Kerry Blue Terrier

The Kerry Blue Terrier has many official names: the Irish Blue, the Blue, or the Kerry, if you wish to. This wavy wonder is the national dog of the Ireland. Being a master of this breed, you will always be respected by your pet and feel yourself special.

The Kerry Blue Terrier originated in the picturesque south-western Ireland, to be exact, in County Kerry between the late 1700s and the early 1800s. Obviously, the etymology of the name of the breed is connected with this Irish region and «blue» points out the coat colour.

Earlier people created an affinity between the Kerry Blue Terrier, the Portuguese Water Dog, the Irish Wolfhound and some others. The most popular theory affirms the Russian Blue Dog to be the ancestor of the Kerry breed.

The Kerry had many duties in the past. It was used as a small game hunter, a farm shepherd, a police dog, and a guardian both in water and on land.

1922 is marked by the breed recognition as the Miscellaneous Class by the American Kennel Club (AKC).

Nowadays the Kerry Blue Terrier serves more as a family pet, bringing joy and being a great watchdog.

From the first sight the Kerry Blue Terrier is a regular dog with common needs. Thanks to the strong character, this rowdy, determined breed loves to play hard. The better you get to know this dog, the more you realize that you possess a real a treasure.

It goes without saying, that guardian habits of the Kerry are naturally developed. One can rely on such a dog that will alarm when someone’s approaching. This breed is not aggressive, but can fiercely protect its family and property.

The Kerry Blue Terrier will be perfect for a family with small babies as well as elder kids. If you have the Kerry Terrier, remember, that it will always like to be surrounded by loving masters, making them laugh and insisting on joint activities.

The Kerry is friendly with all strangers and pets, if it was properly socialized and well introduced to them. But still never leave your dog unsupervised.

The most common problems for the breed include:

• cerebellar abiotrophy;
• cryptorchidism;
• dermal cyst;
• ear infections;
• epidermal gland cyst;
• eye problems;
• canine hip dysplasia;
• hypothyroidism;
• missing teeth;
• patellar luxation.

The Kerry Blue Terrier must be groomed properly. Unfortunately, the grooming is complicated, since it often requires professional skills or a skilled specialist, whom far not easy to find for this breed.

First of all, although the Kerry sheds not so much, its coat should be brushed every single day to avert tangles and mats and to distribute oil as well. Bathing and trimming procedures must be done every four weeks.

Don’t forget about usual grooming procedures: check and clean with special cleanser you pet’s ears, trim nails, weekly brush the teeth not only for the Hollywood smile’s sake, but also for health.

The Kerry Blue Terrier is famous for its intelligence, good memory and therefore the ability to be taught tricks. But it doesn’t mean this breed is easy to train.

If the training is too ordinary, your pet will lose interest. Make sure that each lesson is challenging and vigorous, because the Kerry is a sporting dog, preferring agility and catch training. And don’t forget about treats!

The owners must be consistent and firm. You need to be confident and show who’s the boss, especially during the obedience training. For example, never let your dog go ahead during walking, otherwise, it will manipulate you and, finally, become the leader.

Early and proper socialisation is absolutely necessary, since the Kerry Blue Terriers are protective.

The Kerry Blue Terrier is a mid-sized breed that requires a lot of activity to stay always in a good shape. This breed won’t be ready to seat at home the hole day and definitely not suited for a coach potato type master.

One hour of energetic exercise daily is important, and the most favourite one is walking, jogging or just simply romping with funny shouts and noisy games in a yard.