Scottish Terrier

The Scottish Terrier or Scottie is a small dog breed with a jaunty and distinctive appearance. The Scottie has a compact and sturdy body, short legs, relatively long head with thick whiskers and eyebrows, pricked ears, and a medium-length upright tail. The Scottie dog has a close lying double coat consisting of a short and dense under coat and a water resistant and wiry outer coat. The Scottish Terrier’s coat is black, wheaten and brindle of any color. Scotties stand from 10 to 11 inches tall at shoulder height and weigh from 18 to 22 pounds. See additional information on choosing a Scottish Terrier.

Scottish Terriers are members of the American Kennel Club (AKC) Terrier Group.

Scottie puppies:  

The friendly and playful Scottish Terrier puppies come in smaller litters of three to five pups. Their ears usually stand upright by the eighth week but some remain bent until the puppies permanent teeth have grown in. Taping is an option to ensure the ears grow erect. Start socialization and obedience training as soon as the puppies have had their shots.

 

There are many theories about the origin of the Scottish Terrier. The Scottie as we know it was originally called the Aberdeen Terrier because it was developed in and around Aberdeen Scotland in the latter part of the 19^th century. The origin of this breed dates back to the early 18^th century and probably involves the interbreeding of all the Highland terriers such as the Cairn, Dindie Dinmont, West Highland etc. Scotties were bred to hunt den animals such as foxes, otters, weasels, badgers and rabbits by digging into their burrows. Today while Scotties still retain their hunting instincts and love to dig, this breed’s primary function is as a companion dog. Scottish Terriers were ranked 40^th out of 154 dog breeds registered by the AKC in 2005.

The Scottie is brave, alert, proud, confident, loyal and dignified. While friendly and playful as puppies, the mature Scottish Terrier is quite independent and self reliant and can even be quite crusty and stubborn at times. Therefore it is important to start socializing and obedience training the Scottie while it is a puppy and continue through adolescence. Training will be difficult and you will never achieve instant obedience but you can get a reluctant obedience to most commands. Scotties love to play, so make sure you add play and rewards to your training. Scotties seem to think they are large dogs and can be quite feisty toward other dogs, no matter how large. The Scottish Terrier does best with older children. Scotties are aloof from everyone except their immediate family and are not friendly towards strangers. Scotties make good watchdogs. Scottish Terriers do best with experienced owners who have the patience to gently train and bring out the best in this proud breed.

Scotties are sporty small dogs that love to play ball games. They also really enjoy taking their owners for long walks. Scottish Terriers make good apartment dogs and are relatively calm and quiet indoors.

Show dogs need a fair amount of professional grooming including regular plucking and hand stripping of the coat. Scotties coats are kept long for the show ring. Companion dogs can be clipped twice per year to reduce the amount of grooming. The Scottie’s coat should be combed and brushed three times per week with special attention being paid to the whiskers and bottom.  Strip and hand pluck the dead hair in the coat and bathe this breed about every 3 months. When properly groomed, this is a non shedding or low shedding dog which is said to be hypoallergenic.

The Scottie can be expected to live for 12 to 14 years. The most common genetic disease is a mild bleeding disorder called von Willebrands disease. Other common disorders include: eye diseases such as cataracts and lens luxation; atopy (which is an allergy like hay fever); Cystinuria (which involves stones in the urine); pulmonic stenosis heart disease; Craniomandibular osteopathy or Scottie jaw (which is abnormal jaw bone growth), Scottie cramp (leg spasms which don’t seem to hurt the dog); and dental problems. Scottie buyers should insist on seeing the breeding parents Orthopedic Foundation for Animals (OFA) test results for von Willebrands disease and Scottie jaw and also the Canine Eye Registry (CERF) recent ophthalmologists report for eye disorders.