(The following article written by Dr. E.S. Montgomery was taken from Blueprints, April 1951. Original copy courtesy of the Mr. Walter Fleisher Collection.)

Twelve “Do Nots” in Breeding Kerry Blue Terriers

1. Do not breed bitch or daughter of a bitch who has an inadequacy or imperfection in temperment.

2. Do not breed a bitch that has anatomical faults or external defects which are transmittable and can be passed on to her progeny.

3. Do not wait until your bitch is ready to breed before starting to consider to what sire to mate her.

4. Do not use the nearest purebred Kerry Blue Terrier stud just to save yourself bother and time: this never pays in the long run.

5. Do not breed to a Kerry Blue Terrier just because he won four Terrier Groups or was Best-Dog-In-Show at Podunk.

6.Do not breed to a Kerry Blue stud just because it is the fashion; so many breeders use the most widely advertised champion or the current winning dog because it seems to be fashionable. This is nearly always a disappointment.

7. Do not breed to a great show dog for his record only; if his bloodlines and family strains are suitable for your bitch, fine; but the best stud dog in America cannot sire good pups from a bitch for which he is unsuitable.

8. Do not offer the sire’s owner a pup in lieu of a stud fee. If the pick of the pups is not worth more thanthe stud fee, your breeding efforts have been in vain.

9. Do not hesitate to consult an experienced fancier or breeder who has studied Kerry Blue Terrier family strains and Kerry Blue bloodlines to advise you on points of difficulties.

10. Do not select a bitch with the long loin, recommended by so many as being desirable because there is plenty of room in which to carry her puppies. Rather, select the finest brood bitch you can obtain, preferably one who has produced several litterws which you can see and from them evaluate the breeding prepotency of the bitch.

11. Do not detach pedigree from dog or dog from pedigree. A correlation of a pedgree with one dog may mean one thing and as applied to the dog’s litter brother may mean something else. One dog may inherit a major feature or a major fauly from one strain of ancestors and the brother from another strain,

12. Do not use a stud dog who is not consistent. A sire who has proved his ability to sire puppies of consistently high quality must always be a preferred sire. The ability of a stud dog to produce a high percentage of general excellence in his progeny is of a greater value than the few “toppers” among his get.

(The following article on funtional ability was written in 1951 by Robert L. Wiel of Kerryall Kennels, California. It was originally published Blueprints, December 1951. Original copy courtesy of the Mrs. Walter Fleisher Collection.)

Functional Ability

In the little more than twenty-five years that Kerries have been bred in this country, great strides have been made in improving their quality. But in the evolutionary process we must be careful not to lose sight of FUNCTIONAL ability.

While a flawlessly put down Kerry is a thing of beauty, overemphasis can be given to how he looks, rather than how well he could function as a working terrier. You cannot make a sound Kerry with a pair of shears.

To imporve working ability we must breed for rugged frames, good balance between front and rear assemblies, correct mature color and texture of a coat, and temperament.

That a rugged frame is indispensible to the development of the strength necessary to stand rough going is obvious, yet often overlooked. Many winning Kerries today have either a good front, or a good rear assembly–few have both. From the functional standpoint both are equally necessary to soundness, for if the rear cannot transmit sufficient power, what good an excellent front? If the front is bad, what good a perfect rear, since the power is wasted? Without perfection at both ends, we are better off with less perfect but more equal front and rear assemblies.

Color is improving, but too many Kerries are being shown which are either much too dark or much too light. Texture in many cases, also leaves much to be desired. A well-known breeder-judge recently remarked to me after going over a very large entry, that he had never seen so many incorrect Kerry coats.

Temperament is likewise better, but examples who lack the desirable combination of fiery alertness and good-mannered tolerance are still seen.

How are we to accomplish these improvements? Regional Kerry club thinking must be reoriented and directed toward the breeding of better specimens. These clubs can become the backbone of the fancy, and a powerful force for good, if the individual member-breeders will cast aside blind prejudices and breeding systems which have proven failures, in favor of serious study of succesful bloodlines and what has made them successful. Then, having discovered them, they must make use of them to advance the quality of their stock.

I’d like to see the Kerry fancy take a really active part in developing better stock, by giving whole-hearted support with their entries to those judges who are putting up true-to-type specimens, giving proper weight to the points I have mentioned, and severely penalizing lack of them. When judges put up poor examples it is a disservice to the breed. These dogs are in the public eye, are used for breeding, producing more untypical Kerries, ad infinitum! Fortuately, these judges are in the minority, but let’s not let them control the future of our beloved breed!