Kerry Blue Terrier

Size
Medium (11kg - 27kg)
Exercise
40 min/day
Training
Weekly
Size of home
House with garden
Time at home
Alone with support
Grooming
Frequent
Barking preference
Watchdog barking
Personality
Independent + affectionate

Breeder List

Breeder - Mrs Lynette Murphy (MERIJIGS)

lynettemurphy6@bigpond.com
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History

The Kerry Blue Terrier is one of the nine native breeds of Ireland. The Kerry, sometimes called the Irish Blue Terrier, was a peasant farmer’s dog. It was bred with great courage, adaptability and intelligence and was used to bring horse, cattle and sheep in from distant paddocks. Then, at night, the dog would sleep on the hearth and guard the house.

The Kerry Blue Terrier was also bred to hunt vermin. Irish farmers from the Ring of Kerry reported that the breed was bred in both light and dark colours as a way of disguising it on hunts, as the peasant farmers were not allowed a hunting dog. So, on moonlit nights they would run with the lighter colour dog to poach hare and various other small game, and then when the night was dark they would use the dogs with darker coats.

Appearance

The breed is of a medium size in body, and muscular. It is a square dog with slightly longer legs and is an ideal family member. The Kerry Blue Terrier will play untiringly, then comfortably relax with you at the end of the day. It is well adapted to being a house dog with the family and has a non-shedding coat that is soft and wavy – this starts out black but over time the colour changes to any shade of grey-blue, from pale silver to gunmetal.

Maintenance

Because it does not shed coat, the breed will need a weekly brushing. It can be clipped as a pet by any grooming parlour. You can have the Schnauzer trim or a total clip oﬀ and this will keep your pet in good shape as a member of the house.

Remember, if you leave the Kerry’s beard and moustache it will require some washing on a regular basis.

Michelle Cranna. Kerry Blue Terrier head

Temperament

The temperament of the Kerry Blue Terrier is disciplined; you need to be in charge and a young pup will look to you as pack leader. It is always good to fully socialise a new puppy, at puppy preschool and possibly some Obedience training, especially the basic commands of sit and stay. These days, most puppies are raised in the house and some have even become lifelong companions with house cats.

Apart from making an excellent watchdog, the Kerry Blue Terrier is devoted to children and will play with them for many hours. If you consider obtaining a puppy, most breeders will have a waiting list so you will have to be patient.

Health and Suitability

Kerry Blues have been bred very carefully in Australia and have very few health issues, the most common being ingrown hair cysts.

To keep them in top condition, the breed does require some exercise, either a half-hour walk or 10 minutes of fetch to help keep it ﬁt and healthy. You can expect your Kerry Blue Terrier to live up to the age of 12 to 15 years.

Please remember that a Terrier is not for all families. It does thrive on attention and responds well to being part of the family. When left to its own devices, without interaction or exercise, the breed can be destructive to gardens. It is best to always leave it with its own toys and a Kong or other device to entertain it when left for long periods.

Words: Wayne Lewis

Image: Tony Manning

In Conclusion

Now you know a little about the Kerry Blue Terrier, you may think that this is the dog for you. Before you make a decision, please make contact with the breed club or your State controlling body for purebred dogs. They will be able to give you information about available puppies and also suggest dog shows where you can see the breed and speak to breeders. In this way you will gain a better perspective of the Kerry Blue Terrier and its needs, and whether this breed would suit your lifestyle.

Official breed standard as recognized by Dogs NSW (Last Updated: 22 May 2009)

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A breed standard is the guideline which describes the ideal characteristics, temperament, and appearance of a breed and ensures that the breed is fit for function with soundness essential. Breeders and judges should at all times be mindful of features which could be detrimental in any way to the health, welfare or soundness of this breed.

General Appearance

Upstanding, well knit and proportioned, well developed and muscular body.

Characteristics

Compact, powerful terrier, showing gracefulness and an attitude of alert determination, with definite terrier style and character throughout.

Temperament

Disciplined gameness.

Physical Standards

Head and Skull	Well balanced, long, proportionally lean, with slight stop and flat over the skull. Foreface and jaw very strong, deep and punishing; nose black; nostrils of due proportion.
Eyes	Dark as possible. Small to medium with keen terrier expression.
Ears	Small to medium and V-shaped; carried forward but not too high.
Mouth	Gums and roof of mouth dark with perfect, regular scissor bite, i.e. upper teeth closely overlapping the lower teeth and set square to the jaws.
Neck	Strong and reachy, running into sloping shoulder.
Forequarters	Shoulders flat as possible with elbows carried close to body while standing or moving. Legs straight, bone powerful. Front straight, neither too wide nor too narrow.
Body	Short coupled with good depth of brisket and well sprung ribs. Deep chest. Topline level.
Hindquarters	Large and well developed, stifle bent and hocks close to ground giving perfect freedom of hind action.
Feet	Round and small. Nails black.
Tail	Docked: Set on high and carried erect.Undocked: Set on high of moderate length to give an overall balanced appearance. Thick at the base and evenly tapering to tip, straight as possible and carried jauntily. An excessively gay or curled tail undesirable.
Gait/Movement	Free and powerful. Fore and hind legs moving straight and parallel, stifles turning neither in nor out.
Coat	Soft and silky, plentiful and wavy.
Colour	Any shade of blue with or without black points. Tan permissible in puppies, also a dark colour up to the age of 18 months. A small white patch on chest should not be penalised.
Size	Weight: Mature dog 15-17 kg (33-37 lbs)Bitches proportionately less, 16 kg (35 lbs) is the most desirable weight to aim for.Ideal height: Dogs 46-48 cms (18-19 ins) at shoulderBitches slightly less.

Faults

Any departure from the foregoing points should be considered a fault and the seriousness with which the fault should be regarded should be in exact proportion to its degree and its effect upon the health and welfare of the dog.