Anyone have a Scottish Terrier?

[MsP]

...just as the title asks, does anyone have a scottish terrier or have experiences with the breed?

I''m researching breeds. I''m looking for a small, yet fairly sturdy breed. They''re on the upper limit of my size restrictions(personal--not apartment, they don''t care). I am an apartment dweller and very mobile. I want a confident breed and not an ankle biter. I''ve read they can be overly aloof and not easily trainable. Truth? Your experiences?

Thanks!

 

[Mara]

Miss P...we have a Westie, the white version of the Scottie. They are slightly smaller than Scotties (Portia is 20 lbs and Scotties I have seen are more like 30-35), and are supposed to have slightly different temperments. I will say that our Westie is not a text book dog. Nor was the one I had when I was younger. So the books can only tell you so much, I guess 'common' traits they have but it doesn't necessarily mean that is how YOUR dog will be.

Greg wanted to get a Scottie also so I did a tiny bit of research before I determined 2 dogs wasn't for us. But the Scottie owners we met, while they adore their dogs, did say that they are quite independent and VERY stubborn. Westies can be stubborn, but Portia is not that bad thankfully. I have seen some very stubborn terriers!

That said, we love love having a Westie, I'd totally recommend one if you are considering that kind of dog. She is pick-upable, good in a small spot, she doesn't bark and isn't a yapper, she THINKS she is a big dog, she can be lazy when we are but she wants to run and walk when we take her out. She has such a great personality and is independent and not needy but can be affectionate as well. Terriers can be great within the right household but not everyone loves their energy.

 

[MsP]

I have been looking at Westies as well... as well as wheaten scottish terriers. How did you locate your breeder?

It''s soooooooooo hard to finding reputable breeder. Expensive doesn''t equate to reputable either. Nor does registration or size or anything. I''m just having a difficult time. I''m so lost.

I purchased my cat through a reputable breeder/show cattery as a retired show cat. As much as I''d love to rescue, I''d like an adult and I want to know that he/she has been well cared for prior to me. I''m looking to find a retired breeder/retained show dog... I just want to know they were well cared for, have good genes, have been fed high quality foods, well socialized, had excellent vet care, etc.

 

[Lady_Disdain]

My parents had a Westie as well. He was a very even tempered dog - not an ankle biter at all. He was also very well trained and my parents never had any trouble teaching him things such as where to do his necessities, where he couldn''t go, etc.

 

[Dannielle]

Date: 8/16/2009 8:46:01 PM
Author: Mara
Miss P...we have a Westie, the white version of the Scottie. They are slightly smaller than Scotties (Portia is 20 lbs and Scotties I have seen are more like 30-35), and are supposed to have slightly different temperments. I will say that our Westie is not a text book dog. Nor was the one I had when I was younger. So the books can only tell you so much, I guess ''common'' traits they have but it doesn''t necessarily mean that is how YOUR dog will be.

Greg wanted to get a Scottie also so I did a tiny bit of research before I determined 2 dogs wasn''t for us. But the Scottie owners we met, while they adore their dogs, did say that they are quite independent and VERY stubborn. Westies can be stubborn, but Portia is not that bad thankfully. I have seen some very stubborn terriers!

That said, we love love having a Westie, I''d totally recommend one if you are considering that kind of dog. She is pick-upable, good in a small spot, she doesn''t bark and isn''t a yapper, she THINKS she is a big dog, she can be lazy when we are but she wants to run and walk when we take her out. She has such a great personality and is independent and not needy but can be affectionate as well. Terriers can be great within the right household but not everyone loves their energy.

I would love to see a picture!

 

[Mara]

Dannielle I can do much better than that!! I started at thread for Portia back in 2004. It''s very old and she is obviously a bit diff looking (I have a more recent pic I will upload) but here is the thread:

https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/new-addition-to-our-family.16283/

Miss P...we got our Westie through a breeder I''d built a relationship up with over a few years of researching the breed. But we have a local Westie group and rescue that also does breeder referrals and/or puts you in touch with people who know other breeders in the area etc. The West Highland White Terrier Club of America (or really any breed you are looking at should have a club of america, you can Google it), will also send you reputable referrals for breeders in your area if you email them usually.

