Glen of Imaal Terrier dog gear

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The Glen of Imaal Terrier is a breed of dog of the terrier category and one of four Irish terrier breeds. It is sometimes called the Irish Glen of Imaal Terrier or the Wicklow Terrier, and the name of the breed is often shortened by fanciers to just Glen.

The breed originates in the Glen of Imaal in County Wicklow, Ireland. The breed was recognized first by the Irish Kennel Club in 1934 and most recently by the American Kennel Club in 2004.

The breed came into existence during the reign of Elizabeth I, who hired French and Hessian mercenaries to put down civil unrest in Ireland. After the conflict, many of these soldiers settled in the Wicklow area. They brought with them their low-slung hounds, which they bred with the local terrier stock, eventually resulting in a distinctive breed found only in the Glen of Imaal. Some say that the breed is related to the Soft-Coated Wheaten Terrier, another Irish terrier breed.

The Glen of Imaal Terrier was developed as a general working dog for herding and for eradicating vermin such as fox, badger, and otter. When hunting, Glens work "mute to ground," silently digging out their quarry, as they are a strong dog and not a sounding terrier.

According to Irish lore, which is repeated in many descriptions of the breed including the AKC's, Glen of Imaal Terriers were also used as turnspit dogs to turn meat over fires for cooking. Actual evidence for this is scarce, and engravings of turnspit dogs from the 19th century do not show much resemblance to the modern Glen.

The Glen of Imaal Terrier is one of the rarest breeds of dog (in the U.S., registered animals number about a thousand) and the least-known Irish terrier breed.

Because much of the Glen of Imaal is now used as a firing range by the Irish army, there are today no Glen of Imaal Terriers residing in the Glen of Imaal.