Scottish Blog

The Skye Terrier is a dog breed originating from Scotland.

The Skye Terrier breed is a relatively old one, its Scottish origins date back to the 1600’s. Yet even with such a dated Scottish heritage, they are often overlooked when compared to the figure head of Scottish dogs, the Scottish Terrier.

As the name might suggest, the Skye Terrier originates from the Isle of Skye. Although there are varying estimates as to when and how the breed began. Common belief holds that early in the 1600’s century, a ship was wrecked near the Isle of Skye. Amongst the survivors who were washed up on the land were a number of Maltese dogs, which was only natural since the ship was Spanish in origin. These Maltese dogs bred with the local terriers and came to form what is today known as the Skye Terrier. There is evidence however, that shows that the Skye Terrier was a breed before the shipwreck. This evidence would point to the Skye Terrier being a mix of local terriers as bred by the Celts and the Swedish Vallhund as brought by Vikings.

In appearance the Skye Terrier is similar to other terriers. In particularly they can bare a strong resemblance to Scottish terriers. Skye Terriers are typically black, grey, blue or fawn. Generally they do not have patterning on the body, although a small white spot is allowed on the chest. Their coat consists of a short soft undercoat and a strong, long over coat, generally six inches in length.

Unfortunately, the Skye Terrier has not enjoyed the same popularity as the Scottish Terrier. This extends so far as to some even having fears of the breed becoming extinct. In there were only thirty recorded Skye Terrier births in the United Kingdom.