The History of the Scottish Terrier
As the only breed of all the other breeds originating from Scotland, The Scottish Terrier carries the name of its homeland.
Unfortunately, there is no authentic breed history older than 120 years ago. ”Terriers” that can be seen sometimes on pictures before the 19th century can not necessarily be considered as the ancestors of the breed that was created from the different types of dogs, often regionally different, which existed to do their job, i.e. go to the ground and find their prey.
One considers the foundation of the Scottish Terrier, also referred to as Scottie by its fanciers, to be in the moors of Rannoch and the hills in Perthshire. But these dogs were very different from the Scotties we do see today. They were kept by gamekeepers to go after foxes, badgers, vipers, martens and other predatory game. Their strong mouths and powerful necks enabled them to be a dangerous enemy.
These dogs which were then later called Scottish Terriers came to the attention of a wider population beyond their northerly home territories, after they were presented at dog shows in England for the first time in 1879. .
In Germany, the Scottish Terrier was one of the first three breeds bred by the German Terrier Club (Klub für Terrier) after its foundation in 1894. The first dogs were registered in under the name “Scotch Terrier”. Relatively quickly, the breed received great popularity and in the 20ies and 30ies, the solid-black Scottie actually became fashionable. To-date, 66,500 Scotties are recorded in the registry of the Klub für Terrier.
