The Scottish Terrier is considered the den dog par excellence. Very brave and robust, this dog was selected to carry out the task of sneaking into the lair and finding the wild.
Lo Scottish Terrier it is an excellent hunting, guard and companion dog. It is mainly used in hunting as a den dog, a task that it performs perfectly. The Scottie is part of the five breeds of the Terrier group that have Scottish origins; the others are Skye, Cairn, Dandie Dinmont and West Highland White Terrier. In the XNUMXth century, George Earl of Dumbarton gave him the nickname "little die-hard".
The first pedigrees date back to 1887, the year in which the selections began. This breed retains particular qualities for hunting harmful wild animals. Equipped with a powerful musculature in proportion to its size, this breed has a rapidity in underground routes. The ancestors of the modern scottie developed in the rugged Highlands of Scotland, places where the environmental conditions put men and animals to the test: the adverse weather conditions, the rocky land, the icy ocean and the terrible, continuous wind did not allow a easy life. For this reason the inhabitants of those places felt the need to create a breed suitable to clean up the territory from pests, weeds and predators. Particular attention was paid to developing resistance, ability to enter impossible tunnels, courage, tenacity, ferocity in tearing up prey, as well as loyalty and friendship for man. From these breeding efforts the Scottish Terrier was born. In the second half of the nineteenth century the standard of the breed began to be fixed on the basis of the characteristics of the rustic Aberdeen terrier; subsequently the aesthetics began to dominate over the functionality of the breed, as fashion favored some aesthetic improvements of the standard.
THEorigin of the Scottish Terrier it is common to that of the other Scottish Terriers at least until the mid-800th century: for hundreds of years they lived in the western Highlands, but also in the Hebrides islands, examples of rough-haired Terriers used for hunting and work. 1879 is the year in which this breed was officially presented in an exhibition, but it is in 1881 that on the occasion of the first meeting organized in Perth, a first example of Scottish Terrier with a good homogeneity of type appears. In 1882 the first breed club was opened. Aesthetically it is massive, of adequate size to penetrate a burrow, with short limbs, and lively posture, giving the impression of great power and energy in a small volume. The Scottish Terrier is a very agile and active dog despite the short limbs.
The head is long enough, but in proportion to the size of the dog. The nose is large, with the front line oblique towards the back, while the stop is light but distinct. The set of teeth is scissor, with large teeth that allow it a very effective grip on the game. The almost flat and narrow skull allows this breed to sneak into burrows without difficulty. The chest is fairly broad, with well sprung ribs, while the chest develops deeply. A rough, bristly, long and weather-resistant outer coat with a soft and thick undercoat is typical in the Scottie; the coat must be regularly groomed. Very pronounced are the beard and the eyebrows formed by the longer hair, as well as the legs and parts of the body from the height of the withers down. He is considered by all to be a loyal and faithful dog, dignified, independent and reserved, but courageous and very intelligent. Its temperament is bold without ever becoming aggressive. It is a breed to which it is necessary to continually demonstrate that it has more "" pulse "" than him given its temperament, but it can still be balanced once the roles have been established: they are in fact generally known as "one owner" dogs. Certainly, one of the difficulties that this companion imposes on us is the difficulty of keeping it in order. The height at the withers varies from 25 to 28 cm, while the weight is around 9 kg. Unfortunately, it is Scottish Terrier has a much higher rate of cancer development than other purebreds. According to research by the Veterinary Medical Data Program (1986), there are six types of cancer that appear to be particularly at risk. The Scottish Terrier is considered the den dog par excellence and its tenacity and courage will convince even the most demanding hunters.