How to Groom a Scotty

The Scottish terrier, often referred to as a Scotty, has a thick and wiry coat meant to protect it from the underbrush while the dog digs and hunts small burrowing animals. The Scotty cut includes a long beard and skirt, which extends to the floor. You can also cut the skirt shorter so that it is easier to maintain. Sharply angled eyebrows are another feature of the cut, which is so much a part of the breed that many owners groom their Scotty according to the show cut even if their dog is not a show dog.

Things You'll Need

Clippers
Wide-toothed comb
Slicker brush
Thinning shears
Scissors

Instructions

- 1
  Position the dog standing on a raised surface or table.
- 2
  Start from behind the ears and clip down the neck. End below the shoulder blade and just above the elbow on both sides. This point will serve as the beginning of the skirt line. Clip an upward-slanting diagonal line from the shoulder along the side of the body to the tail on both sides. Clip the dog's back in between the skirt lines.
- 3
  With thinning shears, blend the line where the clipped part of the back and the skirt meet. Blend shorter hairs with the long skirt hair on both sides.
- 4
  Clip the head and in between the eyes to the inside corner, leaving the eyebrows long.
- 5
  Clip from the base of the ear down the cheek to the jaw line, leaving the hair on the muzzle intact.
- 6
  Lift the head and clip from the jaw line on each side of the mouth, down the neck and into a v shape in the middle of the chest.
- 7
  Comb the eyebrows forward. With scissors, cut a diagonal line with the longest hair at the inner corner of the eye and the shortest hair at the outer corner of the eye.
- 8
  Using scissors, cut the hair in between the ears in a sharp diagonal angle, creating the look of triangular, pointed ears.
- 9
  Part the hair down the middle of the muzzle and comb to each side. Trim the beard to the desired length with scissors.