Puppies

Find out how you can become a Scottie owner

 

Looking for a Scottish Terrier puppy?

Are you looking for a Scottish Terrier puppy for your family? If so, the Scottish Terrier Club of Victoria is a great place to start.  You can contact our registered breeders directly to enquire about  available puppies or express interest in any forthcoming litters.

Breeders will always look for only the very best homes in which to place their puppies or at times, older dogs looking to be re-homed. As you will appreciate there is a screening process to go through and the breeder will want to know a lot about the family and the home that their Scottie will potentially be placed in.

Note: There are dog sales websites that list breeders from around Australia. There are breeders on these sites that the Victorian Scottish Terrier Club has no knowledge of or association with, so please do your homework. There are also many puppy farmers around Victoria and Australia, and purchasing from a puppy farm only encourages these dangerous often inhumane and unscrupulous practices.

We also ask you to carefully consider the following before purchase of your puppy, no matter where it comes from.

Price

Prices vary according to individual breeders, but you can expect to pay around $4,000 - $5,000 per pup.

What to expect

• A pedigree Scottish Terrier with pedigree papers
• Von Willebrand status and proof with DNA test results
• Microchipped
• All relevant vaccinations for age
• Information on caring for your puppy with diet and health information

 

 

Can you see the parents?

Mostly you should always be able to view the mother and litter siblings. The father can be more difficult as it is rare for them to be from the same home. If purchasing from interstate, ask for a reference, i.e. someone who has purchased a puppy from them. There are ‘puppy farmers’ operating around Australia who pretend to be legitimate by saying that they belong to breed clubs etc. They must belong to Dogs Victoria, or the equivalent organisation in their state. These are the regulatory bodies with rules which all legitimate and credible breeders must adhere to.

Do you get papers with your puppy?

All pedigree puppies should come with pedigree papers.  Whether getting a 'pet' or 'show' dog, if you are not offered pedigree papers, then do not get the pup.....getting papers means that the pup was bred following Dogs Victoria regulations that promote ethical breeding, focussed on the conformation of the dog to the breed standard, that hereditable health problems are bred away from, that minimum and maximum breeding ages are adhered to and that maximum litter numbers (including frequency) are not exceeded to ensure the welfare of the bitch and pups at all times.  

 

 

Go to the vet

Have a vet check your pup within a week of purchase.  If there are any problems, go back to the breeder.

Health issues to enquire about 

The Scottish Terrier is fortunate to have only a handful of hereditable health issues and these are not commonly seen.  Though you should enquire with the breeder regarding all of those listed on our 'About Scottish Terriers' page, there are a couple for which you can ask (and should require) proof that the pup you are purchasing is not affected by.  This proof is via a DNA test and the two hereditable diseases are Von Willebrand Disease (vWD) and Craniomandibular Osteopathy (CMO).  

 

 

Multiple breeds

If a breeder is selling many breeds of dog, ask them why.  It is our experience that these types of breeders may be puppy farms.  If you aren't happy with their answer, try another breeder. 

Puppies are always cute

Please read some of the information on the 'Where do puppies come from' website before purchasing a puppy from an online ad or anywhere other than a Dogs Victoria (or other relevant state based canine association) registered breeder.