Kerry Blue Terrier Dog Breed Temperament, Health Issues, Grooming and History

Description: The Kerry Blue Terrier is a muscular, medium-sized dog. They have a large and long head that is in proportion to the rest of the body. Their teeth meet in a scissor or level bite, their muzzle is long but in good proportion to the head. We see wide nostrils and a black nose. This dog has small eyes that are dark. With small V-shaped ears that are on top of the head, slightly above the skull line, and carried forward. This breed has a long neck that is wider towards the shoulders. The high set tail is straight, and is docked in countries that permit this. The dogs height is 18?to 20 inches, with bitches being 17?to 19 inches. Both the dogs and bitches weigh around 34-40 pounds. Coat colours come in shades of brown, black to very dark blue. With the adults' colour ranging from slate blue to light grey.

History: The Kerry Blue Terrier breed comes from Ireland, from the county of Kelly and dates from around 1700s. This breed is a national Terrier of Ireland. It is thought that the Kerry Blue Terrier was developed from the old black terriers, Spanish, or Russian terriers with the possibility of the Irish wolfhounds. There is also some belief that the Portuguese water dog has contributed to the single silky wavy coat of the Kerry blue Terrier. This dog has been used as an all-round working dog, retriever, herding sheep, guardian, game hunting, police work, and most commonly companion. In the United States, the blue Terrier club was started in 1922, and was recognized by the AKC in 1924.

Temperament: This is often seen as a comical dog having a reputation of giving people a good laugh. It is affectionate with his family but holds an alert determined enjoyment of roughhousing. This dog makes an excellent watchdog, whilst, at the same time, being friendly and gets along with strangers, and most other household pets. This dog does need a good pack leader, and to be socialized well with other dogs and situations as a puppy. This breed responds well to a confident owner and, with good intelligence, can even perform tricks. The Kerry Blue Terrier dog breed needs good consistency with household rules. They have a natural flair for agility training and sporting games such as catch. This dog will love to be challenged within their training to gain the best from your Kerry Blue Terrier. This dog will need daily walking, and it is wise to remember he is one of the sporting breeds of dogs, so they need regular long exercise.

Health issues: Some are prone to hip dysplasia, PNA, cataracts, KCS and CHD, hair follicle tumours have been known.

Grooming: The Kerry Blue Terrier needs professional grooming every six weeks and home grooming once a week, using a brush. Bathing this breed will not dry their skin, and so this can be done weekly. Without this level of care the dog gets very smelly.

Living conditions: The Kerry Blue Terrier dog is good for apartment life, providing, they have had their outdoor activities and have access to a small garden.