The Irish-bred, Kerry blue terrier (KBT) is historically a well-rounded working dog with its roots in hunting small game and rodents. However, their intelligence and diverse abilities have also led to their success as guard dogs and as a herding breed. Like many terriers, the KBT is known for its high energy and tends to benefit greatly from daily exercise. Though early KBTs were often selected for their tenacity and aggressiveness to perform their duties as hunters and guard dogs, these attributes historically made them less suitable companions for other dogs. However, modern breeding efforts have focused on maintaining their high energy while decreasing tendencies toward aggression.
One of the most striking attributes of the KBT is their characteristic hair coat. Kerry blue terriers are born black, but develop their beautiful, soft and wavy blue/gray coat during the first two years of life in a process of color fading, commonly referred to as “clearing”. Dogs displaying black coloration on the body after 18 months of age are disqualified from the AKC show ring. However, black on the extremities (muzzle, head, ears, tail, and feet) is allowed at any age.
This spirited breed, though relatively healthy, has developed some inherited disease concerns ...