The Kerry Blue Terrier (also known as the Irish Blue Terrier) () is a

breed A breed is a specific group of breedable domestic animals having homogeneous appearance (phenotype), homogeneous behavior, and/or other characteristics that distinguish it from other organisms of the same species. In literature, there exist seve ...

of dog. Originally bred to control

vermin Vermin (colloquially varmint(s) or varmit(s)) are pests or nuisance animals that spread diseases and destroy crops, livestock, and property. Since the term is defined in relation to human activities, which species are included vary by regi ...

including rats, rabbits, badgers, ferrets, foxes, otters, hares, deer, and even wolves, over time the Kerry became a general working dog used for a variety of jobs including herding cattle and sheep. Despite a Kerry Blue winning

Crufts Crufts is an international dog show held annually in the United Kingdom, held since 1891, and organised by The Kennel Club. It is the largest show of its kind in the world. Crufts is primarily a championship conformation show for dogs, and ...

(the most prestigious UK dog show) in 2000, it remains an "unfashionable"

, and is distinctly uncommon; however, it is not as threatened as some of the other

terrier Terrier () is a Dog type, type of dog originally bred to hunt vermin. A terrier is a dog of any one of many Dog breed, breeds or landraces of the terrier Dog type, type, which are typically small, wiry, Gameness, game, and fearless. There are fi ...

breeds A breed is a specific group of breedable domestic animals having homogeneous appearance (phenotype), homogeneous behavior, and/or other characteristics that distinguish it from other organisms of the same species. In literature, there exist seve ...

such as the

Skye Terrier The Skye Terrier is a Scottish dog breed that is a long, low, hardy terrier with short legs. It is "one of the most endangered native dog breeds in the United Kingdom" according to the Kennel Club. Appearance Coat The Skye is double c ...

Sealyham Terrier The Sealyham Terrier () is a rare Wales, Welsh breed of small to medium-sized terrier that originated in Wales as a working terrier, working dog. It is principally a white-bodied, coat (dog), rough-coated dog breed, breed, developed in the mid- ...

, and

Dandie Dinmont Terrier A Dandie Dinmont Terrier is a small Scottish dog breed in the terrier family. The breed has a very long body, short legs, and a distinctive topknot of hair on the head. They are friendly but tough, and are suitable for interaction with older ch ...

Description

Appearance

Some characteristics of the Kerry Blue Terrier include a long head, flat skull, deep chest, and a soft wavy-to-curly coat that comes in several shades of "blue", the general term outside this breed being progressive grey. Puppies are born black; the blue appears gradually as the puppy grows older, usually up to 2 years of age. The male Kerry Blue is usually tall at the

withers Withers are the ridge between the shoulder blades of an animal, typically a quadruped. In many species, this ridge is the tallest point of the body. In horses and dogs, it is the standard place to measure the animal's height. In contrast, catt ...

and weighs , while the female is usually and .

Coat

The coat is the key feature of the Kerry. It is soft and wavy with no undercoat. The texture feels like a combination of fine human hair and wool. It does not shed but continues to grow throughout the year. This means the Kerry Blue requires very regular grooming (at least once per week) and clipping an average of every 6 weeks.

Temperament

Kerry Blue Terriers are strong-minded and highly spirited. They have always been loyal and affectionate towards their owners and very gentle towards children but were often considered hostile toward other animals, including other dogs. If they are socialised with other dogs this is no longer the case. In the early days of competitive dog showing, the

Irish Kennel Club The Irish Kennel Club (IKC) is an organization dedicated to supporting Breed of dog, dog breeds and their owners. It maintains a register of purebred dogs in Ireland, issuing pedigree certificates, transfer of ownership certification and expor ...

required Kerries had to pass a "

gameness Game or gameness is a trait most often attributed to List of dog fighting breeds, fighting dogs, Working terrier, working terriers, and Cockfight, fighting cocks that are Selective breeding, selectively bred, referring to their ability to persev ...

" test, known as

Teastas Mor Teastas Mor was a certificate of gameness issued to a dog by the Irish Kennel Club. Strict Irish Kennel Club rules governed the Teastas Mor (certificate of gameness). It was considered that the discipline ensured contests between dog and badg ...

certification, before they were deemed worthy of being judged. These tests included catching rabbits and bringing a badger to bay in its set. They are fast, strong, and intelligent, and they do well in

obedience Obedience, in human behavior, is a form of "social influence in which a person yields to explicit instructions or orders from an authority figure". Obedience is generally distinguished from compliance, which some authors define as behavior infl ...

dog agility Dog agility is a dog sport in which a handler directs a dog through an obstacle course in a race for both time and accuracy. Dogs run off leash with no food or toys as incentives, and the handler can touch neither dog nor obstacles. The handle ...

