OliBlu

My boy sired 3 litters between the age of 2-5 years. We took a collection for frozen semen at about age 3, and he had a high count and there were no signs of any problems with the collection - we have yet to use this frozen semen to date. About 3 months after he sired his last litter, we used him over 1 of our girls which resulted in no puppies. When we decided to take another collection about 1 month later, we discovered that he had no viable sperm - all had no tails. He was fit as a fiddle, and we were not able to determine what had caused this. However we did find out later that his father became sterile at about the same age but we do not know any circumstances surrounding this and may have been due to a different reason. We desexed our boy at that time and he lived into his teens. We did not keep any sons of this boy, but we did breed with 2 of his daughters. A grandson of this boy has recently sired a litter of 5 at the age of 9, which is a normal sized litter for our breed. He was tested prior to the mating (along with his son who is 6 years old - a great-grandson of my original boy) and both had a high sperm count, with no signs of the original problem.

I do agree that I personally would not leave a kerry or wheaten - or any terrier for that matter, with small animals while unattended. It can & has been done, but it is just something that I would not do. We use our kerrys to herd our sheep on our farm, and there is no way they would hurt a lamb or sheep, but the chickens are kept safely in their pen when our dogs are out with us. Kerrys and Wheatens are similar in height and both have non shedding coats. I also agree with Sheridan that the look of the coat is what catchers the average person's eye to these breeds, but sadly this is usually the first thing to go, unless you put the effort in and brush them thoroughly weekly and trimmed/clipped every 6-8weeks (min)- Just like All Non Shedding breeds. Once clipped off completely, you end up with what the dog is underneath, and for us, the Kerry is still the perfect dog. They love a good laugh, a good run and they love spending time with their family. I have not had a lot to do with Wheatens, but I do love our kerrys and for the right family, they are great.

LOL @ Mini - I can picture her watching TV. Mine are not very interested in TV, their favourite game is lying very still waiting for an unsuspecting Magpie to come to steel a biscuit or 2 and then they pounce up and chase them off. They never catch them, but I think that is also part of the game.

Grooming is certainly something that you can learn as I have taught a number of kerry owners over the years. It does take time and patience, but like anything, if you want to learn it, you will. Going to a groomer a couple of times a year and then maintaining the trim in between times is also a good option. Regular grooming with thorough brushing and combing is a must as especially during coat change time (from puppy coat to adult coat) as this is when they can get very knotty quickly. From bath, blowdry, clip brush and scissor, it takes me about 2 hours. Kerrys can be dog aggressive if they are not well sociallied when young. The correct kerry temperament is that they will not start a fight, but if challenged by another dog, then they will certainly finish it. I do allow my kerrys to play with other dogs, but I watch them and make sure everyone is playing "nicely" and if not, then I take my kerry away - I just don't take the chance. I have bred kerries which happily go to off lead beaches & parks with their owners and they have not had a problem, but it is something that I do not advise them doing. I do take our kerry kids to off lead parks occassionaly, but my kerries have great recall and I always have one eye on them and one eye on everything else. You certainly wouldn't let them go in a park and then walk away. I have 7 kerries (3 girls, 4 boys) and all bar 2 boys can be run together. The 2 boys that I do not run together can still be easily walked on leads together, it is just that I do not take a chance on letting them play together - just in case. And in my experience girls are not as reactive as the boys, but there is always exceptions. And no, they are not barkers unless they are bored or something/someone is there. They give happy barks when you get home and love to chat to tell you all about their day - it is not a bark as such, it is certainly a chat - like Sheridan said, they are gossipers LOL. ETA - When I say bored - I mean if they are left in a yard day in day out and totally ignored by their family - this will create boredom and they will start to have to make their own fun like dig holes and bark at nothing - but this is the same with all breeds.

Hi All I just wanted to add that I have been feeding my guys (KBTs)on Black Hawk for about 6 months now and am certainly a lover of this food. I did find however, that about 5 weeks into feeding Black Hawk, 4 of my Kerry's skin became pink and itchy. I was considering stopping and going back to my previous dry food, but about 2-3 weeks later, their skin settled and it is now the best it has every been. They have lovely soft coats and their overall condition is as good as it ever was, they may even have slightly more muscle definition than before. I don't know whether there was something else that may have influenced their skin to be affected at that time i.e. a change in weather, grass seeds or a new treat that I hadn't accounted for, but, either way, it hasn't happened again. I have also just raised a beautiful litter on BH as well, and I could not be more impressed. Thanks so much for having a great affordable product, and great people distributing it.

Well done Chopperlodge!! Your girl looked great and her win was very well deserved!

Sorry I only know a little of the results for Sat/Sun Sat BIG Kerry Blue (Gr Ch Olizure Lieka Pint) RUIG Stafford Sun BIG Kerry Blue (Gr Ch Olizure Lieka Pint) RUIG JRT (Energizer) & Sun BIS - Kerry Blue (Gr Ch Olizure Lieka Pint)

Yep - Show training at Durack is on tonight.

I agree as we also have 2 griffons as well as the kerrys, and they all get on well together, but you have to be able to understand each of your dogs and read them as well. If you see a puppy annoying one of the oldies, then you just have to redirect their play, but in general, everyone is great together. When we are not home, the kerrys are paired off in separate yards - but this is something that we have always done with any breed that we have had. Better safe than sorry. And Monah, you are very welcome to meet the Kerry Kids! They love visitors. I would just like to say that the Kerry that most show people see at the show, is not the real personality of a Kerry. They appear to be "All Terrier", but in actual fact, if you took out the word Irish Terrier in Lindsay's quote - you would be describing one of my Kerrys. We used to take our Kerry boy to the off leash park and he was always 100% reliable. Having said that, in the showring, people would move out of our way as he was coming to the ring - and not because he did anything wrong, just because Kerrys have that reputation and he always looked on his toes at all times when at the show.

As many have said, Kerrys are a Terrier and as such, can be dog aggressive - like most terriers. But I still love em to death and with the right guidance and training from puppyhood, they are great family dogs. I have lived with many kerrys for a number of years - at the moment we have 7, and when we are home, they are all in the house together with us, under our feet and trying "to help" anyway they think they can . As a breeder and lover of Kerrys, we have placed many kerrys in great family homes over the years and they do and can fit in well in the average family home. I do not advocate a Kerry for every home, but I believe that they are a dog that should not be dismissed as a crazy dog that kills for no reason. - They can and are so much more. But I do not advocate Kerrys in off leash parks unless you have 100% recall, which is possible, but unless you put a lot of time into training and loving a Kerry, then this is very difficult to achieve and as this is one of your criteria, I would not be so sure that a Kerry would fit this bill for this reason. I also have a great love of Poodles as I used to show them for friends a few years ago, (mins & standards), and if I could convince hubby, I would have a Standard in a heartbeat. They have such great natures and full of life - and yes, very smart as well - just as smart as a kerry. But then, I am a person who loves to groom and loves dogs who are full of life and love and mischievious to boot. And with regards to the poodle's "look", as many have said, a poodle's coat is so versatile, that the look can be changed to suit you. I think you should talk to breeders of both Poodles and Kerrys and especially meet some, as this is really the only way that you can know what they are like and if you are suited to either breed.