On May 29th, Dozer turned 4. It only seems like yesterday we traveled a few hours away to meet him and his siblings. It was difficult waiting 2 more weeks before he was old enough to come home with us. I do remember the day he came to live with us. I had an appointment that I couldn't miss, so my hubby picked him up and brought him home. I was pretty excited to get home that evening that I remember opening the door to the back yard and seeing this puppy that was just alittle bigger than my entire hand... sniffing along the fence.. playfully running back and forth checking out his new home. That day, he became a part of our family.
Dozer is a Kerry Blue Terrier but often gets mistaken for A Poodle and A Portuguese Water Dog. What is a Kerry Blue Terrier you ask? Great question! They actually aren't very common in this area so not many people that we run into have heard of this breed. A Kerry Blue Terrier is also known as an "Irish Blue Terrier". I don't see it, but the "Blue" in the name comes from the bluish tint in their fur as they get older. I must be blind because all I see are different shades of gray. Perhaps its one of those "What color is the dress" situations? Anyhow, I will post a link HERE, so you can learn alittle bit more about the Kerry Blue's.
Why did we go with this breed? First, we wanted a dog that didn't shed fur, so we got a dog that has hair instead of fur and often needs trimmed. His hair is really curly and gets shaggy if you let it grow long. It typically doesn't smell much-even when wet and its soft to the touch. Second, we wanted a medium sized dog to compromise our desires. I wanted a smaller dog and hubby wanted a bigger dog... We met in the middle. Third, we wanted a family dog-one that enjoys being with its owners and is playful because we knew that one day (and soon) we'd have children and wanted to make sure that it was a good long term choice. Fourth, We loved the way they look. We actually attended a couple Dog Shows in the area just to see them in person. Fifth, we wanted a dog that had a good reputation for being healthy and compared to others it seemed like there were less cases of diseases/cancers/etc... Although we are concerned that he could develop hip dysplasia and a few other health problems that would occur with Kerry Blue Terrier's.
Our Dozer has learned many tricks that include: Turn around, Sit, Shake, Speak, Bang (play dead), Roll Over, Stay, Leave it, Crawl, Up (stand on hind legs), and occasionally "Which Hand?" We will put a treat in one hand, close both up and put our fists in front of him. He will take his paw and choose a hand he thinks his treat is hiding in. Most of the time, he gets it right.
When Dozer was younger, we took him to a puppy class but didn't continue because he knew all the basics and he seemed pretty easy to train. Although he never got "walking" down. He pulls pulls pulls. We constantly have him sit and walk beside us by bringing his leash in more. He is not a quick learner when it comes to walking on a leash properly. It can be exhausting.
Unfortunately, the dog we chose loves to bark at anything and everything "excessively". I guess he missed the memo that his breed doesn't usually bark unneccesarily extensively.
Over all, he is a great family pet. He is mostly great with our toddler (sometimes he gets wild running around and doesn't really pay attention to her and occasionally knocks her over) and he is protective of his family. In the barking sense.
He loves to greet family and friends with a toy at the door and lots of running around you shaking his tail excitedly. As if he is saying "Yay!! Someone new to play with and pay attention to me".
He also enjoys sitting at the window waiting for a cat to go by so he can beg to go out and chase it. I'm surprised those neighborhood cats are still alive. They sit there on the fence or behind it and taunt him. He has come super close to catching one before...
I was under the impression that he would be a great dog for playing fetch or playing in the water but he never really seem to actually play fetch for long or even at all. He will occasionally go grab a frisbee and half bring it back but then the effort is long gone. It took a few sessions of teaching him how to swim and making him go in the water before he would actually do it on his own. When he first learned to swim, he loved to go after a stick or frisbee and bring it back!! He still does when we get the opportunity and its alot of funl He does love to tug with rope though and I will say that he is really strong. He seems to be really high energy and needs walks often. He will play with you at any given time and loves to be chased.
Dozer thinks he is clever and the moment we walk out of the house or go upstairs, he will steal any food that has been left out. He has learned this new "trick" since we've had our daughter.
Do you or someone you know own A Kerry Blue Terrier? If so, comment below!! If not, what kind of dogs/animals do you have?
