Our Canadian standard describes the movement well. “Gait: The gait of the Scottish Ter- rier is peculiarly its own and is very characteristic of the breed. It is not the square trot or walk that is desirable in the long-legged breeds. The forelegs do not move in exact parallel planes— rather in reaching out incline slightly inward. This is due to the shortness of leg and width of chest. The action of the rear legs should be square and true and at the trot both the hocks and stifles should be flexed with a vigorous motion.” So, what does this mean? Let’s start with the easy parts, when the dog is moving away from you he moves true. His hocks are parallel and move straight forward with good flexion of hock. Scottie roll gives no excuses for toeing in or out on the rear. From the side, the dog should have good reach in front and good drive behind. But, do not expect the foot front foot to come to the end of the nose. The head is long and the leg is short, therefore, he will have good reach for his breed.
Now the tricky part, the part of Scottie movement that is most often misunderstood. Coming at you from the front is where the Scottie Roll is and it only occurs in properly constructed Scotties. The fore chest must be pronounced, it must be wide, the upper arm must be correct, setting the leg back under the dog, the shoulder must be laid back correctly. The rib must be heart shaped. If all these parts are correct, you will see a slight moment of suspension as the short foreleg comes around the broad, deep chest. The forelegs do not move in exact parallel planes—rather in reaching out incline slightly inward. This is due to the shortness of leg and width of chest. If a Scottie is coming at you absolute- ly straight and true on the front, there is something wrong with his construc- tion. If a Scottie is going away from you and he is not straight and true in the rear, there is something wrong with his construction. For some reason, in the current show ring, judges are doing it back- wards. They’re rewarding open-hocked
Scotties who come at them true and faulting Scotties who have a slight
incline on the front. TEMPERAMENT
“No judge shall put to Winners or Best of Breed any Scottish Terrier not showing real Terrier character in the ring.” Note: The final words of our breed standard indicate the degree of impor- tance that breeders place on tem- perament. The question on hand then becomes, “What is the definition of true Terrier temperament?” “First tempera- ment, the Scottie has to be fearless, not quarrelsome, but unafraid of man or beast” (Marvin 1982, 164). “Many judges who are not acquaint- ed with the Scottie will turn down the better dog because the tail is not carried stiffly. This is not right. He is a dour dog that will not show if the urge is not there. This does not demonstrate shyness, for which the requirement was incorpo- rated, but rather a true Scotch tempera- ment which refuses to do that which the dog does not want to do. It is believed that judges who know the breed can
S HOW S IGHT M AGAZINE , A UGUST 2017 • 275
Powered by FlippingBook