Skye Terrier Breed Origins and Caracteristics
Description:
Despite its name, the Skye terrier is actually two times longer then its actual height. It is an elegant terrier with profuse straight hair that falls on both sides of its body. It has a double coat. The under coat is short, soft and woolly. The outer coat should be long, rough, straight and should not have any curls. Its hair should fall over its face and eyes. The ideal height of this dog is around twenty-five to twenty six centimeters. The head should be long and strong; it should have medium sized eyes that are dark and expressive. The ears are symmetrical and can stand upwards or fall downwards. When they stick upwards they get these cute looking strands of hair on them. Its ears tend to be longer when they don't stick upwards. The muzzle is relatively full but should not be snubbed. The nose should be black; the neck long and slightly arched when seen on the side. The back should be straight. The tail is long and should be well covered of fringes of hair. The shoulders should be well inclined back and should not be loose or together; the front legs should be short and muscular; the chest should be long, and its ribs should be oval. Its paws should be like that of a hares and should be big. The hindquarters should be solid and well developed. The colors of the Skye is black, light grey or dark grey, silver, tawny, crème with black ends, but with out notable spots.
Ideal owner:
The fans of this breed will definitely say that the Skye terrier is above the rest. This terrier breed is very sensible and has a nice character; it likes people and needs people to get to know it and its likes. As all good terriers, it can be somewhat stubborn and needs a firm hand and a good education. Although it is stubborn and seems very brave, remember that it is sensitive and cannot handle harsh treatment. This is a great housedog, but it likes to get its exercise as well in a moderate way, not in excess. It is not the best friend of children and the owner of this dog should be experienced with dogs and have knowledge about them.
Growth:
A puppy Skye terrier is small and adorable and has a small amount of hair and it is said that it looks a lot like Mickey Mouse. It does get bigger than a mouse though and is actually considered a bigger dog with very short legs. The puppy coat is soft and at five months it will become substituted by a wiry well-textured coat. Those that have narrow heads do not usually have a problem lifting their ears. Those that have big foreheads needs help to have their ears stick up. To be able to get the ears to stick upwards you will need to help the dog by cutting some the hair that is on the ears to lighten the weight on them. During teething time its ears will also have a hard time. The color of the puppy will change while it grows but not that much. Often times one strip of color might indicate the dog's adult color. This dog has a demanding coat that needs to be very taken care of from the moment it is a puppy. The coat will not be complete until the dog is around eighteen months old. In the same liter you might be able to find some that have lifted ears and others that don't. Watch the teeth of the puppies and make sure that it closes its mouth correctly. A lack of molars and premolars is a common problem.
General health:
All in all the Skye terrier is a very resistant dog that has a long life span. The future owner of this dog will need to know that adult Skye terriers require of a lot of maintenance. A Skye terrier whose coat is full of knots can be a real horror. Split tails is common at birth and are not desired, although it is not considered a standard defect in the breed. One of the most serious abnormalities is known as premature ossification and is very frequent in the Skye terrier. This abnormality can only be detected through X rays and it has a lot of breeders worried. An abnormality of the nervous system, which is quite rare and is caused by an enlargement of the magnum foramen and characterizes itself with a strange and impulsive behavior, such as scratching its ear, can also be seen. However, this problem is not well documented in the breed. Veterinarians inform of a genetic copper toxic origin as well as a hereditary metabolic defect of the liver.
