Click here for past show photos of some of my Westies.
The West Highland White Terrier is a compact package of a dog. Generally around 11 inches in height at the withers and weighing between 15 and 20 pounds. Always white in color, with a hard long coat that is virtually shedless and can easily be kept clean with a minimum of bathing and frequent brushing.
Intelligent, tenacious and loving, Westies are a marvelously versatile breed. They tend to think like a big dog, are generally quite sturdy and healthy, and truly enjoy being out of doors. Yet they are small enough to go with you anywhere, snuggle in your lap, and happily spend their lives living in a small apartment. With their shaggy face, perky ears, beautiful white coat, and black eyes and noses they look like little stuffed toys, but Westies are very much "alive". They are quite aware of all that is going on around them, though they rarely get overly excited about it. The breed standard reads, Westies are "possesed with no small amount of self esteem." Something I have often said about my own dogs is that they were "fearless to the point of stupidity." Westies find very little that is intimidating to them. As Ruth Faherty says in her book Westies from head to tail, "There's a whole lot of Clark Kent in every Westie."
Of course Westies are terriers and were originally bred to "go to ground" hunting small game and vermin. Though I personally did not have any problem diggers, be prepared for the possibility. Another possible problem area is cats, which to many Westies (including most of mine) means "the hunt is on!" And they can be very single-minded in pursuing their prey.
Grooming requirements vary according to the desires of the humans the Westie owns. Maintaining the Westie coat for the show ring requires a tremendous amount of time (probably the main reason I don't show Westies anymore) and a good deal of expertise which only comes through practice. For the typical pet owner, however, a good brushing once or twice a week, along with a visit to the groomer's every couple of months should do the trick. Or, if you want a little dust mop running around the house, you can stop at the brushing.
There are relatively few inherited health problems in Westies but there are a couple which show up enough to make them worth mentioning:
Craniomandibular Osteopathy (CMO)
This disease is a proliferation of bone growth in the lower jaws and adjoining skull. The bone cells multiply, but it is not cancer. It is most often seen at 4 to 7 months of age and can be confirmed by x-ray. Symptoms include pain in the lower jaw when palpitated and difficulty in chewing or opening the mouth. If diagnosed early, cortisone therapy can control the disease. Test breedings in 1983 established that CMO is inherited through a single recessive gene, and responsible breeders have been making great strides in eliminating the carriers from further breeding.
Inguinal Hernia
The inguinal canals are slit-like openings on either side of the body to allow passage of the spermatic cord in males and the round ligament in females. If this slit does not close correctly during developement, it may allow a fold of lining or a loop of intestine to protrude into the canal. The condition is characterized by a soft, fluctuating enlargement on one side of a male dog's penis or a female's belly. A veterinarian is sometimes able to correct this condition through palpation, but surgery is often required.
Click here for past show photos of some of my Westies.
