Westie My Bestie: West Highland White Terrier
Westie My Bestie: West Highland White Terrier
by Robert Hudson

The West Highland White Terrier is easy to recognize: solid white fluffy coat, black nose and ears you just want to cuddle.
Westie Humble Beginnings
The West Highland White Terrier originated in Scotland to hunt vermin. It’s short but strong legs and small body made it a good hunter. In modern times it is a wonderful companion and adaptable to city apartment living or a rural country life style.
Breed Particulars
Size: Height: Males 10 – 12 inches (25 – 30 cm) Females 9 – 11 inches (23 – 28 cm)
Weight: Males 15 – 22 pounds (7 – 10 kg) Females 13 – 16 pounds (6 – 7 kg)
Coat: Double layer coat, short hair. Low shedder.

Traits and Care for the West Highland White Terrier
The Westie terrier like most small dogs get the label of “high energy.” Like all dogs they need attention, engagement, stimulation and exercise. Many websites go on long generalized, often contradictory info on breed traits. Dog behavior for the most part is universal for all breeds. Many Web sites will describe in fictional detail in order to give their blog more text to be ranked on Google.
Westies can exhibit negative behavior when left alone, such as barking, marking, or chewing. However, that is true of any dog. They do have a high prey drive due to their original breeding for that purpose. Because of this a Westie should not be kept with small animals such as rabbits or rodents and birds. Breed traits have more relation to body type and physical traits. A Bulldog is not an athletic breed because of its’ body type and weight. Westies are not couch potatoes.
Westie Health
- No tendency to drool
- longevity- 12 to 16 years
- Major concerns: globoid cell leukodystrophy, Legg–Perthes, CMO, skin disease
- Minor concerns: copper toxicosis, cataract, patellar luxation, KCS
- Occasionally seen: deafness
- Suggested tests: hip, knee, eye

The Comedy Show
Westies are known for their crazy antics. “Zoomies” (running around like crazy for no reason) is hilarious to watch – it’s the most fun thing to watch,” Jason, dog Dad to Marvellous Mr Mash & Cheeky Ms Chilli, two adorable Westies on Facebook, told me. “Mash – (the boy) – is relaxed – but Chilli (the girl) despite being younger is clearly the boss. She is always up and about wanting to do things while Mash is happy to just sit and watch,” he went on to say. Their Facebook fans enjoy the antics. “They have a habit of stealing your seat on chair and couches as soon as you stand up. It’s hilarious to watch. We call them ‘warm seat stealers.”
Why a Westie?
“The don’t shed their coats much so they are very hypoallergenic and clean dogs. They love to run around but will then sleep at your feet for hours. I love this. They are great in pairs and the love between them is very evident. Almost human like – helping each other with things – sharing etc,” according to Jason. Their favorite activity is going for long walks on the Australian beaches.