It can be tough though because in our area Westies have like a 1-2 year waiting list sometimes for the better breeders. Also they can be very expensive from these breeders because they really invest a lot in taking care of the dogs, the Mom, getting exceptional equipment (ultrasounds!) etc etc.

Our girl was from a ''country'' breeder, still very reputable with some show lineage in her, but nothing on the scale of the more city/suburb breeders. So she was a bit cheaper but fine for us because we never intended to show her, just wanted a good tempered, healthy family dog. She''s 5 and we have not had any issues with her health (knock on wood) and she is sturdy as a rock. Her only issue really is a sensitive stomach, in my opinion a lot of the smaller purebreds can have the same, but as she has gotten older she has stabilized hugely and hardly gets sick.

Westies ARE prone to bad skin allergies which is another reason you want to seek out a reputable breeder, see what their dogs look like and what they are doing to help breed only the strongest dogs etc to help breed that out of their stock. We have seen such pathetic looking sad dogs at the local Westie events with NO HAIR, red, inflamed skin, horrible. If you live in a dry climate it might be a bit worse, but in humid I think they do fairly well. We have been lucky with only a few flare ups on Portia, took her to a skin therapist once and he gave me some great tips (frequent baths, wipe the dog with a wet towel when they are out playing in grass or flowers to get the pollen off the fur before it reaches skin, oils in the food etc) and with those we have managed to keep her coat full and healthy and never had to give her meds (other than Benadryl during spring months when even WE have allergies). But you def want to get a breeder that is aware of the breed problems and either working to correct them OR just not further them and has healthy dogs.

Lastly, some Westies can be prone to hip dysplasia, I don''t know too much about it but again some breeders are working to help breed this out. We try to be careful with Portia aka jumping from high distances but seriously these dogs think they are like 100 lbs and ''oh the distance from the back of the couch to the floor is not much right'' ... we are afraid one day she''ll break a hip or something...but really we also want to help her protect her hips and legs for later in life when she might not be so spry.

Anyway, Westies are descendants of Cairns and Scotties, so they are similar, just a bit bigger than Cairn and smaller than Scottie. They used to breed Scotties and Cairns together and they''d sometimes get all white dogs, and someone hit on the idea of just breeding the white dogs together and boom. I love Cairns, they are the more wheaten sand colored ones though they can come in diff colors, and I imagine their temperment must be fairly similar given the ancestry, but don''t know too many details on them.

 

[Mara]

This is one of my fave pics of her, we took this last year.

 

[Mara]

And I took this one last nite...it was so funny, I was laying in bed reading and I look over and she is staring at me like this. She looked like a strange hybrid creature and reminded me of Falcor in Neverending Story.

 

[stepcutgirl]

No...but I would reccomend looking at poodles too. The mini ones, not the tea cup. Poodles get a bad rep for being prissy and fru fru. I have had 5 of them and only one has been a princess. The others both male and female are great dogs. The one I have now looks like a teddy bear and he is about 25 lbs. They don''t shed, they aren''t overly independent, are incredibly smart and super easy to train. I have taken all mine to petsmart for training(as adults no less) and they have done amazing except above said prissy dog. My current dog (in avatar) Petey did so good that he only had to be shown each thing two times to master it. The teacher told us we should have Petey teach class.

If you are set on a Scottie I''d say look more into Westies. I have a friend with one and it such a sweet dog. I also have a neighbor with a Scottie and it is very independent and does what it wants, when it wants.

 

[soocool]

Other dogs around the 12- 20 lb mark are mini-schnauzers - a terrier breed (very intelligent, easy to train, non-shedding, not hyper, but need to be exercised everyday) or the schnoodle which is a schnauzer/poodle mix. One of my neighbors has this breed and she is the sweetest most intelligent dog I have seen

One thing about terriers you have to understand is that they need exercise. Mine gets about 1 hour a day - playtime plus serious running around (1/2 in the morning & 1/2 hour in the evening)

One way to research breeders is to join some dog forums. Breeders are on these forums and many of the people who bought their dogs from these breeders are on there as well. They can also offer advice as to which breeder is good and what to expect from the breed you are interested in.


