Classic Grooming Cuts for a Scottish Terrier

Scottish terriers have a thick weather-resistant coat with a hard wiry outercoat and a soft undercoat. They shed very little hair but need regular brushing to keep the coat tangle-free. Scotties have a distinctive brick-shaped head with bushy eyebrows and a beard, and a characteristic carrot-shaped tail that is carried erect. If you are going to show your Scottie dog, his coat will have to meet the American Kennel Club breed standards. If he is a pet, you can choose a different grooming cut.

Find a groomer who is experienced in preparing dogs for the show ring, as the outercoat will have to be stripped by hand. This is because clipping can soften the coat. The hair on the beard, lower body and legs should be long and can be softer than the body coat but not fluffy. The entire coat must be shaped to the distinctive Scottie outline. Eyebrows should be a triangular shape and bushy.

A regular Scottie cut gives the appearance of a show cut but can be done with clippers or scissors and not by hand stripping. The head is kept to the traditional style, with the beard and bushy eyebrows. Make sure the eyebrows are trimmed so that the dog has good vision while keeping them full in appearance. The hair on the lower body and legs can be shorter than a show cut to make for easier maintenance grooming.

A puppy cut is used on many small breeds. The hair of the body and legs is trimmed to between 1 and 1½ inches long to make it easy to brush and to minimize the amount of debris collected in the coat while out playing. Most breeds have the face trimmed to a rounded look with a puppy cut. This does not really suit the Scottie so you may choose to keep the brick shaped head and the beard and eyebrows, but have them trimmed a little.

In warmer climates a summer cut is used to keep many dogs cool during hot weather. The coat is trimmed to ½ inch or less all over the body and legs, while the face is trimmed to your preference. This can keep the dog looking neat and is easy to groom, but may not suit the Scottie purists. The two-layer coat can insulate from heat as well as cold, so if you don’t like the summer cut, make sure your dog has a shady place to escape from the sun.