Quick Links: Table of Contents
- Skye Terrier Breed Overview
- History of the Skye Terrier Breed. Where Skye Terriers came from
- What the Skye Terrier Looks Like
- Best Skye Terrier Breeders
- Skye Terrier Growth
- Skye Terrier Litter Size
- How Fast Skye Terriers Can Run
- Good Names for Skye Terriers
- How Intelligent are Skye Terriers?
- How Popular are Skye Terriers with New Dog Owners?
- Health Problems in Skye Terriers and How to Prevent Them
- How to Take Care of Skye Terrier
- Dog Breeds That Are Similar to Skye Terriers
- Other Things to Know About Skye Terriers
Skye Terrier Breed Overview
The Skye Terrier is a small-sized dog.
The adult Skye Terrier stands 9 to 10 inches tall at the shoulder.
The Skye Terrier belongs to the Terrier Dogs group.
Dogs in the Terrier Dogs group, like the Skye Terrier, were originally bred to go underground to hunt rodents and other small wild animals (vermin).
Terriers come in a wide range of sizes and shapes, but all terriers are energetic, highly intelligent, and territorial. Terries also have the tendency to escape. They require a securely fenced yard.
The fact that Skye Terriers belong to the Terrier Dogs group is one of the reasons why Skye Terriers have the personality and temperament that they have.
The temperament of the Skye Terrier is generally described as:
- Fearless
- Friendly
- Gay
- Good-tempered
- Intelligent
- Loyal
History of the Skye Terrier Breed. Where Skye Terriers came from
Skye Terriers are a type of small terrier that is known for its long, silky coat.
The breed originated on the Isle of Skye off the coast of Scotland, and it was originally used for hunting small game and vermin.
Skye Terriers were also popular as companions, and they were often seen in the homes of Victorian nobility.
Today, Skye Terriers are still prized as companions, and they are also popular show dogs.
Skye Terriers are intelligent and independent, and they require regular exercise and grooming.
The breed is also prone to health problems such as ear infections and joint disorders.
Despite these challenges, Skye Terriers make loyal and loving companions.
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What the Skye Terrier Looks Like
Skye Terriers are medium-sized dogs with a long body and short legs.
They have a double coat of fur that is harsh and wiry, and they come in a variety of colors including black, blue, grey, and cream.
Skye Terriers are known for their independent nature and their strong hunting instincts.
They are affectionate with their family but can be aloof with strangers.
Skye Terriers require regular grooming to prevent their fur from becoming matted.
They are relatively active dogs who enjoy a good game of fetch or a long walk.
Skye Terriers make loyal companions and are an excellent choice for families with older children.
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Best Skye Terrier Breeders
We have researched reputable Skye Terrier breeders that you can buy a puppy.
Go to this page for our complete list of reputable Skye Terrier breeders in various states in the United States.
On this page, you will see how much these breeders sell their puppies for, and how many puppies they have available.
A few of these breeders are listed below.
Kammie Weatherby
Puppy Price: Check with breeder
Solana Skye Terriers & Anatolian Shepherd Dogs, Reg
Puppy Price: Check with breeder
Skye Terrier Growth
New Skye Terrier owners need to know about the growth of their Skye Terriers. This will help them plan their living spaces accordingly.
Also, knowing the typical growth pattern of the Skye Terrier will help new owners catch the abnormal growth of their Skye Terrier early.
See our calculator for predicting how big your Skye Terrier puppy will get. You will also learn about the typical weight of the Skye Terrier at different ages and how to catch abnormal growth in your Skye Terrier
Skye Terrier Litter Size
Researchers from the Norwegian School of Veterinary Science did a study where they counted the numbers of puppies in 3 different Skye Terrier birth litters.
From this study, the researchers found that the average number of puppies that Skye Terriers can have is 3 puppies. Also, the Skye Terrier can have as few as 2 puppies per litter and as many as 4 puppies per litter.
The number of puppies that the Skye Terrier will have depends on factors such as the age of the Skye Terrier, the method of pregnancy, etc.
Click here to see our calculator for predicting how many puppies your Skye Terrier will have and how the litter size of the Skye Terrier compares to the litter size of other dog breeds.
How Fast Skye Terriers Can Run
How fast a dog breed can run is a good measure of how athletic the dog breed is.
The American Kennel Club (AKC) regularly conducts dog running competitions. The AKC records the running speed of competing dogs in these competitions. These competitions are open to all dog breeds.
Based on our analysis of the speeds of 2 different Skye Terriers, the average speed of the Skye Terrier is 16.3 mph (26.2 kmph).
The fastest speed on AKC record that the Skye Terrier ran in a race is 17.7 mph (28.5 kmph) and the minimum speed on record in a race for a Skye Terrier is 14.27 mph (23.0 kmph).
Click here to see how the speed of the Skye Terrier compares to the speed of other dogs and other mammals such as cats, horses, humans, etc.
Good Names for Skye Terriers
Here are some really good names that are typical for the Skye Terrier ranked by popularity:
- Collins
- Curly
- Charlie
- Bill
How Intelligent are Skye Terriers?
| Skye Terrier | |
|---|---|
| Intelligence Rank | 55 out of 130 dog breeds |
| Trainability | Tend To Learn New Commands After 40 To 80 Repetitions! |
According to Prof. Stanley Coren, a Canadian psychology professor/dog trainer, the total intelligence that a dog demonstrates is the addition of three types of intelligence. These intelligence types are:
- Instinctive Intelligence: This is the natural intelligence that comes from instinct. For example, dog breeds that have been historically bred to be guard dogs will have a high `guarding` intelligence compared to dogs that were not bred for guarding.
