclosed to the owner of the stud dog to be used, and before any mating actually takes place.

These details should be provided to the stud dog owner, in writing, by the breeder of the bitch, and also by the owner of the bitch, so that all parties are fully aware prior to mating, and all parties are agreeable to the mating proceeding.

c) I will also provide my new owners with a puppy diet sheet and the results of any health tests.

27. Stud Dogs:

a) I will not allow my dogs to be used at stud if the dog itself, or the bitch brought to him, is in poor condition.

b) Stud services will be refused to any bitch not registered with the Kennel Club or whose progeny cannot be registered with the Kennel Club.

It is important that the owner of the stud dog confirms with the owner of the bitch to be mated, if the bitch’s registration is endorsed ‘progeny not for registration’, whether or not this endorsement will be lifted and on what conditions.

These details should be confirmed in writing and provided to the stud dog owner, by both the breeder and owner of the bitch, prior to any mating taking place to ensure that all parties are agreeable to the mating proceeding

Stud services will also be refused to any bitch owned by a person suspended from Kennel Club Licensed activities.

c) I will ensure, as far as is possible, that the owner of the bitch intends to comply with the Code of Ethics relating to Health, Breeding and Homing of the puppies.

d) It is recommended that I provide a Contract of Stud Dog Service for each service performed and include details of the conditions of that service and results of any relevant health tests.

The SCWT Club Breeders Directory and Litter Advertisement facility

28. The Breeders Directory and Litter Advertisement facility is an aid to members in finding well-informed, caring homes for their puppies for minimal cost to the breeder in comparison to the price of a puppy.

a) The Club’s Litter Advertisement facility may be used by a breeder to advertise no more than 2 litters in a 12 month period, irrespective of the number of [breeding] bitches involved.
b) Both are restricted to breeders:

where at least one of the breeding partnership has been a Club Member for a minimum of 24 months
who adhere to the SCWT Club of GB Code of Ethics, in particular those relating to the breeding and raising of a litter
whose dogs must be KC registered
who have a good understanding of current health issues and health testing
who provide sound advice on diet, grooming, wellbeing, exercise and socialisation
who provide assistance with the rehoming of, or accept the return of, a dog in the event the owner can no longer provide a suitable home.

c) In addition to the above, to advertise a litter Breeders must provide recent (i.e. within the previous 12 months) blood tests and urine dipstick tests for both the Sire and Dam. (The blood test should include, at a minimum, creatinine, urea, albumin and total protein.
If there is any sign of protein in the urine dipstick, a repeat test in a week or two is advised, but should this test still show signs of protein then a urine protein/creatinine ratio is required).

d) If the sire is from Europe or overseas and no blood test has been done, the breeder must agree to have the puppies blood tested for normal kidney function at 7-8 weeks before they go to their new homes and provide copies of blood test results (or a letter from a vet stating that the results are within a normal range) to the Puppy List co-ordinator as soon as these are available.

e) Hip scores and eye tests are also strongly recommended for adults.

f) It is strongly recommended that both sire and dam have had the DNA test for the predisposing gene for protein losing nephropathy (PLN) and that breeding recommendations are followed./p>

g) It is also strongly recommended that all puppies are blood tested for normal kidney function at 7-8 weeks of age and eye tested for retinal folds.

Homing puppies

29. I will take every precaution to ensure that I place my puppies in suitable, permanent, caring homes. I will encourage all new puppy owners to become members of the Club.

30. I will not knowingly sell puppies to commercial dog dealers, pet shops or laboratories nor will I allow my puppies to be offered as prizes in raffles or competitions.

31. I will ensure that prospective purchasers are fully aware of the disadvantages as well as the advantages of owning the breed.

32. I will ensure that my puppies are wormed and that I provide each purchaser, at the time of sale, with a proper five generation pedigree, an adequate diet sheet, and a Puppy Handbook (available from the Secretary if required).

33. I will deal in a fair and honest manner with prospective purchasers, ensuring that they are advised of any serious fault the dog may have and in such cases I will consider endorsing the registration ‘Progeny not eligible for registration’.

34. In the event of the need to rehome any dog bred by me, I will endeavour to help in any way I can.

Microchipping

All Members should be aware that laws relating to microchipping, which came into effect on 9th April 2012 in Northern Ireland, and on 6th April 2016 in England, Scotland and Wales, state that breeders should have all puppies, bred by them, microchipped between the ages of 6 to 8 weeks and registered with a national database such as Petlog.

Breeders should make new owners aware that it is the new owner’s responsibility to transfer the dog into their ownership as soon as possible after they become the new keeper of the dog. In addition Members should be aware that all dogs they own, over the age of 8 weeks, are now required to be microchipped and registered with and national database, such as Petlog, under these same laws.