Scottish Terrier

The Scottish Terrier is one of the oldest breeds native to England. In the 17th century, when King James VI of Scotland became James I of England, he wrote to Edinburgh to send six terriers as a gift to France. Then he wrote to Caldwell calling the EarlofMontielh a good dog. Later the Great British authority Rauodon B. Lee wrote as follows: The dog has been popular in the Highlands for many years, yet strangely enough it has been known locally as the Skye Terrier, although it differs from the long-haired, non-hunting Skye Terrier.

The first classification of the Sulloran Terrier in a dog show was made in Birmingham, England in 1860. Later, many other dog shows adopted this classification, but the dogs in the show were not Scottish Terriers, but Skye Terriers, Dandie Dinmont Terriers, and Yorkshire Terriers. All along, those Scots who saw the Scottish Terrier as a winner were outraged, and in about 1877 they broke out in a series of letters at LivesFounal in which they objected to the ranking and discussed the criteria and characteristics of the true Scottish Terrier. The discussion grew so heated that the editor of the magazine finally called for an end to it with a statement that "it is considered useless to continue this controversy unless the dog described by each correspondent is the true Scottish Terrier", a challenge that Captain Gordon Marray took up. Under the pseudonym "strathbogie" he wrote to a livestock breeder detailing his understanding of a true Scottish Terrier. This calmed all sides of the debate and around 1880 J.B Morrison was persuaded to develop a standard which was adopted by all sides of the debate.

Many famous Scottish Terrier breeders have been breeding from the past to the present but perhaps the early pedigrees are no longer to be found, however these early terriers must have had a place in history. The Scottish Terrier is small, compact, sturdy and well boned. The head appears long compared to the body, adding a bit of cuteness to its appearance. The overall body shape is well-proportioned, with both males and females standing at about 10 inches tall at the shoulder. The expression looks mischievous, so it is very pleasing to the eye.

This dog has a long, medium width head, with the skull and muzzle in two parallel planes to each other. The eyes are round and dark brown. Whatever the color of the coat, the nosepiece is black and of medium size. The teeth are neat and have a clipped or pincer bite.

The neck is moderately long, strong, stout and muscular, the dorsal line is firm and horizontal, the tail root is high, held vertically upward or slightly curved forward, the tail root is stout, gradually thinning, covered with short, stiff hair.

The bones of the forelimbs are very thick and heavy, vertical or slightly curved, elbows close to the body, located under the scapula, forefoot claws are larger than the hindfoot claws, round, thick, compact, long and sturdy toenails. The muscles of the thighs are very well developed and powerful.

The coat is hard, with a soft, dense inner undercoat that needs to be trimmed. The color is black, wheaten with spots of other colors. The gait is quite distinctive, with the front legs leaning slightly inward when striding. When walking, the back line remains horizontal and stable. The Scottish Terrier is alert and brave, but at the same time stable and serene. He is a determined and assertive dog, with brave, majestic and confident characteristics quite prominent. Outstanding in appearance, energetic, witty and intelligent. For other dogs there is a certain aggressiveness, but for people is gentle and loving.

Sometimes may show some brutality, and even some "unreasonable", the owner should properly criticize it, to educate it well, so that it can change this bad habit.