So, where did the STCA Breed Standard Committee come up with the measurement of 11 inches for the back? In 1952, the STCA appointed Seth Malby, John McLay, and Johnny Murphy to draw up a guide, the stated purpose of which was "to fix more precisely some of the more or less indefinite points of the official Standard of our breed." After measuring numerous Scotties at specialty shows, they came up with a table of proportions for the ideal Scottie. This "Breeder's Guide" has appeared in every STCA Handbook published since it was prepared and in the "Clarification and Amplification of the Standard," published in 1980 by the STCA. |
Correct dimensions for each sex in inches: |
Dogs |
Bitches |
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| Length of head | L |
8 1/4 |
8 |
| Length of skull | .5 L |
4 1/8 |
4 |
| Length of muzzle | .5 L |
4 1/8 |
4 |
| Width of skull | .455 L |
3 3/4 |
3 5/8 |
| Length of neck | .727 L |
6 |
5 7/8 |
| Clearance-floor to brisket | .455 L |
3 3/4 |
3 5/8 |
| Distance inside elbows | .455 L |
3 3/4 |
3 5/8 |
| Length of tail | .788 L |
6 1/2 |
6 1/4 |
| Height at withers | 1.21 L |
10 |
9 3/4 |
| Length of back | 1.33 L |
11 |
10 5/8 |
In an article that appeared in the 1959 Handbook of the STCA entitled "The Ideal Scottish Terrier," Edwin Megargee, the well-known artist, breeder, and judge wrote the following on the matter of body length:
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Anyone who doubts that Scotties have grown significantly shorter in back over the past one hundred years need only look at these measurements, taken by D. J. Thompson Gray, of English Champion Dundee, one of the two founding sires of the breed, and the celebrated bitch of Captain Mackie, English Champion Glengogo. |
Dundee |
Glengogo |
|
| Occiput to eye | 5 inches |
4 1/2 inches |
| Inner corner of eye to nose | 3 inches |
3 inches |
| Shoulder to root of tail | 15 inches |
16 inches |
| Height | 10 inches |
10 inches |
The following two drawings and one photo illustrate the problem that people encounter when trying to learn the correct outline of the Scottish Terrier. This drawing was originally created to illustrate an article on the ideal Scottish Terrier. The dog is very pleasing to the eye, but the proportions are incorrect. Assume that this "ideal" dog is eleven inches from withers to set-on of tail. By its proportions then this dog would be seventeen inches tall with an eleven-inch back, an eleven-inch neck, and an eleven-inch head!
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The dog above is a drawing by the famous breeder-judge-artist, Edwin Megargee. This drawing was used to illustrate Megargee's idea of the perfect Scottish Terrier. Having the advantage of an artist's eye combined with a breeder's knowledge, he has drawn a perfectly balanced dog of correct proportions. Grooming styles have changed so drastically that it is difficult for the untrained eye to see that, with a modern trim, Megargee's ideal dog would look almost identical to the dog in the following photograph. This dog, by the way, is 10 inches tall at the withers and 11 inches from withers to set-on of tail.
See the photo below with an overlay of Megargee's drawing. Remember the the hand pushing the tail forward has been edited out of the photograph. Also, the photo was taken in deep grass so the dog's feet and legs are partially obscured.
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