We will be in touch soon to confirm.
Breed guide · Dogs
He comes when he's called, eventually. I've learned to wait.
Last updated 14 October 2026
We will be in touch soon to confirm.
What they brought with them.
Tap a card to see what is going on.
At home
They hear you. They are just finishing what they were doing first.
What's going onA Scottie was bred to make their own decisions in a badger's den, with nobody there to give instructions. They are not being difficult. Short training sessions paid with food work far better than insisting.
At home
Devoted to you, and politely uninterested in your guests.
What's going onThe Scottie was admired for keeping to themselves, and many are reserved with everyone outside the family. Let them choose when to say hello, and ask visitors to wait for them to come over. A friendly Scottie who turns snappy is worth telling your vet about.
At home
The garden, the sand at the beach, and their own bed before they lie down.
What's going onThey were built to dig into rock and earth after a fox or a badger. Give them one place where digging is allowed, and bury something there for them to find.
At home
Short legs, a heavy coat, and a belly not far off the ground.
What's going onThat coat was made for Highland rain, and short legs keep them close to pavement that can burn. From May to September, walk before sunrise and after dark, and test the ground with the back of your hand.
At home
More trips outside, straining, or a little dribbling.
What's going onBladder cancer is a real risk in Scottish Terriers, and its first signs look like an ordinary toilet habit. Peeing more often, straining or blood in the urine can be read as marking. Published research has also linked the risk in Scotties to lawns treated with weedkiller. Tell your vet about any change the same week you notice it.
At home
A nail trim that keeps bleeding, gums that bleed after a chew, or a bruise from nowhere.
What's going onSome Scotties carry an inherited bleeding disorder, where blood is slow to clot. Most of the time there is no sign of it. Ask your vet about a clotting test before your Scottie is neutered or has any other operation.
The bit nobody tells you.
Their ground
Built for: Cold, wet rock, after a badger.
In Dubai: Close to hot pavement.
Their digging
Built for: Into rock and earth, on their own.
In Dubai: Little to dig into but the garden, if there is one.
Their decisions
Built for: Made alone, underground.
In Dubai: Asked to follow instructions all day.
The digging, the stubbornness and the reserve with strangers mostly come from that gap.
You cannot give them the Highlands. You can give them a job, and the ten things below are how.
Your plan is built around their breed: the risks on a Scottie's record at every age, and the care that goes with each one.
Join the founding families. AED 1,999 of essential care for AED 199.
Ten things that make their life better.
The Scottie has a big voice for a small dog, and it was kept on purpose.
Every age, most of all 6 months to 2 years
Why
The Scottie has a big voice for a small dog, and it was kept on purpose.
What to do
Let them bark twice, say thank you in a calm voice, call them to you and reward them. Do not shout back. Close the curtains on the view they bark at most. New barking, or barking at nothing, in an older Scottie is worth telling your vet about.
Many Scotties are reserved with strangers and other dogs, and forcing it makes it worse.
Every age, most of all before 16 weeks and 6 months to 2 years
Why
Many Scotties are reserved with strangers and other dogs, and forcing it makes it worse.
What to do
Ask visitors to ignore them until they come over. Keep greetings with other dogs to three seconds, then walk on, and meet the same few calm dogs often. A new snappiness, or two dogs at home falling out, is a reason to contact your vet.
They were bred to decide for themselves, and they learn fast when it pays.
Every age, most of all 6 months to 2 years
Why
They were bred to decide for themselves, and they learn fast when it pays.
What to do
A few minutes at a time, two or three times a day, paid with part of their daily food. Stop while they are still keen. Teach them that coming back, dropping things and being quiet all earn something.
Short legs and a heavy coat keep them close to the hot ground, and mats hold heat and hide sore skin.
Every age, most of all puppies and from 7 years
Why
Short legs and a heavy coat keep them close to the hot ground, and mats hold heat and hide sore skin.
What to do
From May to September, walk before sunrise and after dark. Back of your hand on the pavement for five seconds: if you cannot keep it there, they cannot walk on it. Carry water. Brush the wiry coat every day, keep it free of mats, and ask the groomer about the right trim for summer.
Allergies are on their record, and the coat hides a lot.
Every age
Why
Allergies are on their record, and the coat hides a lot.
What to do
Part the coat and look at the skin, check between their toes and feel for lumps. Weigh them once a month, because a heavier, slower Scottie can mean an underactive thyroid. Tell your vet about any new lump the same week you find it.
They were built to dig into earth and rock, and the urge does not go.
Every age, most of all 6 months to 2 years
Why
They were built to dig into earth and rock, and the urge does not go.
What to do
Set up a sandpit or a tub of play sand. Bury a toy or part of their food while they watch, then let them dig it up. When they dig anywhere else, take them to their spot.
