closely related Soft Coated Wheaten Terri- ers are the only breeds in the Terrier Group that are allowed to compete in AKC herd- ing tests and trials! So Kerries should be, and are, much like the herding and sport- ing breeds, very trainable and willing to please. On the terrier side, there is a ten- dency for high prey drive, dominance chal- lenges, some dog-on-dog aggression, and a bit of an independent streak! Forewarned is forearmed; early and ongoing train- ing and socialization will produce both a family dog that is a joy to live with, and a performance dog that is willing and able to successfully compete in just about any activity you want to try with it. In 2004, the breed’s AKC parent club, United States Kerry Blue Terrier Club, cre- ated a Versatility Award in order to honor those Kerries that exemplify the breed’s original purpose by earning titles in mul- tiple categories: conformation, obedience, rally, tracking, “earthdog” (actually either the AWTA’s Hunting Certificate or Barn Hunt, since Kerries are too large to compete in Earthdog trials), herding, and agility. A few years ago, an additional miscella- neous or “wild card” category was added to include activities that didn’t fit neatly into the other recognized categories such as AKC coursing ability and canine nose- work. Although the Versatility Awards program does not normally recognize ther- apy or service dog certifications, the AKC’s
Th erapy Dog title (THD), which requires documentation of service hours logged in addition to certification, is accepted for this category. Th e program currently rec- ognizes a succession of seven di ff erent lev- els of achievement, from Bronze (for titles in two eligible categories) all the way up to Diamond (seven categories). To date, more than three dozen Kerries have been rec- ognized for earning titles in two or more of these categories, with more Club mem- bers applying for their dogs’ Versatility Awards each year. Recipients so far include Champions and Grand Champions, obe- dience Utility Dog Excellent (UDX) and Rally Excellent Advanced (RAE) titlists, AKC Master Agility Champions, cours- ing ability titlists, a Tracking Dog (TD), and multiple herding titles. Th is year, sev- eral Kerries with the new Barn Hunt titles are expected to be added to the list. My current Kerry Blue Terrier, CH MACH2 Kerigolf’s Loaded For Bear UD RN MXC MJC MXF TQX CAA RATO HCT, is one of the Versatility Award pro- gram’s standouts. With eligible titles in con- formation, agility, obedience, rally, coursing ability (wild card), Barn Hunt, and herding, 6 year old “Remi” will become the breed’s first Diamond level Versatility Award recipi- ent at the USKBTC’s annual membership meeting in October 2014. And like many of the Club’s other VA recipients, he did not simply earn the minimum title required
for each category, but went well above and beyond in several! Remi finished his cham- pionship with back to back majors at a spe- cialty weekend; ranked as the #5 or #6 agil- ity Kerry for the last four years, has OTCH points and high in trial/high combined awards in obedience; and is one of the first Kerries to earn an open Barn Hunt title. Th is past year, Remi made breed history by qualifying for all three AKC championship events being held in Harrisburg, PA the 2014 AKC National Agility Champion- ships, National Obedience Invitational (along with two of his littermates), and Ral- ly National Championships! I am still plan- ning to start therapy dog work and earn an AKC Tracking Dog title (TD) with him. If we are successful at the latter, the USKBTC might need to add another recognition level to the Versatility Awards! But the titles and honors are secondary to the fact that Remi is a loving, well-trained and (usually) well- behaved family member that I love doing things with, and who is welcome almost anywhere I go. At a recent agility trial, a friend of mine overheard another exhibitor comment, “Now THAT’S exactly the kind of dog that should be bred!” Made my day! “Topper,” CH MACH4 Calix Cosmo V. Topper BN RA MXC MJC MXF TQX T2B2 RATN, owned by Patti Camp- bell of Virginia, is another Kerry that exemplifies the breed’s reputation for ver- satility. In addition to being one of the
272 • S HOW S IGHT M AGAZINE , J UNE 2014
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