ETA: .check out the following to find dog forums for the breed you are interested in. They will give you a ton of advice, plus help you find a reputable breeder http://groups.yahoo.com

 

[Mara]

I agree, most terriers typically need a fair amt of exercise but I think we got lucky with Portia, she gets a 30 min walk in the day with her dog walker and then we have a yard for her so she plays but she is a slug!!! After her first year she lost a lot of her puppy mischeviousness and turned more serious and adult, including lots of naps.

As a total 180...my friend has a Jack Russell and she has to walk that dog 2x a day and the 2nd one has to be like a 30 min run or else he will tear up the house. Crazy.

 

[soocool]

Date: 8/17/2009 2:41:39 PM
Author: Mara
I agree, most terriers typically need a fair amt of exercise but I think we got lucky with Portia, she gets a 30 min walk in the day with her dog walker and then we have a yard for her so she plays but she is a slug!!! After her first year she lost a lot of her puppy mischeviousness and turned more serious and adult, including lots of naps.

As a total 180...my friend has a Jack Russell and she has to walk that dog 2x a day and the 2nd one has to be like a 30 min run or else he will tear up the house. Crazy.

My dog is around 2 yrs old (mini schnauzer) and by getting him to run around outside or inside (inside we use a laser light that she loves to chase) he sleeps through the night and also naps a lot during the day so that I can go out during the day for a few hours and not worry about any separation anxiety or excess energy.

My friends also has a Jack Russell and she keeps that dog busy running around and he still goes at it at 4 am.

 

[April20]

Date: 8/17/2009 12:33:26 PM
Author: Mara
This is one of my fave pics of her, we took this last year.

I don''t know anything firsthand about Scottish Terriers, sorry.

I did want to chime in and tell Mara that this pic is the cutest darn thing I''ve ever seen!!!

I do know a little bit about Westies. My dad and step-mom had a Westie- he died last year. He had a lot of skin allergies and he was a barker, but all in all, he was a great dog. They really, really miss him. I''ve got another friend that has a Westie as well. She''s been cooking his food for years due to skin allergy issues, but as far as I know, he''s still going strong.

I have a Yorkshire Terrier/Poddle mix. He''s weighs in at 10lbs and is a great dog. We''re gone quite a bit and while he loves to go places with us when he can, he''s content to stay at home and chill on the couch. He holds his own. He loves to be played with and 3-4 times a week he wants to be chased thru the house. The funny thing is you can kind of lunge at him and he''ll tear off. You don''t have to actually chase him. He''s been a great breed for us because I don''t worry he''s eaten the couch while we''re gone out of boredom (I had a friend whose Boxer did this).

 

[purrfectpear]

I spent quite a bit of time at a friends home who had two Scotties. Lovely dogs, but not "lap dog" types at all. They would bring you a toy to throw, but they weren''t really all that interested in hanging out with people, even their owners. I would say they were more "catlike" in temperment.

Most terriers are people dogs. They''re fiesty, love to play, love their people, love to be petted and will follow you from room to room. The Scotties just sort of lived there. If you left the room they didn''t necessarily get up to follow you. They were very well behaved and tolerated large parties of 20 people without getting in the way. My Sillky Terrier would go nuts if I had 20 people over. I''d never get him off laps, or vying for attention. Scotties are just different than the average terrier.

 

[Dannielle]

Date: 8/17/2009 12:26:18 PM
Author: Mara
Dannielle I can do much better than that!! I started at thread for Portia back in 2004. It''s very old and she is obviously a bit diff looking (I have a more recent pic I will upload) but here is the thread:

https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/new-addition-to-our-family.16283/

Miss P...we got our Westie through a breeder I''d built a relationship up with over a few years of researching the breed. But we have a local Westie group and rescue that also does breeder referrals and/or puts you in touch with people who know other breeders in the area etc. The West Highland White Terrier Club of America (or really any breed you are looking at should have a club of america, you can Google it), will also send you reputable referrals for breeders in your area if you email them usually.

