Skye terrier

With the Cairn Terrier, the Skye Terrier is the oldest Scottish terrier. As its name suggests, it formed in the 9th century on the island of Skye (Inner Hebrides, Scotland) from a natural cross between indigenous Celtic terriers and basset dogs (Swedish Vallhund) of Viking invaders. It shares this latter ancestor with the Welsh Corgis, which it resembles. The Skye Terrier is the ancestor of the Dandie Dinmont Terrier and, through an old variety the Clydesdale Terrier, of the Yorkshire Terrier. Until the 16th century it was used exclusively for hunting fox, badger and various other animals. Skye Terriers developed a thick coat and great resistance to cold. In the 16th century, Scottish aristocrats noticed the Skye Terrier and its coat. Mary Stuart was among the first to adopt one. In 1842, Queen Victoria discovered the Skye Terrier, which quickly became her favorite breed. British subjects immediately followed the fashion launched by the Queen and the Skye became the most fashionable dog breed in the 19th century in Great Britain. It was first presented under its current name at the Manchester exhibition in 1864. The popularity of this dog breed increased in 1873 with the story of Greyfriars Bobby: he was a Skye from Edinburgh whose master had just died, but who refused to accept this and lived on his master's grave until his own death, 14 years later. Bobby is still celebrated in Scotland today and Walt Disney adapted his story into a film. With the 20th century and the death of Queen Victoria, Skye Terrier numbers gradually declined. The Skye is today extremely rare worldwide and even rarer in France. The breed has a very narrow genetic base which poses a serious threat: few quality breeders remain combining beauty, health and balanced temperament. In the United Kingdom, it is now officially considered to be endangered. In that country and in Finland, breed conservation programs have been established.

The Skye Terrier's temperament is relatively atypical for a terrier, as it shows absolutely no nervousness. Because of this, it is well-suited to apartment living, if it has access to sufficient exercise, like all dogs. Quite spirited before age three, it then becomes calm, composed and attentive to its master, whom it follows like a shadow. Extremely loyal and intelligent, it generally obeys only its master, and can let itself starve in case of his absence or death. It ignores strangers and prefers to avoid them. But it also enjoys family life as it loves children very much, as well as cats, which is exceptional among terriers. Although it has a strong character, it is quite sociable with other dogs. The Skye Terrier has a fairly determined temperament. However, it is a sensitive dog that can easily become fearful or even show its teeth out of fear, following a reprimand. Training methods based on domination or positive punishment/negative reinforcement, physical corrections and yelling are inadvisable, at risk of creating an unsociable and fearful animal. The Skye Terrier responds particularly well to positive reinforcement methods and can thus be trained in various canine sports including agility, tracking or obedience.

The Skye Terrier is a basset terrier: its body is twice as long as it is tall. The head is fairly long and strong. The ears, of medium size, are either erect or drooping (the drooping-eared variety, which is nonetheless the original type, is almost extinct as it is considered less aesthetic). The neck is long. The body is muscular and the back is straight. The legs are short, thick, well-aligned; the angulations are very pronounced. The tail is long and never carried above the backline. The coat is long, reaching to the ground, hard, straight and very abundant, protecting the dog well from cold. It is doubled by a soft, thick and woolly undercoat. The tail has a nice plume, the eyes are well hidden and the ears covered with abundant fringes. Coat colors are cream-blonde, fawn, all shades of gray (silver, light or dark, brindle) and black, obligatorily with the tip of the muzzle and ears black in all colors. In canine selection criteria, only unicolor tones are accepted. The eyes are brown and the nose is black. White, chocolate brown and bicolor blue and sable (like the Yorkshire) are, according to the same criteria, disqualified. Height at the withers (top of the shoulder) is 24 to 30 cm. Weight ranges from 12 to 15 kg for males and 10 to 13 kg for females. Many individuals weigh over 15 kg, often up to 20 kg, which is very harmful for terrier work; weight selection should be monitored.

The Skye sheds very little hair, much less than a short-coated dog: its hair takes several years to grow, so it has no true molt. The Skye Terrier is generally brushed twice a week with a metal comb or a pneumatic brush with long teeth, without pulling too hard on the coat. Tangles are undone by hand. The coat is combed with a long straight parting from the tip of the nose to the tip of the tail. Hair between and just around the paw pads is trimmed for hygiene and comfort. The Skye is generally bathed once a month with a detangling dog shampoo, followed by a dog conditioner (always for dogs), and dried using gentle brushing. A bit of non-greasy conditioner usually finishes the grooming.