- Adaptive Intelligence (learning and problem-solving ability): This indicates what a dog can learn to do for himself or herself. Adaptive intelligence is specific to each dog, and not breed specific. You can improve your dog`s adaptive intelligence by investing time to train your dog.
- Working/Obedience Intelligence: This type of intelligence is breed-specific. Certain dog breeds tend to have higher working/obedience intelligence than some other breeds. This intelligence is the closest to what we might call school-learning ability and it is based upon what the dog can learn to do when instructed by humans. This type of intelligence can be measured for each dog breed and compared to that of other dog breeds.
Professor Stanley Coren measured and ranked the working intelligence of about 130 different dog breeds.
Prof. Coren found that the Skye Terrier has an obedience intelligence rank of 55 out of 130 dog breeds. Thus, Prof. Coren put Skye Terriers in the `Fair Working/Obedience Intelligence Dogs` category.
This means that Skye Terriers tend to learn new commands after 40 to 80 repetitions!.
However, we should mention that a dog should not be judged based on its intelligence alone. There are other important factors you need to consider when deciding on which dog breed to get. These other factors include sociability, adorability, and compatibility of the dog breed with your lifestyle.
See the intelligence ranking of some other dog breeds below:
| Breed | Intelligence Rank |
|---|---|
| Standard Poodle | 2 |
| German Shepherd Dog | 3 |
| Doberman Pinscher | 5 |
| Pembroke Welsh Corgi | 11 |
| Miniature Schnauzer | 12 |
| Weimaraner | 21 |
| Norwegian Elkhound | 36 |
| Norwich Terrier | 38 |
| Bedlington Terrier | 40 |
| Kuvasz | 42 |
| Dachshund | 49 |
| Alaskan Malamute | 50 |
| Ibizan Hound | 53 |
| Skye Terrier | 55 |
| Dandie Dinmont Terrier | 62 |
| Bull Terrier | 66 |
| Chihuahua | 67 |
| Pekingese | 73 |
| Borzoi | 75 |
| Chow Chow | 76 |
How Popular are Skye Terriers with New Dog Owners?
Every year, the American Kennel Club (AKC) publishes information on how popular a dog breed is in that particular year. The AKC gets the popularity information of a breed from how many dogs of that breed the owners register with the AKC every year. The AKC collects this data for about 200 dog breeds.
The graph below shows the popularity trend of the Skye Terrier.
The popularity of the Skye Terrier averaged over the years is Number 176 out of about 200 dog breeds.
Do not get a dog breed just because it is a popular dog breed. And do not reject a dog breed just because it is an unpopular breed.
Health Problems in Skye Terriers and How to Prevent Them
Every dog breed has its own set of health problems that it tends to develop. There is nothing like a perfect dog breed.
The Skye Terrier is prone to certain genetic health conditions. The Orthopedic Foundation for Animals (OFA) is an organization that keeps track of genetic health problems in dog breeds.
From the extensive records that the OFA keeps, the OFA knows what health problems each dog breed is naturally prone to develop.
Hence, the OFA recommends which health screening breeders should perform on a dog breed to make sure that the breeders won`t breed `defective` dog parents that can pass down defective genes to their puppy offspring.
If you want a Skye Terrier puppy that will grow up to be healthy, make sure that your Skye Terrier breeder screens your puppy or your puppy`s parents for the health problems that the OFA recommends for your puppy`s breed. This will increase the chances that your puppy is free from genetic defects.
The following are the health tests that Orthopedic Foundation for Animals (OFA) recommends that breeders should screen Skye Terriers for:
You can find out more about OFA`s recommended tests for Skye Terriers here.
How to Take Care of Skye Terrier
To take good care of your Skye Terrier, you need to make sure that you groom your Skye Terrier regularly.
Secondly, you need to find a veterinarian in your area that will routinely check the health status of your Skye Terrier regularly, and give you appropriate recommendations on your Skye Terrier`s preventative care.
Thirdly, you need to commit some time to exercise your Skye Terrier daily. Regular exercise helps improve the health and quality of life of your Skye Terrier.
Also, you need to feed your Skye Terrier high-quality dog food, and the food should be of the right amount to prevent your Skye Terrier from getting overweight or underweight.
See our recommendations on what to feed the Skye Terrier and how much food to feed the Skye Terrier at different life stages.
Finally, you need to make sure that your Skye Terrier has access to clean water all the time. See our recommendations on how much water your Skye Terrier needs to drink at different ages.
Dog Breeds That Are Similar to Skye Terriers
If you have not made up your mind on which dog breed to get, you may also want to consider some other dogs similar to the Skye Terrier.
We crunched the numbers and found that the following dog breeds that have similar behavior and temperament as the Skye Terrier:
- Lakeland Terrier (78 percent match with Skye Terrier). Learn more about the Lakeland Terrier here.
Other Things to Know About Skye Terriers
Here are some of the very important characteristics of the Skye Terrier that you need to know about the Skye Terrier breed: