GENERAL APPEARANCE : Long; twice as long as tall, with a coat of good length. It moves, apparently, effortlessly. Strong on hindquarters, body and jaw.
 

Personality:  Elegant, alert and dignified.
 

Power Level : Active.  
 

Good with children:  Yes.

Good with other dogs:  With supervision.

Grooming:  Weekly.

Life Expectancy : 12-15  years old.

​

Bark level:  Moderate.

​

• HISTORICAL SUMMARY 

One of the oldest Scottish breeds; the Skye was once known as the Western Isles Terrier, evolving into what we now call the Skye Terrier, with a mix of breeds behind it, including prototype Cairn Terriers. One of the most famous examples was Greyfriars Bobby who, in Edinburgh around 1858, took a vigil at his master's tomb in Greyfriars Churchyard, until he too died. Greyfriars Bobby was buried on unconsecrated ground in the church atrium and his devotion is commemorated by a memorial plaque on the street and a headstone at his grave. While most Skye Terriers have raised ears, there is also a variety known as "droopy ears", in which the ears hang flat against the skull.

​

Country of Origin: Great Britain.

​

BEHAVIOR AND TEMPERAMENT:  Elegant and dignified. It is a one-owner dog, suspicious of strangers, but never aggressive.
 

HEAD:

​

• CRANIAL REGION  
   

Skull: Moderately wide at the back of the skull, tapering gradually to a strong muzzle.

Stop: Light.

• FACIAL REGION

Truffle: Black.

Muzzle: Strong.

Jaws and Teeth: Jaws strong and level with a perfect and regular scissor bite, ie the upper teeth overlap the lower teeth and are set squarely to the jaws.

Eyes: Brown, preferably dark brown, of medium size, set close together and very expressive.

Ears: Erect or drooping. When erect, they are gracefully fringed, without being large. Erect on the outer edges and oblique on the inner edges of each ear to the other, from the tip of the ear to the skull. When dropped, they are longer, hanging straight, lying down and close in front.

NECK: Long and slightly arched.

• BODY: Long and low. The sides appear flat, due to the coat that falls straight.

Back: Level.

Loin: Short.

Chest: Deep; oval, deep and long rib cage.

TAIL: When hanging, the front part is dropped and the final half forms a curve. When raised, it becomes the sloping extension of the back, never carried higher or curled. Gracefully fringed.

• MEMBERS

PREVIOUS

Shoulders: Broad, close to the body.

Forearms: Short, muscular legs.

Feet: Larger than the hind legs, pointing straight ahead. Thick pads, strong nails.  

​

HINDQUARTERS:  Strong, full, well developed and angulated. Short, muscular and straight legs when viewed from behind.

Knees: Well angulated.

Hocks: Well angulated.

Metatarsals: Without ergots.

Feet: Smaller than the forelegs, pointing straight ahead. Thick pads, strong nails.

• GAIT/MOVEMENT: When in action, legs are straight forward. When approaching, the forelegs continue in the same straight line, with the paws maintaining the same distance from the elbows. Propulsion power is provided by the hindquarters, which move straight forward. The forelegs have a good forward reach without lifting too much. All movement is free, active and effortless, allowing for a more or less fluent image.

• COAT

Hair: Double. Undercoat short, close, soft and woolly. Coat of reasonable length, hard, straight, flat and without ripples, never hampering its action. Shorter, softer hair on the head, hiding the face and eyes, but not obscuring vision. Blending in with the locks of the side hairs, which wrap around the ears like a fringe and allow their shape to show through.

• COLOR: Black, dark or light grey, fawn, cream, all with black dots. Any single color is allowed with the possibility of having shaded parts of the same color and lighter undercoat, provided that the nose and ears are black. A small white patch on the chest is allowed.

• SIZE

Ideal height at the withers: 25 - 26 cm; length from the tip of the nose to the tip of the tail of 105 cm. Females slightly smaller in the same proportion.
 

• FAULTS  

​

Any deviation from this standard should be considered a fault and penalized in exact proportion to its severity and its effects on the health and well being of the dog.  

​

​

DISQUALIFYING FAULTS

• Aggressiveness or excessive shyness.

• Any dog that shows any sign of physical or behavioral anomaly must be disqualified.

• Atypical dogs.

​

​

​