Which functional grouping do kennel clubs assign the Soft-Coated Wheaten Terrier?
Answer
Terrier Group
Kennel clubs and breed registries functionally classify the Soft-Coated Wheaten Terrier into the Terrier Group. This classification is based not on shared biological genus or family, but on the shared history of function for which the dogs were originally bred. Terriers were typically developed to be tenacious hunting dogs tasked with rooting out small game and vermin, often requiring them to work underground. This grouping highlights the impact of intense artificial selection applied by humans to achieve specific working traits, contrasting with the purely evolutionary basis of Linnaean taxonomy.

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