Thanks for taking the time to learn about my puppy dog. If you have any questions, please feel free to ask!
If you want to learn more about this breed, here is another link that is a bit more detailed than the one above :)
http://www.yourpurebredpuppy.com/reviews/kerryblueterriers.html
Dozer is a Kerry Blue Terrier but often gets mistaken for A Poodle and A Portuguese Water Dog. What is a Kerry Blue Terrier you ask? Great question! They actually aren't very common in this area so not many people that we run into have heard of this breed. A Kerry Blue Terrier is also known as an "Irish Blue Terrier". I don't see it, but the "Blue" in the name comes from the bluish tint in their fur as they get older. I must be blind because all I see are different shades of gray. Perhaps its one of those "What color is the dress" situations? Anyhow, I will post a link HERE, so you can learn alittle bit more about the Kerry Blue's.
Why did we go with this breed? First, we wanted a dog that didn't shed fur, so we got a dog that has hair instead of fur and often needs trimmed. His hair is really curly and gets shaggy if you let it grow long. It typically doesn't smell much-even when wet and its soft to the touch. Second, we wanted a medium sized dog to compromise our desires. I wanted a smaller dog and hubby wanted a bigger dog... We met in the middle. Third, we wanted a family dog-one that enjoys being with its owners and is playful because we knew that one day (and soon) we'd have children and wanted to make sure that it was a good long term choice. Fourth, We loved the way they look. We actually attended a couple Dog Shows in the area just to see them in person. Fifth, we wanted a dog that had a good reputation for being healthy and compared to others it seemed like there were less cases of diseases/cancers/etc... Although we are concerned that he could develop hip dysplasia and a few other health problems that would occur with Kerry Blue Terrier's.
Our Dozer has learned many tricks that include: Turn around, Sit, Shake, Speak, Bang (play dead), Roll Over, Stay, Leave it, Crawl, Up (stand on hind legs), and occasionally "Which Hand?" We will put a treat in one hand, close both up and put our fists in front of him. He will take his paw and choose a hand he thinks his treat is hiding in. Most of the time, he gets it right.
When Dozer was younger, we took him to a puppy class but didn't continue because he knew all the basics and he seemed pretty easy to train. Although he never got "walking" down. He pulls pulls pulls. We constantly have him sit and walk beside us by bringing his leash in more. He is not a quick learner when it comes to walking on a leash properly. It can be exhausting.
Unfortunately, the dog we chose loves to bark at anything and everything "excessively". I guess he missed the memo that his breed doesn't usually bark unneccesarily extensively.
Over all, he is a great family pet. He is mostly great with our toddler (sometimes he gets wild running around and doesn't really pay attention to her and occasionally knocks her over) and he is protective of his family. In the barking sense.
He loves to greet family and friends with a toy at the door and lots of running around you shaking his tail excitedly. As if he is saying "Yay!! Someone new to play with and pay attention to me".
He also enjoys sitting at the window waiting for a cat to go by so he can beg to go out and chase it. I'm surprised those neighborhood cats are still alive. They sit there on the fence or behind it and taunt him. He has come super close to catching one before...
I was under the impression that he would be a great dog for playing fetch or playing in the water but he never really seem to actually play fetch for long or even at all. He will occasionally go grab a frisbee and half bring it back but then the effort is long gone. It took a few sessions of teaching him how to swim and making him go in the water before he would actually do it on his own. When he first learned to swim, he loved to go after a stick or frisbee and bring it back!! He still does when we get the opportunity and its alot of funl He does love to tug with rope though and I will say that he is really strong. He seems to be really high energy and needs walks often. He will play with you at any given time and loves to be chased.
Dozer thinks he is clever and the moment we walk out of the house or go upstairs, he will steal any food that has been left out. He has learned this new "trick" since we've had our daughter.
Do you or someone you know own A Kerry Blue Terrier? If so, comment below!! If not, what kind of dogs/animals do you have?
Thanks for taking the time to learn about my puppy dog. If you have any questions, please feel free to ask!
If you want to learn more about this breed, here is another link that is a bit more detailed than the one above :)
http://www.yourpurebredpuppy.com/reviews/kerryblueterriers.html
