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SmallTerrier Group

Scottish Terrier

The Scottish Terrier is a short-legged earth-working terrier from the Aberdeen region, standardized in the 1880s for rat, fox, and badger work on Scottish farms.

Calculate Scottish Terrier age
Lifespan12.7 yrrange 12–13
SizeSmallTerrier Group
Weight18–22 lb8.2–10 kg
Senior at8 yrgeriatric at 12

Gallery (3)

About

About the Scottish Terrier

The Scottish Terrier is a short-legged earth-working terrier from the Aberdeen region, standardized in the 1880s for rat, fox, and badger work on Scottish farms. The breed has lived in the White House with three US presidents.

Aging

How Scottish Terriers age

RVC VetCompass gives a median 12.7 years (n=2,616). Transitional cell carcinoma (bladder cancer) is the defining late-life cancer — lifetime incidence ~18x the general canine population — with Scottie cramp and von Willebrand's secondary.

Lifespan deep-diveAvg 12.7 yr · range 12–13Senior careSenior at 8 · geriatric at 12Common health issues4 tracked conditions
Physical

Physical characteristics

Weight
18–22 lb(8.2–10 kg)
Height
10–10 in(25.4–25.4 cm)
Coat type
Wire
Colors
BlackBlack BrindleBrindleRed BrindleSilver BrindleWheaten
Temperament

Temperament

How Scottish Terriers tend to show up around their people, other dogs, and the world.

confidentindependentspiriteddignified
  • Energy
  • Trainability
  • Good with kids
  • Good with other dogs
  • Shedding
Health

Common health issues

Full health profile
  • Moderatetypical onset ~7 yr

    Cataracts

    Description and veterinary guidance for Cataracts land in Phase 4. Prevalence and onset-age figures above are drawn from https://ofa.org/diseases/disease-statistics/.

  • Low prevalencetypical onset ~2 yr

    Patellar Luxation

    Description and veterinary guidance for Patellar Luxation land in Phase 4. Prevalence and onset-age figures above are drawn from https://ofa.org/diseases/disease-statistics/.

  • Low prevalencetypical onset ~5 yr

    Hypothyroidism

    Description and veterinary guidance for Hypothyroidism land in Phase 4. Prevalence and onset-age figures above are drawn from https://ofa.org/diseases/disease-statistics/.

Exercise
45min
per day

Scottish Terriers are satisfied by around 45 minutes of daily activity (energy level 3/5). Short, regular outings beat one long session.

Related

Related breeds

Breeds with a similar size and group profile, for readers comparing options.

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References

Sources

Lifespan and health figures on this page are drawn from the peer-reviewed and organizational sources below.

  1. AKC breed standardAmerican Kennel Club breed page

    Breed size, weight range, height, AKC group, origin, coat type, and temperament baseline.

  2. RVC VetCompassRoyal Veterinary College VetCompass life-table research (McMillan et al. 2024)

    UK primary-care records; source for the median-lifespan and mortality figures.