Grooming Your Scottish Terrier

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Scottie Look
The goal of grooming Scottish Terriers is to accentuate the overall look of sturdiness, heavy-boned and a thick body that sets this breed apart from all others. A Scottie look is a compact look to the body, a "brick" shape to the head when viewed from the front and flat skull when viewed in profile, without abrupt lines but rather well-blended hair. Scottish terrier AKC standard does not allow for fluffy or curly coat look.

Brushing
Brushing a Scottie is a very important and ongoing responsibility. Scottish terriers are double coated: outer coat that is hair-like, not the fur, and an inner soft layer. Regular brushing removes the soft undercoat and any dead hairs in the outer coat. If neglected, the following areas will become extremely matted: behind the elbows, between the hind legs, and furnishings under the tummy. Eyebrows and beard should always be brushed forward in one motion. After brushing, a comb will take out all tangles and mats (dead, shedding hairs). Such technique is very stimulating and encourages new and dense growth. A good rule is to brush and comb in this manner on average once a week, but can be done more frequently if needed.

Bathing
Make sure to ALWAYS brush and comb your Scottie before bath because wet tangles are extremely hard to rid off. It may help to use a sprayer attachment. Use tear-free shampoo, paying special attention to tummy area and between the legs. Lather and rinse thoroughly. After towel drying, you can finish drying with a blow dryer. Brush against the grain as you blow dry until almost dry. Finish up by brushing the coat with the grain, the furnishings down and beard/eyebrows forward toward the nose.

Ears
The fringes on the front of the ears are ear "tufts" with the inside corner about 1/2 the length of the ear, gradually becoming shorter at the outside edge, therefore forming a straight line up from the side of the skull. A balanced amount of hair is a fan shape inside the outline of the ear. Tufts of hair should not be jutting beyond the outside edge. The outside edges of the ears should look as neat and small as possible. The top 1/3 of the inside edge of the ear should be trimmed, not cutting away any of the tuft.

Eyebrows
Properly groomed eyebrows contribute to the Scottish terrier's distinctive expression. At eye level, not too obvious separation between the skull and muzzle contributes to the look of the eyes set under the brows. The eyebrows should resemble two triangles, the longest hair at the inside corner of the eye approximately 1-1/2" long and tapering to about 1/2" or less at the outside corner. Hair under the eyes or on the bridge of the nose should never be done with the clippers, as in a Poodle. Simply part the hair down the center of the nose and comb into the beard.

Clipping
If you are going to trim your Scottie yourself, make sure to use a high quality clipper specially made for trimming dogs, not human clippers, paying extra attention to sensitive areas such as tummy, penis, anus, ears, etc. Always clip in the direction of hair growth. Begin with the head: from above the eyebrows to just in front of the ears, from outer corner of eye to the side of the neck where the hair forms a cowlick, from mole under the chin to the breastbone, forming a "necklace", from the base of the ears to the tips.
Keep the hair under and around anus short and do not use clippers up the back side of the tail. On males it's a good idea to also rid the penis of excess hair. Also clip tummy just in front of the penis about 3 inches.

Neck, shoulders, sides, back and hips
In short overlapping strokes, from behind the ears down the neck, along the backbone to the base of the tail. Clip down the sides and over the shoulders to the furnishing line at the breastbone and continues down around the front of the shoulder, to the elbow and across the bottom of the ribs, up to the bend of the thigh, across the thigh and around to beneath the tail. Leave a full, thick growth of hair on the front side of the tail and scissor the back side closely, to achieve short-backed and compact Scottie look. The tail should resemble an upside down carrot: thick at the base and tapering to a point, not the "rat tail" look or "flag" look.

NOTE: Most groomers only clip to the point of the shoulder instead of all the way to the elbows; only to the widest part of the rib cage instead of further down the sides, leaving a "hula skirt". This way is incorrect, unattractive, and makes the dog look long backed and overweighed. The correct pattern most enhances the correct shape of a well-bred Scottie: deep chest, short back, sturdy legs, muscular hindquarters, etc. Pay close attention that both sides of your Scottie match and the lines are even on both sides.

Trimming Nails
Trimming nails regularly prevents foot problems and only excess nail where it forms a hook should be cut. Nail file will smooth any rough edges. If a nail is clipped too short, it might bleed. Dabbing some clotting powder or flour may stop bleeding.

You will find these instructions helpful to distinguish a correct trim when taking a Scottish Terrier to a groomer.. Remember to get references (from other Scottie owners and Scottish Terrier Clubs) and ask to see some photos of others Scotties clipped by that groomer; he/she will tell you that your Scot was very matted and a Scottie look was not possible to achieve. Remember, hair takes years to grow.