Ava Williams
Shoulder height: 45 – 50 cm
Weight: 13 – 18 kg
Age: 12 – 15 years
Color: blue with or without black markings
Use: Companion dog, sports dog, the family dog
The Kerry Blue is a long-legged terrier and comes from Ireland. Don’t be fooled by its distinctive appearance: the Blue Kerry is a terrier through and through. Fearless, lively, stubborn, spirited, and playful into old age. Therefore, it is only conditionally suitable for dog beginners.
Origin and history
The Kerry Blue Terrier is an ancient Irish terrier breed whose exact origins are little known. What is certain is that these dogs were originally kept as companion and guard dogs on farms, where they also served as mice and pied catchers. They also proved themselves in dog fights. The Kerry Blue was particularly widespread in County Kerry in southern Ireland, which also gave the breed its name. The first breed standard was created at the beginning of the 20th century.
Appearance
The Kerry Blue Terrier is long-legged and is somewhat similar in shape to the Irish Terrier. However, he is built a little stronger. Its body is muscular, the ears are set high and tipped forward, and the tail is carried erect. The dark eyes are covered by fur when the breed is clipped. A distinctive goatee is also typical of the Kerry.
The Kerry Blue Terrier’s most striking physical characteristic is the “blue” coat color. However, the steel blue color only develops at the age of about 18 months. Puppies are born all black. The fur is soft, lush, and wavy. Because the Blue Terrier has no undercoat, it rarely sheds. However, the fur must be trimmed regularly.
Nature
The Kerry Blue Terrier is a spirited, intelligent dog that takes its duty as a guard and protector seriously. But he doesn’t tend to bark excessively. By its original tasks, the Blue Terrier is very willing to work, extremely self-confident, and not very easy to handle. It hardly tolerates foreign dogs in its territory. It is also reserved for strangers towards strangers.
With a strong personality and a strong passion for hunting, the elegant Kerry Blue Terrier is not necessarily a dog for beginners. Its upbringing requires a lot of consistency and assertiveness. In addition, the lively, docile dog also wants to be kept busy. The agile and playful guy is not suitable for couch potatoes and couch potatoes. It goes well with sporty people who like to do a lot with their dog, for example in dog sports.