About the breed

About The Breed

History:

Although the Glen today is still rather unknown, it is actually one of the oldest terrier breeds. From as far back in history as 1575 you can find written descriptions of a breed which with a large degree of certainty can be claimed to be the Irish Glen of Imaal Terrier.
As the name hints the breed originates in Ireland, more precisely from County Wicklow south of Dublin. The valley Imaal is located in Wicklow and it is from here the Glen gets its name. Glen means "valley" in the original Irish language Gaelic.

Glen of Imaal a foggy noon 1995

The breed was very local and in Imaal they used it to keep the small farms clean of vermin. But, as all terriers, the Glen was also used for hunting. The Irish send their Glens into bagder holes. The dog was then supposed to drag the bagder out without saying anything. If they started to bark it was reason enough for disqualification. The breed therefore became known as the "silent worker".
Not until 1933 was the breed recognized by the Irish Kennel Klub and then international recognition by the FCI when they issued the first breed standard in 1975.
The first Glen came to Denmark in 1985 (CH Glenheights Teaser), and today we can count a little more than 225 specimen here in the country.

Appearance:

A Glen can be characterized in a few words as a "large dog on low legs". According to the FCI standard the Glen's maximum height over the shoulders is 35,5 cm. Not a big dog you see. But the weight is very surprising a lot. The breed weights about 16 kg! It has strong bones and, if excercised correctly, a lot of muscle.
Characteristic for the Glen is the bowed front legs. A lot of people think it's a mistake, but it is surely not. The Glen used these bowed front legs when it went into the holes to get the badger.
The breed is available in two colours: Blue/brindle and wheaten. But these two colours can vary a lot - from light grey to really dark blue and from light beige to really red.

Character:

A Glen is a terrier no doubt about that. But it doesn't have the typical "terrier temperament".
The Glen is far too calm for that. Of course it has temperament when needed, but actually it will rather stay in its sofa corner and take a little nap.
As all breeds, the Glen needs a firm upbringing. Already as a pup it must learn where its limits are.
The Glen is intelligent in its own special way. It was try and fool you and take control. In these situations you have to give consequences no matter how sweet the pup looks.

CH McCormac a stoir, 12 weeks,
Multich Ginger's /D Cormac &
CH Bilbo's Geraldine.

Beside its calm nature the breed has another advantage. It barks very seldom (a survival from old times). If your Glen barks then you can be pretty sure something is wrong and it can not be handled without your attention. Otherwise it simply would not bark. A Glen doesn't want to use any unnecessary effort. But it must be noted that all glens do bark and if you in any way encourace it, the glen will bark like all other dogs.

Grooming:

An Irish Glen of Imaal Terrier needs to be stripped/trimmed once to twice a year. But remember that is when the dog is an adult. As a youngster it needs to be stripped more often so the "real" easy coat gets room to grow out.
But when you are passed this stage the Glen doesn't require much grooming. Once to twice a week it has to be combed with a fine comb, and, as said before, stripped once to twice a year by a professional groomer.

If you have any further questions about the breed do feel free to contact me:

Kennel McCormac ~ Christina Rune
Phone: (+45) 29270024

Background: Lotte Madsen, www.lovisti.dk

Revised 05-06-12 21:30:03