Videos West Highland White Terrier Breed Information
Alternative names -
Poltalloch Terrier,
Roseneath Terrier,
White Roseneath Terrier
Country of origin -
Scotland
Common nicknames -
Westie (or Westy)
Classification and breed standards
FCI:|Group
3 Section 2 #085|Stds
AKC:|Terrier|Stds
ANKC:|Group 2
(Terriers)|Stds
CKC:|Group
4 - Terriers|Stds
KC
(UK):|Terrier|Stds
NZKC:|Terrier|Stds
UKC:|Terriers|Stds
West Highland White Terriers, commonly known as
Westies, are a breed
of dog known for their spirited personality
and brilliant white coat.
This breed is commonly recognised through its use as a mascot for Black & White (a
brand of Scotch whisky), and on the
packaging of Cesar brand dog food.
1. Appearance
They have bright, deep-set eyes, as dark as possible, with a
piercing look. The ears are small, pointed and erect.
They typically weigh about 15 to 20 lb (7.5-10 kg) and their
average height is 11 in. (28 cm) at the withers. Their tails, typically naturally
"carrot-shaped", should never be docked and are held upright.
The tail should be between 5-6 inches.
They also have deep chests, muscular limbs, a slightly convex
skull, a short and a closely fitted jaw with scissors bite (lower
canines locked in front of upper canines, upper incisors locked
over lower incisors). Their teeth generally appear quite large
for the size of the dog. Westies have a very strong bone
structure for their size.
They have a soft, dense undercoat
and a rough outer coat, about 2 in.
long, that requires regular grooming. Some Westies have
"wheaten tippings" on their backs, but this is
undesirable in show/breeding
specimens. The
natural coat is of medium length and somewhat shaggy like that of a
Cairn Terrier.
Their paws are slightly webbed and thickly padded.
2. Care
Westies are prone to have issues with dry skin and bathing too
frequently may aggravate these problems. Washing once a month or on
a longer interval will generally not cause issues. However,
frequent brushings are needed to keep the coat clean and oils
evenly distributed throughout the coat. Washing with a
detergent-free, baby-oriented, or another soft skin shampoo will
help keep a Westie's skin hydrated. Weekly washing of the
inside of the ears with cotton balls will prevent oil and wax
build-up and ear infections.
3. Health
Like most other dogs, these terriers generally require 13 hours
of sleep out of every 24. Westies will usually conform to the sleep
patterns of their human companions, and take several naps during
the day as well, to accrue their needed sleep. Since they are
independent, they can withstand moderate periods of time being
alone.
4. History
Westies are descended from Cairn
Terriers, who occasionally whelped white puppies naturally, and
Scottish Terriers; who also
occasionally produced white offspring. White offspring from other
British Terriers such as the Bedlington Terrier and Dandie Dinmont Terrier were
occasionally introduced to the bloodline for desired
characteristics, but this practice generally stopped in the
1850s.
Some sources credit Colonel Edward Donald Malcolm and his kin of
Poltalloch, in the Argyll region of western Scotland as an originator of this breed in the
1800s. Other sources credit the 8th Duke of
Argyll (Chieftain of Clan
Campbell) as an originator of the breed. However, there may
have been some cooperation between the two gentlemen. It may have
taken as long as a hundred years of selective breeding to produce
all the desired qualities. Their white coat made them highly
visible when hunting on the Scottish moors
and easily distinguished them from their game (this was an
extremely important factor because hunters sometimes mistook brown
dogs for foxes, and shot them). They also possess a sturdy
frame.
Originally the breed was known as the Poltalloch
Terrier (after the name of Malcolm's home); they were also
known as the Roseneath Terrier (after the name of
Argyll's home; see Rosneath),
White Roseneath Terrier, and at the end of the 19th
century, briefly as a white variety of the Scottish Terrier.
Copyright (c) 2008 Kitt Killion Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.2 or any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with no Invariant Sections, no Front-Cover Texts, and no Back-Cover Texts. A copy of the license is included in the section entitled "GNU Free Documentation License".
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