Kerry Blue Terrier

About the Kerry Blue Terrier

The Kerry Blue Terrier was the all-purpose dog of the Irish smallholding, expected to herd cattle, kill vermin, retrieve for the pot and guard the yard, and it took its show name from the mountains of County Kerry where the type was concentrated. Nothing about it was ever bred for decoration.

Puppies are born black and clear slowly to the adult blue, a process that can run to eighteen months and sometimes beyond, which is why the standard allows more latitude in young dogs. The coat is soft, dense and wavy, trimmed rather than stripped, and dogs stand 45.5 to 49.5 cm. Kerries are confident and can be quarrelsome with other dogs, so a stud with a level head is the one to use.

Hip scoring and an annual eye examination are the standing requests. The breed has a rare inherited neurological disease that shows in young dogs as a loss of coordination, DNA testing for it is available, and it is fair to ask directly whether the stud has been screened. Ask also about bleeding after surgery in the family, since clotting disorders have been reported, and about the skin cysts this breed is prone to.

Health & breeding

We check every hip, elbow, eye and DNA result you give us against the Royal Kennel Club’s public records by hand, and we record who checked it and when. The Royal Kennel Club’s public records may not include all the screening a dog has had, so a dog with no Royal Kennel Club record showing is not necessarily untested.