Kerry Blue Terrier: breed description, haircuts and content

An active dog with good health - Kerry Blue Terrier, is rightfully the subject of national pride of the Irish. Among his abilities can be noted grazing, carrying guard duty, excellent scent, helping in the fight against small predators. More than one and a half centuries in a row dogs with a rare blue color prove their superiority at dog shows and sports competitions.

The Irish Blue Terrier got its name due to the county of Kerry - a mountainous area, the main activity on the territory of which is sheep herding. It is here that the breed has gained a recognizable phenotype and working qualities, for which it is valued especially highly. The blue shade of wool, according to various sources, was acquired by dogs as a result of the interbreeding of Irish wolfhounds, wheat, Bedlington Terriers, Fox Terriers, and a Spanish water dog. There is no exact information about the selection process, because for a long time the breeding took place autonomously, within the county, among the herding farms.

Only beautiful legends have been preserved, according to which the Kerry Blue Terriers were secretly obtained from knight wolfhounds or even from dogs of the King of Spain, which appeared on the island as a result of shipwreck.

Since 1922, the countdown began breed exhibition. At the legendary show Crufts for the first time about 20 individuals were shown, and after 3 years the first official club was created. The Kerry Blue Terrier’s own FCI standard was adopted in 1963. In the USA, the breed was recognized back in 1922.

The description of the breed characteristic of the Kerry Blue Terrier emphasizes the uniqueness of its phenotype and addition. Back in 1928, it was this dog that was honored with the title “almost perfect”, and since then its appearance has not undergone any special changes. Interestingly, the blue color of wool in one of the three options it acquires only after 18 months - up to this time the shade of the awn can be dark gray, graphite and even black, brown spots are allowed.

Adult Curry Blue Terrier has the following shades of coat, recognized as a standard:

• Ideal blue - saturated blue tone, occurs most rarely;

• Blue fantasy - with a predominance of pearl and silver color, darkening at the tips of the ears, tail, muzzle, paws;

• Blue style - dark, saturated steel with gradation to blackened silver.

Other articles of the breed standard describes as follows.

1. Weight 15-18 kg for males, females more elegant. Height at withers in the range of 44.5 to 49.5 cm.
2. Coat is abundant, wavy, soft.
3. The limbs are strong, with a pronounced hock and graceful elbows. The back is more muscular, with the right set. Paws are compact, with rounded pads, claws in black.
4. Tail set right, pointing upwards. Down practically does not fall.
5. Body with a deep, well-defined chest, straight back, proportional loin.
6. The neck is long, well developed, with the correct position in relation to the shoulders.
7. The head with a copious coat of wool, pronounced "beard", is rather massive in males, more elegant in females. Stop weakly expressed, the skull is harmoniously developed, muzzle is of medium length. The nose is always black, like pigmentation of the gums, the dog's palate. The teeth are large, white in color, closed in a scissor or straight bite.
8. Eyes are proportional, dark brown or saturated nutty tone. Arranged correctly, without a bevel, look clear.
9. The ears are medium in size, located on the sides of the head, with a forward bend.

Kerry Blue Terrier is not characterized by elongation, body elongation - it is a strong dog with strong muscles, lively and mobile. Development defects are cryptorchidism, hard or “wire” coat, any color variations other than acceptable. Light pigmentation of the palate and flesh color of the claws, lightened nose is eliminated.

The standard of the breed clearly indicates its typical character - with the tenacity and liveliness of the classic terrier. This is a dog with a keen clever look, good intelligence. Early socialization is very important to the Kerry Blue Terrier.

Kerry Blue Terrier puppies are charming, mischievous, inquisitive and friendly. They are equally friendly to children and adults, they love games and physical activity. Dogs of this breed are incredibly photogenic, love to pose. With the right loads, the puppy's vigorous emotionality will not cause much trouble - after games and pranks, he will definitely want to rest.

