Collection: Personalised Scottish Terrier Gifts

Scottish Terriers are wonderful characters, brimming with personality and humour. Affectionately known as Aberdeenies or Scotties, this sturdy and compact dog is usually dark or black although the breed standard does permit wheaten. The Scottish Terrier is an icon of Scotland of which the Scots are rightly very proud.

Brought to millions of viewers as the character ‘Jock’ in the famous Disney film, Lady and the Tramp, a whole generation fell in love with the Scottish Terrier.

All the Scottish Terriers in existence today can trace their lineage back to just four dogs from the 1870s namely Tartan (of course!), Splinter II, Bon Accord and Rough Rough. Before that, much of the breed’s history has disappeared into the mists of time although there are surviving records of dogs with a similar description dating back to 55 BC described by Pliny the Elder and then much later in 1436 in a book called, A History of Scotland.

Originally bred to hunt badgers and foxes, the breed was known to be a favourite of King James I of England; his royal patronage increased the breed’s popularity enormously. In the 19th century, the Fourth Earl of Dumbarton had a famous pack of Scotties. So brave were they in battle that they were nicknamed, ‘diehards’ and George’s regiment was named, ‘Dunbarton Diehards’ after the dogs.

The Scottish Terrier’s predecessor is thought to be the Old Scotch Terrier now extinct probably the foundation of the breed in existence today. The Scottish Terrier was classified within the Sky Terrier Group until the 1870s but then later this group was subdivided to record four different types of dog one of which is the Scottish Terrier.

The Scottish Terrier makes a wonderful family pet, independent, intelligent and very comical, they fit right into family life. Because they are short in the leg, they can’t cope with long walks but need plenty of mental stimulation and company in the home. They are not a yappy breed and have a deep, gruff bark.