It can be tough though because in our area Westies have like a 1-2 year waiting list sometimes for the better breeders. Also they can be very expensive from these breeders because they really invest a lot in taking care of the dogs, the Mom, getting exceptional equipment (ultrasounds!) etc etc.

Our girl was from a ''country'' breeder, still very reputable with some show lineage in her, but nothing on the scale of the more city/suburb breeders. So she was a bit cheaper but fine for us because we never intended to show her, just wanted a good tempered, healthy family dog. She''s 5 and we have not had any issues with her health (knock on wood) and she is sturdy as a rock. Her only issue really is a sensitive stomach, in my opinion a lot of the smaller purebreds can have the same, but as she has gotten older she has stabilized hugely and hardly gets sick.

Westies ARE prone to bad skin allergies which is another reason you want to seek out a reputable breeder, see what their dogs look like and what they are doing to help breed only the strongest dogs etc to help breed that out of their stock. We have seen such pathetic looking sad dogs at the local Westie events with NO HAIR, red, inflamed skin, horrible. If you live in a dry climate it might be a bit worse, but in humid I think they do fairly well. We have been lucky with only a few flare ups on Portia, took her to a skin therapist once and he gave me some great tips (frequent baths, wipe the dog with a wet towel when they are out playing in grass or flowers to get the pollen off the fur before it reaches skin, oils in the food etc) and with those we have managed to keep her coat full and healthy and never had to give her meds (other than Benadryl during spring months when even WE have allergies). But you def want to get a breeder that is aware of the breed problems and either working to correct them OR just not further them and has healthy dogs.

Lastly, some Westies can be prone to hip dysplasia, I don''t know too much about it but again some breeders are working to help breed this out. We try to be careful with Portia aka jumping from high distances but seriously these dogs think they are like 100 lbs and ''oh the distance from the back of the couch to the floor is not much right'' ... we are afraid one day she''ll break a hip or something...but really we also want to help her protect her hips and legs for later in life when she might not be so spry.

Anyway, Westies are descendants of Cairns and Scotties, so they are similar, just a bit bigger than Cairn and smaller than Scottie. They used to breed Scotties and Cairns together and they''d sometimes get all white dogs, and someone hit on the idea of just breeding the white dogs together and boom. I love Cairns, they are the more wheaten sand colored ones though they can come in diff colors, and I imagine their temperment must be fairly similar given the ancestry, but don''t know too many details on them.

She is gorgeous!!!

Your DH reminds me off FI- he gets that cheeky grin when he holds his kitten, its adorable

 

[Mandarine]

Hi! Just wanted to chime in on min schnauzers as mine gets confused by a socttish terrier ALL the time!. I have a black min schnauzer (although he''s bigger than most minis at 23 lbs).

He''s the best dog ever....if I may say so myself

. I actually have FOUR friends that went and got min schnauzers after ahnging out with ours....so he''s a charmer for sure

. He has a super calm and loving way about him. He''s happy just relaxing and it''s not by any means an "annoying little dog". He only barks if it''s necessary (a squirrel in the yard or someone knocking at the door). He loves snuggling and the best nap partner ever!.

Mine is black with natural ears. They don''t shed, but do need frequent grooming. He gets lots of exercise, which I think is VERY important. Mine has natural ears, which I find so adorable

.

Like Mara said though, not all dogs are text book.

I don''t have many pictures on this computer....but here is one!. Good luck with the dog search!!

 

[Mara]

Thanks Danielle and April...yes that photo of her made us laugh for weeks. She looked like ''Seriously, one day I *will* eat you''....!!

PP... Westies can be a lot like Scotties in their independence as well. Some older Westies we have met just have no interest in people. They like their own but other than that they can take it or leave it. At times, Portia reminds us of a cat in that way as well. She mostly ''tolerates'' our affections. But sometimes she will snuggle and come to us on her own. She does love to sleep with us and will try to ''puppy pile'' and be near us in sleep. She will follow us from room to room most times because she is horribly NOSY and can''t bear to be away from the source of whatever is going on. But sometimes we have to go find her in another room laying hidden in a corner. It''s hilarious really. And she lays on the back of the couch to look outside for hours just like a cat.

Mandarine, LOVE that photo of you guys, so cute.