- Black, wheaten or brindle of any shade
About the Scottish Terrier
Origin: Great Britain
- Typical life span
- 12-15 years
- Size
- Small — from its typical weight
- Weight
- Male
- 8.5-10 kg
- Female
- 8-9.5 kg
- Height
- 25-28 cm
- FCI status
- Recognised by FCI
- FCI group
- Terriers
- Origin
- Great Britain
- Known hereditary risks
- Not researched yet
About
What is a Scottish Terrier?
Small, compact, and sturdy terrier with a distinctive wiry coat, erect ears, beard and eyebrows, and dignified, confident presence
Scottish Terrier history and origins
One of Scotland's oldest Highland terrier breeds, developed in the Scottish Highlands for hunting vermin in difficult terrain. Recognized by The Kennel Club (UK) in 1883 and the AKC in 1885.
Scottish Terrier appearance and size
Males typically weigh 8.5-10 kg and females 8-9.5 kg.
What the breed standard says
- Bred for
- Terrier
- Behaviour and temperament
“Loyal and faithful. Dignified, independent and reserved, but courageous and highly intelligent. Bold, but never aggressive”
Quoted from FCI standard n°73. It describes the breed the registry recognises, not any individual animal.
Breed reference from The Dog API.
Characteristics
- Size
- Small
- Exercise needsRead from what the breed was bred to do, in the registry’s own words: “Terrier” That is a working purpose, not a measured exercise requirement — an individual dog’s needs depend on its age, health and household.
- 4 of 5
- Easy to train
- —
- Amount of shedding
- 4 of 5
- Grooming needs
- 3 of 5
- Good with children
- —
- Cost to keep
- —
- Tolerates being alone
- —
- Intelligence
- —
- Health of breed
- Not researched yet
Pros & cons
Pros & cons for the Scottish Terrier
What you get with the Scottish Terrier
- Purpose stated in the standard: “Terrier”
- The standard describes the breed as: “Loyal and faithful. Dignified, independent and reserved, but courageous and highly intelligent. Bold, but never…”
What you are taking on
Nobody has written this side yet. It is a judgement rather than data, so it waits for a person — not for a missing source.
Drawn from sources rather than written as an opinion — cited health research, the registry’s own standard, and peer-reviewed longevity. FCI breed standard. One breeder’s animals can differ from any of it, and an empty column means we hold nothing for that side rather than that there is nothing to say.
Characteristics
FCI standard · Scottish Terrier
Coat and colour
As the FCI standard sets it out. Every line below is the standard’s own wording.
Coat
Close-lying, double coat
undercoat short, dense and soft
outer coat harsh, dense and wiry, together making a weather-resisting covering
Colour
- Preferred
- Permissible
- Undesirable
- Disqualifying
Preferred, permissible, undesirable and disqualifying are FCI’s own words about the breed. They describe what the standard asks for — not an assessment of any individual dog, and not ours.
Shortened from FCI standard n°73 — each label is the standard’s own wording with the verdict lifted into the tag beside it. Read the full clause at source.
Breed-level information from The Dog API. It describes the Scottish Terrier in general; any individual animal can differ.
Health guide
What to ask for in a Scottish Terrier
No breed-specific health panel has been written up for the Scottish Terrier on this platform yet. That is a gap in our records, not a clean bill of health — ask the breeder which hereditary conditions their lines are tested for, and ask to see the results for both parents, dated and from a named laboratory.
Gallery
No photographs yet
This is where Scottish Terrier owners’ own photographs will go, from the pet profiles they keep here. Nobody has added one to a public page yet.
A photograph in a pet profile stays private to its owner. We will not put one here unless they ask us to.
Puppies
No puppies listed right now
No Scottish Terrier breeder has a record on this platform yet, so there is nothing to list. That is a gap in our coverage, not a fact about the breed.