Mary Allen
The Scottish Terrier is probably descended from short-legged and very predatory hunting dogs that were used in northwest Scotland, in the Highlands around the county of Perthshire, primarily for hunting badgers, foxes, and wild rabbits and for hunting otters. These very muscular terriers of that time probably had slightly longer legs than today’s “Scotties”, as the breed is affectionately known.
#1 They showed themselves brave and fearless in the face of their well-fortified prey, but optically they did not have much in common with today’s breed standard.
Just like the Scottish Terrier, the three other short-legged terrier species Cairn, Skye, and West Highland White Terrier probably also go back to these original Scottish hunting dogs.
#2 In the middle of the 19th century, the targeted breeding of a separate terrier breed began in the Scottish city of Aberdeen.
As early as 1879, these dogs, at that time still mostly with brindle coats, were shown for the first time at a dog show in England. There was initially a dispute about which of the various terriers originating from Scotland could claim the designation "Scottish Terrier".
#3 The founder of the Scottish Terrier Club, Capt. Gordon Murray, however, was able to assert himself in 1882, and so the “Aberdeen Terrier” finally became the “Scottish Terrier”.
The founding of the Club for Terriers in Germany in 1894 finally established the breeding of the new breed in this country as well. In 1906, the first puppies were recorded in the studbook under the breed name "Scottish Terrier". The mostly pitch-black terrier with the striking exterior quickly became a real fashion dog.