Scottish terrier (Scottish Terrier) - All information about this little and brave race
Within the terrier we find a diversity of huge breeds, with animals of various sizes and all with something in common such as their energy and their hunter instinct.
This Scottish Terrier or Scottish Terrier is one of the members of the best known group, because their appearance attracts a lot of attention and several US presidents have had one, which has made them very famous dogs.
- Size: small, about 15 to 35 cm to the cross.
- Weight: 3 to 10 kilos.
- Hair type: middle long, very thick and hard.
- Character: independent as a good hunter, but attached to his.
- Health: robust, although with a large number of diseases to which they are very prone.
- Life expectancy: 12 to 14 years.
Origin of Scottish Terrier
The origins are confused, but what is It is known for sure is that Scottish is one of the terrier who were born in Scotland And hence his name, which leaves no doubt.
There are written records dating from 1436 and talking about a dog similar to Scottish Terrier, when described in a book called "The History of Scotland 1436-1561".
If we advance two centuries we encountered the first graphic test of its existence, since the English painter Sir Joshua Reynolds made a portrait of a young woman who caressed a dog very similar to the current Scottish terrier.
In 1829, in a book called "Biological notes and authentic anecdotes of dogs" its author says that there is a low Scottish terrier and with a muscular body, the large head with respect to the trunk and short legs.
Already in 1881 the first club of the race in England was founded And in 1930 the final standard was set, popularizing among the British general public because it was a dog that went a lot to the exhibitions.
Characteristics of Scottish Terrier
The main characteristic of this race is its head, which immediately attracts attention because it is disproportionate to the body, being too large for such a small dog.
What gives its look at the head is the snout, very long. This looks much better in dogs with clear mantles such as wheat, which is accepted even if it looks less than black.
In the event that we take it to the hairdressing regularly, its beards also highlight, especially if they are black specimens, and the same goes for its characteristic haircut, very short above and far below, which makes it reach the ground.
Their legs are also typical of the race and contribute to the fact that they are very short and with the hair it seems that the animal barely takes a few centimeters from the ground.
We must not be fooled by its appearance of “skirt dog”, since although it is a perfect company animal, the truth is that it is very strong dogs, with a great musculature that can endure very long walks through the field tireding us before them.
How is the personality of the Scottish terrier?
This breed is characterized by being very independent, but affectionate with theirs. This means that strangers is not closely approached and that only those of their family are touched.
Therefore, it can be a good pet for those dog fans who do not want their pet to always be on top of them, something that also helps to be left alone without feeling bad.
It is very rare, if not impossible, to show aggressiveness with people, even if you don't know them from anything, so that it is not one of those dogs that can bite a child in a park or someone who was running.
With other animals his personality changes completely and Scottish Terrier becomes a kind of demon that will try to attack every small animal you see.
We must not forget that for centuries it has been a hunting dog, which was dedicated to exterminating all kinds of moods, especially if they dug burgueras, so if you see a mole, a mouse in the park or in the field will try to hunt it by all the media.
This also applies to cats, especially when they are small, so if we take a kitten home you will have to take extreme care so that it does not harm it.
We can educate him since childhood and socialize him, causing him to see other animals and quarrel if he tries to attack them, but it will be difficult to overcome his instinct hunter.
His bravery is very close to recklessness, so that precautions must be taken when crossing large dogs, because it is possible that he tries to attack them without realizing that he carries all to lose.
Scottish terrier health
Health is one of the weak points of the raceand is that although it is not a fragile dog, there are a number of diseases that attack it very frequently and even some are typical of the race.
The reason is not well known, but cancer is one of the pathologies that is primed with the Scottish terrier. In fact, these dogs are very likely to suffer in their most diverse ways, attacking them when they are already older.
Another of the conditions associated with this animal so curious is the Van Willebrand's disease. It is a kind of hemophilia, so if our pet makes a wound it will take to close and can bleed by the nose frequently.
Almost all Scottish terrier have it in what is known as degree I, which is not serious. If it appears with grade II or III, the problem is already more serious and can have a fatal outcome.
Such a long snout is also the cause of the occasional visit to the veterinarian, since they can suffer conditions related to him. One of the most common is known as Scotty's jaw.
What happens is that the lower part grows more than the upper one, although luckily this for when the terrier becomes adult and does not usually require any action on our part.
With the skin you also have to take special care, because allergies are frequent and can cause itching, wounds and even hair loss.
Finally, it is possible that our Scottish Terrier never illuminates, since they are very hard dogs, but the possibility of having some condition like the one we have seen is higher than in other races.