, sheep herding, and tracking. They have been used as police dogs in Ireland. Modern breeders have attempted to retain high spirits whilst breeding out aggression.

Health

Spiculosis is a painful condition that causes follicular hyperkeratosis. This condition is only found in the Kerry Blue Terrier. The breed is predisposed to footpad

keratosis Keratosis (from '' kerat-'' + '' -osis'') is a growth of keratin on the skin or on mucous membranes stemming from keratinocytes, the prominent cell type in the epidermis. More specifically, it can refer to: * actinic keratosis (also known as solar ...

and hair follicle tumors. A 2024 UK study found a life expectancy of 12.4 years for the breed compared to an average of 12.7 for purebreeds and 12 for

crossbreeds A crossbreed is an organism with purebred parents of two different breeds, varieties, or populations. A domestic animal of unknown ancestry, where the breed status of only one parent or grandparent is known, may also be called a crossbreed though ...

History

The first literary reference to probably the Kerry Blue dates to 1847, when the author describes a dog that is bluish slate in colour, marked with darker blotches and patches, and often with black about the legs and muzzle. The Kerry Blue Terrier was first observed in the mountains of Kerry in Ireland, hence the name of the breed. There is a romantic story of a blue dog swimming ashore from a shipwreck: the coat of this dog was so lovely that it was mated with all the female Wheaten Terriers in Kerry (or in all Ireland, according to some), producing the Kerry Blue. Perhaps this story is not entirely myth, as the

Portuguese Water Dog The Portuguese Water Dog originated from the Algarve, Algarve region of Portugal. From there the breed expanded to all around Portugal's coast, where they were taught to herd fish into fishermen's nets, retrieve lost tackle or broken nets, an ...

is often suggested as part of the Kerry's makeup. Others suggest the Kerry was produced by the

Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier The soft-coated Wheaten Terrier ( – literally, "Yellow Terrier") is a pure-breed terrier originating from Ireland. Wheatens typically have one of two coat types: Irish or Heavy (American). The Irish coat is generally silkier and wavier than t ...

crossed with the

Bedlington Terrier The Bedlington Terrier is a dog breed, breed of small dog named after the mining town of Bedlington, Northumberland in North East England. Originally bred to hunt, the Bedlington Terrier has since been used in dog racing, numerous List of dog s ...

with (or without) some

Irish Wolfhound The Irish Wolfhound ( Irish: ''Cú Faoil'') is a breed of large sighthound that has, by its presence and substantial size, inspired literature, poetry and mythology. One of the largest of all breeds of dog, the breed is used by coursing hunters ...

Irish Terrier The Irish Terrier () is a dog breed from Ireland, one of many breeds of terrier. The Irish Terrier is considered one of the oldest terrier breeds. The Dublin dog show in 1873 was the first to provide a separate class for Irish Terriers. By ...

blood. The extinct Gadhar

herding dog A herding dog, also known as a stock dog or working dog, is a Dog type, type of dog that either has been trained in herding livestock or belongs to one of the dog breed, breeds that were developed for herding. A dog specifically trained to he ...

is also mentioned as another possible branch of the Kerry's family tree. The breed became very popular as an all-around farm dog in rural Ireland.

National Dog of Ireland

With the development of dog shows in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the breed became standardised and "tidied up" for the show ring. The Irish nationalist leader

Michael Collins Michael Collins or Mike Collins most commonly refers to: * Michael Collins (Irish leader) (1890–1922), Irish revolutionary leader, soldier, and politician * Michael Collins (astronaut) (1930–2021), American astronaut, member of Apollo 11 and Ge ...

owned a famous Kerry Blue named Convict 224. Collins even made an attempt to have the Kerry Blue adopted as the national dog of Ireland. The first show of the Dublin Irish Blue Terrier Club took place outside official curfew hours and was entered both by those fighting for and against an Irish republic. The Dublin Irish Blue Terrier Club was so successful it led directly to the foundation of the

, and a Kerry Blue was the first dog that club registered.

References

External links

{{Authority control Dog breeds originating in Ireland FCI breeds Terriers Vulnerable Native Breeds