A striking feature of the Irish Blue Terrier is sociability. They feel great in the family, they love country walks and trips. It is not recommended to leave the dog alone for long, because of longing he can make a real stir in the house. Another distinctive feature is natural aristocracy and pride. With this dog will have to look for compromises, negotiate, find a common language.

Kerry Blue Terriers, like many compact dogs, are considered long-lived. On average, representatives of the breed live at least 13 years, but there are cases when the dogs managed to celebrate the 18th birthday. Irish blue terriers lack a pronounced tendency to develop genetic diseases.

It’s easy to organize good conditions for keeping a Blue Terrier. Animals adapt easily to living in an apartment, and to the conditions of a country house. But for street content, they are not suitable. It is very important to provide a dog sufficient level of motor activity, to ensure her freedom of movement.

On walks active Kerry Blue Terrier should be kept on a leash at least in the city - the hunting roots of the dog always make themselves felt.

When organizing care for an adult dog you need to pay maximum attention to control over her eyes. They need to be cleaned daily of pollution, inspect. Also, the pet will need brushing, claw clipping. Ears are periodically cleaned of dirt with a cotton swab and a special antiseptic solution. Mandatory antiparasitic treatment of wool, deworming.

Sexual maturity in dogs of the breed of Kerry Blue Terrier occurs in the period of 7-9 months, the girls grow up somewhat earlier. During estrus, animals need special care, additional hygienic procedures. Knitting dogs allowed no earlier than on reaching 1.5 years, when the formation of the backbone is completed.

Kerry Blue Terrier belongs to the breeds of dogs in need of regular grooming of coat.In addition, they need to comb, preventing the formation of mats. Before grooming dogs, they must be washed and dried with a hair dryer. Among the mandatory elements of pet care must be present. brushes with natural bristles, metal combs with curved teeth and sparse straight teeth. Do not do without a furminator.

The regularity of the haircut for the Kerry Blue Terrier is very important. The optimal frequency is at least 4 times a year, combing every 2 days.

The existing grooming schemes for the Kerry Blue Terrier remain similar, but different models and silhouettes give the pet a bright personality. The procedure will be as follows.

1. Dog grooming is done on clean, well-combed wool. The first zone is the auricles, parietal region, temples, and throat. The coat is trimmed by the machine rather shortly; in the area of ​​the edge of the ears, the line is formed with the help of scissors.
2. Haircut from tail to the parietal zone. It uses scissors and a comb, the direction of movement is against the growth of wool. First, a small strand is separated, then it is cut off with scissors. This process the entire surface of the back to the sides.
3. The anal area is cut short by a typewriter, and the pants are processed at the top.
4. The paws and the lower part of the chest retain the natural length of the coat, it is combed from top to bottom.
5. Beard and mustache combed, trimmed as necessary. There should be a clear silhouette, directed strictly forward. The extra hair on the eyebrows is trimmed with scissors.
6. The lower parts of the paws are processed with scissors to give a beautiful silhouette.

When cutting according to a pattern, it is important to observe a number of important points. All transitions between zones with long and short hair should be as smooth and soft as possible. The bang is formed on the zone of transition from the forehead to the muzzle, the spine above it is removed almost below zero, and the hairs between the ears are slightly longer. Eyebrows are trimmed from the outer corner of the eye to the bang.

In the area of ​​the mouth from the corner to the second premolar, the hair on the face is trimmed shortly, forming a harmonious connection with the neck area. The mustache at the end of the muzzle should go into the beard. On the sides of the mouth, the length remains so that the wool does not fall into the mouth during the meal. Haircut tail implies giving it a cone-shaped, slightly flattened on the sides of the form.

Among the popular options for the silhouette of the Kerry Blue Terrier are:

• exhibition - while maintaining a clear silhouette only on the breed;

• hygienic - with the removal of all the wool by the machine, the towing on the legs, beard, bangs;

• home or fantasy option - You can leave the length where you want, or cut the spine all over your body to the same length.

