It was not until about 1860 that the Skye Terrier attracted much notice among dog lovers south of the Border, but Queen Victoria’s admiration of the breed, of which from 1842 onwards she always owned favourite specimens, and Sir Edwin Landseer’s paintings in which the Skye was introduced, had already drawn public attention to the decorative and useful qualities of this terrier.  The breed was included in the first volume of the Kennel Club Stud Book, and the best among the early dogs were such as Mr. Pratt’s Gillie and Dunvegan, Mr. D. W. Fyfe’s Novelty, Mr. John Bowman’s Dandie, and Mr. Macdona’s Rook.  These were mostly of the drop-eared variety, and were bred small.

About the year 1874, fierce and stormy disputes arose concerning the distinctions of the Scottish breeds of terriers.  The controversy was continued until 1879, when the Kennel Club was approached with the view to furnishing classes.  The controversy was centred upon three types of Scottish terriers:  those which claimed to be pure Skye Terriers, a dog described briefly as Scotch, and a third, which for a time was miscalled the Aberdeen.  To those who had studied the varieties, the distinctions were clear; but the question at issue was—­to which of the three rightly belonged the title of Scottish Terrier?  The dog which the Scots enthusiasts were trying to get established under this classification was the Cairn Terrier of the Highlands, known in some localities as the short-coated, working Skye, and in others as the Fox-terrier, or Tod-hunter.  A sub-division of this breed was the more leggy “Aberdeen” variety.

The present-day Skye is without doubt one of the most beautiful terriers in existence.  He is a dog of medium size, with a weight not exceeding 25 lb., and not less than 18 lb. he is long in proportion to his height, with a very level back, a powerful jaw with perfectly fitting teeth, a small hazel eye, and a long hard coat just reaching the ground.  In the prick-eared variety the ears are carried erect, with very fine ear feathering, and the face fringe is long and thick.  The ear feathering and face fall are finer in quality than the coat, which is exceedingly hard and weather-resisting.  And here it is well to point out that the Skye has two distinct coats:  the under coat, somewhat soft and woolly, and the upper, hard and rain-proof.  This upper coat should be as straight as possible, without any tendency to wave or curl.  The tail is not very long, and should be nicely feathered, and in repose never raised above the level of the back.

The same description applies to the drop-eared type, except that the ears in repose, instead of being carried erect, fall evenly on each side of the head.  When, however, the dog is excited, the ears are pricked forward, in exactly the same fashion as those of the Airedale Terrier.  This is an important point, a houndy carriage of ear being a decided defect.  The drop-eared variety is usually the heavier and larger dog of the two; and for some reason does not show the quality and breeding of its neighbour.  Lately, however, there has evidently been an effort made to improve the drop-eared type, with the result that some very excellent dogs have recently appeared at the important shows.