Do you need special care?
The hair of Scottish Terrier It will give us enough work, since you have to spend a lot of time in its maintenance, at least four times a week.
Each of the sessions must dedicate himself to combing it well and separating his layers of hair, thus avoiding herself and getting tudded, at which time we will have to cut for the healthy and we will load her aesthetics.
Besides, At least three times a year you have to go through the canine hairdressing In order to be cut off and give it, visit that we can take advantage of them to teach us to comb it and recommend what type of comb we should use.
The beards also require attention, in this case daily. When he eats they stain them and wet them when drinking water, so that it is convenient to dry them and clean them with a paper napkin at least once a day.
It may seem to be on top of him at all hours, but once we get used to no more than 15 minutes and it is a time that we spend with him and that we take to play.
As for where he has to live, he will be happy in the garden outdoors, but we cannot leave it all day just because in the end he will feel abandoned and begin with one of his preferred entertainments, such as making holes in the garden.
They will always have this trend, so that you have to take care with the fence, because it is possible that you escape below after making a huge hole if we give it the necessary time.
In fact, Maybe we have to enable an area with land so that the time passes by doing holes, teaching him that he can exclusively dig in that area that will be for him.
How does Scottish terrier interact with other dogs?
He Scottish Terrier interacts badly, especially if both are males. In addition, we said that it was very brave and that can put us in more than one problem, since it is not afraid to face dogs of a much greater size.
His relationship with the other dogs is also conditioned by his jaw, which can also give us some other disgust, because he is a hunting dog and has a very strong mouth.
This behavior must be avoided by working socialization when it is very small. If we surround it from other dogs to play and try to make the experience positive, it will always be more permissive.
If anyway, attack the dogs on their way, we will have to contact a professional, and we can also talk to the veterinarian about the possibility of castrating it.
With a female we will avoid many of these problems, but the character of the Scottish terrier is still there and instead of attacking males can repeat this behavior with females, so that you have to work just like males.
What should I consider to raise them?
The first thing is to know them, since although the Scottish Terrier is a striking breed, the truth is that they do not look much through our streets. Therefore, a breeder must go to the more exhibitions the better, in order to become familiar with the race.
We have already seen that health can be a problem, so it should always be before a bigger head or a pretty jaw.
That means that you have to choose animals free of hereditary diseases, and better if we get that their parents and grandparents are also “clean”, something that can now be known thanks to DNA tests.
Raising dogs in a responsible way is never lucrative, but in the case of the Scottish terrier it is even less, especially because the veterinarian will have to go from time to time for some small condition as an allergy.
In Spain there is an official club, which is where we can help us if we want to start in the breeding. There we can meet expert breeders and we will have available litters in order to buy our first dogs, thus starting in this beautiful hobby.
Conclusions
The Scottish terrier or Scottish Terrier is one of those dogs that causes people who go down the street, since it is a very striking and beautiful dog. In fact, it usually is funny, although it is not a Toy dog, one of those that must be sheltered on cold days.
His past as an exterminating dog of vermin is attenuated for decades of selection, but it is still there and we should never forget it. It is not uncommon to have other pets such as cats, rabbits, guinea pigs, and perhaps this breed is not the best in order to live with them.
If we don't have other animals, it is a dog suitable for beginners and can live in the city, even in smaller floors, then it will have enough with the exercise that we seek with the exits and playing with him inside the house.
We will have to be careful with other dogs, because they are usually aggressive and do not tolerate them very well. This will improve with a good socialization work, but their instincts will always be there and we must remain attentive to the signs that we are giving us.
The expenses will be another thing to consider. Your allergies can force us to give you a hypoallergenic feed, which is more expensive than normal, and their health problems will make us visit the veterinarian often.
We will also have to count on hairdressing expenses, to which he must go several times a year if we want him to look with his best galas, since his hair is not easy to handle by people who have no knowledge.
In spite of everything we recommend, more when because of its size it can be the perfect companion in the city, an independent animal that will not always be asking for attention and that we can leave alone without problems.
The field will be the ideal partner of our Scottish Terrier, whether we make sporadic exits as if we live in a rural area, where he will enjoy looking for moods and can even help us keep the pests of rodents under control, because he will not hesitate to eliminate everyone who sees.
Of course, we will have to be careful, since we do not want this behavior to reproduce it in nature, because here it can be very harmful if we go through the same area and give it total freedom to do what you want.
Here we must remember the instinct, which means that if it smells like an animal that interests you it is possible that you escape and run away, without having the possibility of taking it until a good time later.
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