Active and requiring attention puppies of the Irish Blue Terrier from the first days of stay in the house should have comfortable conditions for placement. They need their own place with a stove bench or a spacious basket. It is necessary to equip it in the room of the owner - for the first time, the puppy will miss his mother, whine, and a small caress, stroking at night will calm him down.

We'll have to take care of pet leisure. Kerry Blue Terriers are pretty energetic dogs, and there should be an adequate supply of toys for them at home. Suitable balls, bones, sticks of rubber or silicone. The only thing that is worth refraining from is the transformation into household toys, old bags, sneakers. Under the prohibition of rubber figures with "squeakers" (the dog can swallow them).

It is necessary to take a puppy on hands very carefully, their muscular system is rather weak.Without the need for better not to show tenderness in this way and exclude the unlimited expression of emotions from young children. Raise the baby needs to be right, necessarily supporting the area under the breasts and croup.

Up to 3 months, Kerry Blue Terrier puppies hardly get used to a particular place to use the toilet. Until the free-range is started, it is worthwhile to put in the house several trays with absorbing diapers. It’s not necessary to scold a kid for blunders, but it is definitely worth praising for a properly performed ritual.

Kerry Blue Terriers must be used to manipulation from an early age. for body care, eyes, ears. An adult dog will be subjected to regular grooming, and patience is better brought up in a pet in advance. It is necessary to get a special table at home and carry out on it daily eye and ear examinations, comb a puppy. Often, wash and baby, and adult dogs do not need. For bathing selected special tools that preserve the natural protective substances on their skin and wool.

The diet of the Kerry Blue Terrier should consist of safe and healthy products. Both puppies and adult dogs are recommended menus with a predominance of protein foods. No less 50% of the total amount of food received should be lean meat (chicken breast, veal, lamb) - it is given about 300 g per day. Rice and buckwheat are allowed from cereals - they are well boiled soft and mixed with other ingredients.

Vegetables - a source of beneficial fiber, must be present in the dog's diet without fail. Raw can be given any products, except cabbage, legumes. They are given in combination with dressing from natural vegetable oil. Among fermented milk products for curry blue terriers, cottage cheese is recommended, it can be prepared independently from fresh milk.

It is recommended to add to the natural diet vitamins and mineral complexes recommended by a veterinarian observing a dog.

If the dog spends most of the day alone or several pets, it is worthwhile to transfer them to dry food. Ready-made food already contains all the necessary components, but for a dog with a rich coat of wool, it should be selected very carefully. It is better if the dog will receive high-quality super-premium food.

With the inclusion in the diet of ready-made feed access to water is of great importance for the proper operation of the digestive system. Bottled water is used for drinking, automatic drinkers can be used. The feeding regime is determined based on the pet's age:

• 2-3 months puppy gets food 4 times a day;
• juniors before six months should have 3 feedings per day;
• From 6 to 12 months, dogs are transferred to double meals.

Kerry Blue Terrier dog, well trained in training. With proper training, they can carry guard duty, participate in the hunt. Dogs of this breed have well developed abilities for burrow hunting, otter prey and rats. The dog can only be let off the leash outside the city, outside busy motorways and other sources of danger. At a country site, the Kerry Blue Terrier can act as a protector of livestock, a bird from small predators.

Dog walking should be carried out only on a leash and collar. Slake compact terrier is not too useful.From puppyhood, it is worthwhile to teach a pet not to bark over trifles - the loud voice of a pet can become a serious problem when it is kept in multi-family housing.

During the training It is important to make this process less burdensome for the animal. Short sessions of lessons of 15 minutes are recommended to alternate with the game. Exercises should be changed, otherwise they will quickly bore the dog. Representatives of the breed often create difficulties in training because of heightened emotionality, they want to please the owner so much that they make mistakes, show inattention.

The features of the breed of dog Kerry Blue Terrier, see the following video.