West Highland White Terriers

By around the 1700's, the Isle of Skye and other highland areas in Scotland were already breeding plenty of small terriers. Scottish breeds were divided into two sorts: the Skye terriers and the Dandie Dinmont terriers.

The Dandie Dinmonts were classed as a single breed, whereas the Skyes were deemed to include the Scotties, the Cairns and the West Highland White Terriers also called Westies.

West Highland White Terriers were hybrids of crossed Cairns, Scotties and Dandies terriers. These hybrids were reckoned to be good hunters and loyal. In fact, many members of the Scottish royal family owned terriers that were very much like the Westies of today.

One folktale is about a Westie that stopped a mother from persistently yelling at her daughter. Each time the mother shouted at her teenage daughter, the Westie would attack the mother. The dog's aggression got to such a level over the years that the mother gave up shouting at her daughter.

It turned out that the girl was stroking and rewarding the dog for his protection after every bawling out from her mother. lots of people might say that the daughter was able to help her mother to change her violent ways although she was also helping herself by rewarding the dog for its behavior.

West Highland White Terriers can live in or outdoors, so are very flexible. They have a wiry coat of about two inches thick over a dense fur coat which is capable of keeping them warm. Westies are basically small dogs of between 10 and 12 inches in height and 13 and 22 pounds in weight.

West Highland White Terriers like to excavate and bark, but they also like company. They like well-behaved children and they like to chase cats. They defend their property and territory vociferously.

As a breed, they can suffer some ailments such as: chronic skin issues, Perthe's disease (hip problems), jawbone calcification, cranio-mandibular osteopathy (lion jaw), patella luxation, a disorder in the kneecap, liver problems, deafness and congenital heart disease

However, there are steps that you can take to look after your Westie. For example, they ought to be brushed frequently using a brush with stiff bristles. You ought to bathe them only when necessary, but their whole coat should be shaved at least two times a year and trimmed each four months. The fur around the eyes and ears should be trimmed too.

Records swow that in 1620, King James 1 requested some small white dogs from Argyleshire, Scotland. Colonel Malcolm, who was considered the originator of Poltalloch terriers, that are very similar to the Westies of today, unintentionally shot his dark terrier. From then on he swore to have only white ones.

In the 19th Century, terriers that were very much like the Westies were called Roseneath terriers in honour of the Duke of Argyle's interest and patronage of this breed. Roseneath was the name of his estate at Dumbartonshire.

In the first ever dog show, organized in the late 1800's, the Westies were called White Scottish Terriers. In 1904, they were reclassified as West Highland White Terriers.

During the mid-1900's, breeders of the Cairns in Argyle chose white puppies from the stock and interbred them to derive white Cairns. However, in 1917, the American Kennel Club ruled that Cairns could be listed if they have the Westies' roots.

Owen Jones, the writer of this piece, writes on a number of subjects, but is now concerned with the canine distemper vaccination. If you would like to know more, please visit our website at Distemper Vaccines