Most will go after a cat, and their recall is their own business.
Every age, for life
Why
Most will go after a cat, and their recall is their own business.
What to do
Keep them on a lead wherever cats and birds are. Practise recall on a long line of five to ten metres in a quiet, fenced place.
The drive to grab, hold and shake is still there.
Every age, gentler while growing and from 7 years
Why
The drive to grab, hold and shake is still there.
What to do
Play tug or use a flirt pole (a toy on a rope at the end of a stick). Let them catch it, shake it and win sometimes. Teach drop by swapping the toy for a treat, and end the game yourself.
Dental disease is on their record from prime adulthood, and a sore mouth rarely stops a terrier eating.
Every age, starting the day they come home
Why
Dental disease is on their record from prime adulthood, and a sore mouth rarely stops a terrier eating.
What to do
Brush once a day with a small, soft brush and dog toothpaste. Look at their gums once a week. If the gums bleed easily, tell your vet. A dental evaluation (teeth and gum check) is in your plan at their puppy visits, and dental cleaning from age four.
A slipping kneecap is on their record from puppy to prime adult, and bladder cancer at every stage.
Every age
Why
A slipping kneecap is on their record from puppy to prime adult, and bladder cancer at every stage.
What to do
Rugs on marble, a ramp for the sofa, and keep them lean. Watch for a skip in their step. Notice how often they pee and whether they strain, and tell your vet about any change. Cancer screening is in your plan from six months to four years, and an orthopaedic evaluation (a joint and bone exam) from age two.
Three of these are in your plan. The rest you can do at home.
Join the founding families. AED 1,999 of essential care for AED 199.
Their health, at every age.
How old are they?
Their age
the first six months
What to watch for
The care that goes with it
Their age
6 months to 2 years
What to watch for
The care that goes with it
Their age
2 to 4 years
What to watch for
The care that goes with it
Their age
4 to 7 years
What to watch for
The care that goes with it
Their age
7 to 10 years
What to watch for
The care that goes with it
Their age
10 years and over
What to watch for
The care that goes with it
Breed predispositions indicate an increased risk rather than certainty of disease. What is right for them always comes from their own history and an evaluation.
Before they come home.
One breed, one size
There are no smaller or larger versions of the Scottish Terrier, just the short-legged terrier from the Highlands of Scotland.
Colours
Black is the colour most people picture, but Scotties also come in wheaten, the colour of ripe wheat, and in brindle of every shade. Some have a little white on the chest or chin.
The first six months
Their full vaccination course, microchip and Dubai Municipality registration come first. Start tooth brushing and daily coat brushing early, and ask about the screening for the bleeding disorder at their first visits.
Puppy health, 0 to 6 months
Getting the home ready
Set up a sandpit or a tub of sand before they arrive, put rugs down on marble, and add a ramp or step for the sofa so growing knees are not taking the jump.
Ten things that make their life better
Before you commit
Ask the breeder about bleeding problems, itchy skin and slipping kneecaps in both parents. An inherited bleeding disorder, allergies and slipping kneecaps are all on a young Scottie's record.
Before the clinics open
AED 1,999 of essential care for AED 199. No payment now.
For a new puppy: First 30 days with a new puppy · Puppy vaccinations in the UAE · Heatstroke in dogs
When it is not behaviour.
They'll come for a fuss when they're ready. If they stop wanting one at all, tell your vet.
Before they were yours.
The beginning
Small, short-legged terriers went into piles of rock in the Highlands of Scotland after foxes, badgers and otters. The short legs were for tight spaces, and the hard coat was for wind and rain.
What they still carryThe short legs, the digging and a dog that does not give way.
1870s to 1880
Around Aberdeen they were called Aberdeen terriers. In the 1870s breeders set out to fix one type, and the first written standard for the Scottish Terrier appeared in 1880.
What they still carryThe long head, the upright ears and the upright tail.
1885 to the 1930s
The first Scottish Terrier was registered with the American Kennel Club in 1885. By the 1930s the breed was one of the most fashionable dogs in America, admired for being dignified and self-contained.
What they still carryA reserved, devoted companion, which is still how many families describe them.
Today
Here Scotties live in flats and villas, low to the ground, in a climate that is the opposite of the Highlands.
What they still carryA coat built for cold rock and rain, close to hot pavement for half the year.
The ones you type at midnight.
If the Scottie suits you, so might these.
West Highland White TerrierThe same kind of dog: Scotland's other small terrier, livelier and quicker to welcome strangers, in a white coat.
Miniature SchnauzerAnother small terrier with a wiry coat, from Germany, even more vocal and just as spirited.
PomeranianThe same confident, watchful temperament and readiness to bark, in a tiny, fluffy spitz.
Border TerrierA similar size and a simple coat routine, in a more easy-going working terrier.
