Base colour
Blue of any shade with or without black points
- Permissible: Black only up to the age of 18 months, as is also a shade of tan
About the Kerry Blue Terrier
Origin: Ireland
- Typical life span
- 12-15 years
- Size
- Medium — from its typical weight
- Weight
- Male
- 15-18 kg
- Female
- 14-18 kg
- Height
- Male
- 46-50 cm
- Female
- 44-48 cm
- FCI status
- Recognised by FCI
- FCI group
- Terriers
- Origin
- Ireland
- Known hereditary risks
- Not researched yet
About
What is a Kerry Blue Terrier?
Medium-sized, muscular Irish terrier with distinctive soft, wavy blue-gray coat and bearded face, known for its spirited, intelligent personality
Kerry Blue Terrier history and origins
Originating in County Kerry, Ireland, developed as a versatile all-purpose farm dog for herding cattle, hunting vermin and small game, and guarding. Became a symbol of Irish patriotism with breed records dating to the 19th century; recognized by the AKC in 1922.
Kerry Blue Terrier appearance and size
Males typically weigh 15-18 kg and stand 46-50 cm at the shoulder; females 14-18 kg and 44-48 cm.
What the breed standard says
- Bred for
- Used in the hard job of tackling otters in deep waters, to engage badger underground and hunt vermin. A good watch dog and loyal companion
- Behaviour and temperament
“Terrier character throughout. The all-important factor-expression must be keen and alert”
Quoted from FCI standard n°3. It describes the breed the registry recognises, not any individual animal.
Breed reference from The Dog API.
Characteristics
- Size
- Medium
- Exercise needs
- —
- Easy to train
- —
- Amount of shedding
- —
- Grooming needs
- 3 of 5
- Good with children
- —
- Cost to keep
- —
- Tolerates being alone
- —
- Intelligence
- —
- Health of breed
- Not researched yet
Pros & cons
Pros & cons for the Kerry Blue Terrier
What you get with the Kerry Blue Terrier
- Purpose stated in the standard: “Used in the hard job of tackling otters in deep waters, to engage badger underground and hunt vermin. A good watch dog and loyal companion”
- The standard describes the breed as: “Terrier character throughout. The all-important factor-expression must be keen and alert”
What you are taking on
Nobody has written this side yet. It is a judgement rather than data, so it waits for a person — not for a missing source.
Drawn from sources rather than written as an opinion — cited health research, the registry’s own standard, and peer-reviewed longevity. FCI breed standard. One breeder’s animals can differ from any of it, and an empty column means we hold nothing for that side rather than that there is nothing to say.
Characteristics
FCI standard · Kerry Blue Terrier
Coat and colour
As the FCI standard sets it out. Every line below is the standard’s own wording, tagged permissible.
Coat
- Soft
- Plentiful
- Wavy
Colour
- Preferred
- Permissible
- Undesirable
- Disqualifying
Preferred, permissible, undesirable and disqualifying are FCI’s own words about the breed. They describe what the standard asks for — not an assessment of any individual dog, and not ours.
Shortened from FCI standard n°3 — each label is the standard’s own wording with the verdict lifted into the tag beside it. Read the full clause at source.
Breed-level information from The Dog API. It describes the Kerry Blue Terrier in general; any individual animal can differ.
Health guide
What to ask for in a Kerry Blue Terrier
No breed-specific health panel has been written up for the Kerry Blue Terrier on this platform yet. That is a gap in our records, not a clean bill of health — ask the breeder which hereditary conditions their lines are tested for, and ask to see the results for both parents, dated and from a named laboratory.
Gallery
No photographs yet
This is where Kerry Blue Terrier owners’ own photographs will go, from the pet profiles they keep here. Nobody has added one to a public page yet.
A photograph in a pet profile stays private to its owner. We will not put one here unless they ask us to.
Puppies
No puppies listed right now
No Kerry Blue Terrier breeder has a record on this platform yet, so there is nothing to list. That is a gap in our coverage, not a fact about the breed.