| West Highland White Terriers: the most honest dog breed review you'll ever find. Information about West Highland White Terrier personality and behavior. |
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My book, Your Purebred Puppy: A Buyer's Guide (published by Henry Holt & Co.), includes a full-page profile of the West Highland White Terrier, including these excerpts:
"The AKC Standard says that the West Highland White Terrier is "possessed with no small amount of self-esteem."
Indeed. Along with the West Highland White Terrier, the West Highland White Terrier is what many people picture when they hear "terrier."
The Westie is everything a terrier was designed to be. Sturdy, spunky, and bold, he needs his daily walks and interactive play sessions. Yet he is easier to handle and friendlier than some other terriers. He can adapt to any home in which he can be a full participant and busybody.
Quick to announce anything amiss, including visitors, the Westie usually proceeds to welcome them inside with a gaily wagging tail. West Highland White Terriers can be bossy with other dogs of the same sex, but otherwise coexist with other dogs and cats more readily than most terriers.
Rabbits and rodents, however, are in for a stressful (and probably short) life, along with wild critters who venture into the Westie's yard. He will pursue with tenacity anything that moves and cannot be let off-leash except in a safe, enclosed area.
Assertive but cheerful, with the typical stubbornness and cleverness of a true terrier, the Westie must be shown that you are in charge, else he may become demanding and testy when he doesn't get his own way. He does respond well to consistent discipline and to obedience training that utilizes food rewards.
West Highland White Terriers can be possessive of their food and toys, and they are determined diggers and barkers."
History
The West Highland White Terriere was developed in the Scottish Highlands as a vermin hunter.
Size
10-11 inches and 15-20 lbs |
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West Highland
White Terriers
What's good about 'em
What's bad about 'em
- There are energetic Westies, and placid Westies.
- Hard-headed Westies, and sweet-natured Westies.
- Serious Westies, and good-natured goofballs.
- Introverted Westies, and Westies who love everyone.
| If you acquire a West Highland White Terrier puppy, you can't know for sure what he or she will grow up to be like. Because a good number of purebred puppies do NOT grow up to conform to the "norm." |
Now let's look at some common characteristics for this breed...
- Is small, yet sturdy and tough -- not a delicate lapdog
- Has a natural appearance
- Needs only moderate exercise
- Makes a keen watchdog
- Doesn't shed too much
- Is easier to handle, friendlier with strangers, more amenable to training, and more tolerant of other pets than most terriers are
A West Highland White Terrier may be right for you.
| If you don't want to deal with... |
- The dynamic terrier temperament (see full description below)
- Providing enough exercise and activities to keep them busy
- Aggression toward other animals -- chasing instincts
- Stubbornness
- Digging holes
- Barking
- Regular brushing and clipping of the wiry coat
- A considerable number of health problems
A West Highland White Terrier may not be right for you.
| If I were considering a West Highland White Terrier... |
My major concerns would be:
- The dynamic terrier temperament. Most terrier breeds are remarkably similar. The same words are used over and over -- quick to bark, quick to chase, lively, bossy, feisty, scrappy, clever, independent, stubborn, persistent, impulsive, intense.
- Providing enough exercise and mental stimulation. West Highland White Terriers are active go-getters. They MUST have regular opportunities to vent their energy and to use their busy minds to do interesting things.
| Terriers were never intended to be simply household pets. I strongly recommend that you get your Westie involved in obedience classes at the intermediate or advanced level, in agility (an obstacle course for dogs), or in an earth dog club (terriers dig and tunnel after small critters who are secured in a sturdy cage so they can't be harmed). |
- Animal aggression. West Highland White Terriers are less scrappy toward strange dogs than many other terrier breeds, but they are still a determined force to reckon with if they decide to initiate or accept a challenge to fight. Most terriers have strong instincts to chase and seize small fleeing creatures. This can make for conflict if you own a cat. It may be much worse than that if you own a pet rabbit or hamster!
| Terriers cannot be trusted off-leash. They will take off -- oblivious to your frantic shouts -- after anything that runs. |
- Fence security. Many terriers are clever escape artists who will go over or under fences in search of adventure. You may need higher fences than you might imagine for their small size. You may also need to sink wire into the ground along the fence line to thwart digging. Gates should have the highest quality locks.
- Barking. Terriers are often too quick to sound the alarm at every new sight and sound. You have to be equally quick to stop them. If you work all day and have close neighbors, terriers are not the best choice for you. For the same reason, terriers should NEVER be left outside in your yard, unsupervised. To make matters worse, some terriers have high-pitched barks that can set your teeth on edge.
- Mind of their own. Westies are not Golden Retrievers. Though they are more amenable to training than some other terriers, and indeed can excel in obedience competition, they must still be taught at an early age that they are not the rulers of the world. The toughness that makes them suited to killing vermin can frustrate you when you try to teach them anything. Terriers can be stubborn and dominant (they want to be the boss) and will make you prove that you can make them do things. You must show them, through absolute consistency, that you mean what you say.
| To teach your Westie to listen to you, "Respect Training" is mandatory. My Westie Training Page discusses the program you need. |
- Defensive reactions. If you need to physically chastise a terrier, and you go beyond what THEY believe is a fair correction, terriers (as a group) are more likely than other breeds to growl or snap. It may be because they were bred to become more fierce when their prey fought back, i.e. terriers are apt to "return pain" if they "receive pain." As an obedience instructor, I'm always extra careful when putting my hands on any terrier for a correction.
| I do NOT recommend terriers for small children. Many terriers will not tolerate any nonsense from little life forms whom they consider to be below themselves in importance. Many terriers are quick to react to teasing, and even to the normal clumsiness that comes with small children (accidental squeezing of their ears or pulling of whiskers or stepping on their paw). Many terriers are possessive of their food and toys and will defend these from all comers, including children. |
- Grooming. To keep their rough coat free of mats, West Highland White Terriers require regular brushing, and also clipping and trimming every few months.
- Serious health problems. Westies are more prone to health problems than most other terriers.
| If you're considering an adult West Highland White Terrier... |
There are plenty of adult Westies who have already proven themselves NOT to have negative characteristics. If you find such an adult, don't let "typical breed negatives" worry you.
When you acquire a puppy, you're acquiring potential -- what he one day will be. So "typical breed characteristics" are very important. But when you acquire an adult, you're acquiring what he already IS.
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Copyright © 2000-2006 by Michele Welton. All rights reserved. No part of this website may be reproduced without the permission of the author. |
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