Kerries are high maintenance in the grooming department and ideally, their coats need a daily brush paying particular attention to the hair around a dog's muzzle which tends to get quite dirty after a dog has eaten. They do not shed like many other breeds, but their coats need to be clipped or scissored every 6 to 8 weeks to keep things tidy. The hair between a dog's pads needs to be checked on a regular basis and trimmed if it is too long.
It's also important to check a dog's ears on a regular basis and to clean them when necessary. If too much wax is allowed to build up in a dog's ears, it can lead to a painful infection which can be hard to clear up. In short, prevention is often easier than cure when it comes to ear infections.
Kerry Blues are high energy terriers and as such they need to be given the right amount of daily exercise and mental stimulation for them to be truly happy, well-rounded characters. Without the right levels of exercise, they can quickly develop some unwanted behaviours around the home which includes separation anxiety. As such a minimum of one hour's exercise is essential, but more would be better because it is hard to tire these terriers out.
A shorter walk in the morning would be fine, but a longer more interesting one in the afternoon is a must. These dogs also like to be able to roam around a back garden as often as possible so they can really let off steam. However, the fencing has to be extremely secure to keep these lively dogs in because if they find a weakness in the fence, they will soon escape out and get into all sorts of trouble.
With this said, Kerry Blue Terrier puppies should not be given too much exercise because their joints and bones are still growing and too much pressure on them could result in causing a dog a few problems later on in their lives. They should not be allowed to jump up or off furniture nor should they be allowed to run up and down the stairs because this puts too much pressure on their still growing joints and limbs.
If you get a Kerry Blue Terrier puppy from a breeder, they would give you a feeding schedule and it's important to stick to the same routine, feeding the same puppy food to avoid any tummy upsets. You can change a puppy's diet, but this needs to be done very gradually always making sure they don't develop any digestive upsets and if they do, it's best to put them back on their original diet and to discuss things with the vet before attempting to change it again.
Older dogs are not known to be fussy or finicky eaters, but this does not mean you can feed them a lower quality diet. It's best to feed a mature dog twice a day, once in the morning and then again in the evening, making sure it's good quality food that meets all their nutritional requirements. It's also important that dogs be given the right amount of exercise so they burn off any excess calories or they might gain too much weight which can lead to all sorts of health issues. Obesity can shorten a dog's life by several years so it's important to keep an eye on their waistline from the word go.
