Scottish Terrier

About the Scottish Terrier

The Scottish Terrier is the compact, heavy-boned terrier of the north-east Highlands, once called the Aberdeen Terrier, and it was bred to go to ground after fox and badger in country where a dog needed bone and jaw more than length of leg. The upright ear, the beard and the long head are unmistakable.

Dogs stand 25 to 28 cm and weigh 8.6 to 10.4 kg, which is remarkable density for the height, with a harsh outer coat over a soft undercoat in black, brindle or wheaten. The breed is loyal to its own people and reserved with everyone else, and it does not fawn on strangers. A stud should be confident and unbothered by handling, and a Scottie that is genuinely nervous is not one to breed from.

The DNA test for von Willebrand's disease type III matters here, as type III is the most severe form of that bleeding disorder, and the test for craniomandibular osteopathy is worth asking for too. Ask about the episodic muscle cramping the breed clubs call Scottie cramp, for which there is no widely used test, and about bladder cancer, which occurs in these dogs more often than in most breeds. An annual eye examination and a patella assessment complete the requests.

Health & breeding

We check every hip, elbow, eye and DNA result you give us against the Royal Kennel Club’s public records by hand, and we record who checked it and when. The Royal Kennel Club’s public records may not include all the screening a dog has had, so a dog with no Royal Kennel Club record showing is not necessarily untested.