Description
The coat is quite a feature of this breed; puppies are born black and can take up to eighteen months to change to blue. The coat itself is soft and silky, resembling astrakhan, and does not shed.
An extrovert at heart, the Kerry is a compact, spirited dog, determined but adaptable. He makes a good house pet, kind with people but an excellent guard. Coming from a rustic Irish background, he is understandably fond of outdoor pursuits, likes water and is easily trained.
Actual origins of the breed are obscure, but there are references to a blackish blue dog native to County Kerry, which may have been the root stock. It was possibly mated to a dog that swam ashore from a wrecked ship in the Bay of Tralee in the 1700s. The breed reached its peak in the 1920s, when there were four breed clubs in Ireland and the Kerry Blue made up more than twenty-five per cent of Irish Kennel Club registrations.
Breed Group
Terrier
Vulnerable Native Breed
Yes
Size
Medium
How much exercise?
Up to 1 hour per day
Length of coat
Medium
How much grooming?
Every day
Supposedly sheds?*
No
Town or Country
Either
Type of home
Small or Large House
Minimum Garden Size
Small/Medium
Lifespan
Over 10 Years
* If you are asthmatic or have an allergy, you should consult your medical advisor before considering obtaining a dog. More information can also be found on
the Kennel Club website.
The Terrier Breed Group
Dogs originally bred and used for hunting vermin. 'Terrier' comes from the Latin word Terra, meaning earth. This hardy collection of dogs were selectively bred to be extremely brave and tough, and to pursue fox, badger, rat and otter (to name but a few) above and below ground. Dogs of terrier type have been known here since ancient times, and as early as the Middle Ages, these game breeds were portrayed by writers and painters.