West Highland Terriers

   Westies                                                                                                                                 


West Highland White Terriers, commonly known as Westies, are a breed of dog known for their distinctive white coat. Originating in Scotland, the breed was used to seek and dig out foxes and badgers.[1] This breed is commonly recognized through its use as a mascot for Black & White (a brand ofScotch whisky), Cesar brand dog food,[2] and various other logos.Commonly, Westies have bright, deep-set eyes that are dark in color. Their ears are small, pointed, and erect.[3] A male typically weighs between 15 and 20 pounds (6.8 and 9.1 kg) and a female between 13 and 16 pounds (5.9 and 7.3 kg). average height is 9 to 11 inches (23 to 28 cm) at the withers.[3] The Kennel Club has recommended that their tails, typically "carrot-shaped", should never be docked;[4] hence the tail should be between 5–6 inches (13–15 cm).[3]

They also have deep chests, muscular limbs, a huge skull, a large black nose, a short and a closely fitted jaw with "scissors" bite (lower canines locked in front of upper canines, upper incisors locked over lower incisors).[5] Their teeth generally appear quite large for the size of the dog.[3][5] Westies have a very strong bone structure for their size.[5]

They have a soft, dense, thick undercoat and a rough outer coat, about 2 inches long, that requires regular grooming.[3] Some Westies have "wheaten tippings" on their backs, though for individuals put forward for conformation showing this can be regarded as undesirable.[5] Also, some Westies do not have a top coarse coat, and just a second silky coat.

This breed is a non-shedding dog. As they develop into adults, their thinner "puppy coat" is normally removed by either 'hand-stripping' or otherwise clipping.


 As with most other dogs, Westies generally require around thirteen hours of sleep per day. In order to acquire their needed sleep, Westies will usually follow the sleep patterns of their human companions and also take several naps during the day. The average lifespan of a Westie can range from 12 to 17 years. They also need regular walking.The breed was originally named the Poltalloch terrier, after the estate in the Argyll region of western Scotland where they were developed by Colonel Edward Donald Malcolm (1837–1930) and his family[6]. It is said that the breed gained its white coat after the Colonel's red terrier was mistaken for a fox and shot: the dog was to be white in colour so as to help distinguish it from its quarry. The Westie came to the United States in the early 1900s, originally called Roseneath Terrior. The name was changed to reflect the breed's origins more clearly.[7] Some dog breeders and fanciers also believe that Westies developed with contributions from white dogs in the litters of Cairn Terriers.[7] Others believe that there are contributions from similar dogs developed by the 8th Duke of Argyll (Chieftain of Clan Campbell).[8]

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 Known to many people as the "Westie," this breed is a small dog but is very well balanced and hardy. Always able to exhibit good showmanship when exhibited, especially when they are groomed properly, they are very elegant looking with a beautiful white coat and bright dark button eyes. 


For a more detailed look, the head has a round appearance from the front view, with dark and almond shaped eyes with black rims. Erect and small ear end in sharp points, while the muzzle is blunt tipped with powerful jaws, tapering toward the nose area. The teeth appear to be too big for the small dog, with six incisor teeth between the canines of the upper and lower jaw.

With a double coat, the Westie is strongly built, while deep in the chest and back ribs. The back is straight and the hindquarters are powerful with very highly muscular legs. When exhibiting in shows, the breed demonstrates great strength and energy levels. Its gait is free and easy, while showing a distinctive drive that is powerful to see. Its legs see to not move in a square when viewed from the front, while the hind movement is free and strong.

Coat Description

The wiry coat of the little Westie needs brushed about three times a week, or more depending on the lifestyle, with shaping and stripping once every three months. If the West Highland White Terrier is to be shown at a dog show, shaping will be done by stripping, while clipping does the job adequately as pets. 

The coat of the Westie is a harsh double coat, and was originally developed to provide protection when hunting. The tail with full hair was necessary to pull the dog backwards out of shallow holes when it was digging and hunting varmints.


 The Westie should be trained to be accustomed to any grooming features as a young puppy before grooming ever begins, beginning with two to three minutes a day to begin with. Daily combings will make him accustomed to being touch all over, and the pleasure of having his coat brushed. The West Highland White Terrier needs firmness when this early training begins, but no roughness or loud voices should be part of the training methods. 


The next step is to begin the habit of grooming the little Westie about once a week to clip out of place hair and checking his ears, gradually increasing the time spent on the actual grooming. A two to three minute brush-out should begin to be done on a daily basis, laying the Westie puppy on the grooming table until the young dog begins to be anxious about the grooming. 

The decision whether to strip or groom the little Westie depends a lot on whether or not the dog will be shown or not. Simply put, it is a matter of personal preferences, as stripping makes the coat harder and coarser, while clipping the coat makes it softer and wavy on some dogs. 

Most people clip a dog because it is easy and quick, and both methods give two entirely different looks to the breed. If the groomers or the owner is good at dog grooming, the standard look of the breed will be as good with a clipper as with stripping. If the decision to use clippers gives too soft of a look, changing the mind is still an option as once the hair is grown back slightly, hand stripping can be done then until it gets the real Westie look and feel, done naturally.

Websites:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/West_Highland_Terrier


http://www.akc.org/breeds/west_highland_white_terrier/index.cfm

Exercise

Exercise for dogs should be the same as exercise for their owners-it is good for the mind, a good and healthy physical activity to keep the body in shape, and it relieves stress. Such things anymore as dog treadmills, doggy day cares, doggie gyms, playing at the park, or just simple walking-all of these are fun and healthy for the Westie and its owner. 

The Westie, as a high-energy dog, can develop pent-up energy when sitting around the apartment all day waiting for the family to come home. If the West Highland White Terrier does not get enough exercise to remove this energy, or at least spread it around a bit, then destructive behavior can occur. This behavior can occur in many forms-chewing, barking, digging, stubbornness, not minding, vomiting, stool issues, and depression.

Training

Intelligent as the West Highland White Terrier is, it is important to understand the whole concept of the Westie personality and essence of who they are. One article says it all, "The Westie is really a big dog inside a small dog's body." The dog has the personality that is spunky, intelligent, bold, independent, lots of self-esteem--and stubborn. These varied qualities of the little Westie terrier breed in mind, will help prepare a person for the beginning "fun of training a Westie."

If a Westie is given too much at once, the breed will quickly develop the ability to acquire the upper hand, becoming bossy and aggressive to the point of becoming aggressive and snapping or biting. The assertive nature of the Westie, notwithstanding its intelligence, needs to be properly understood to avoid any behavior issues that could develop. But before any training begins, the thing to know before starting is whether it suffers any negative setbacks such as lack of companionship, lack of discipline, activity, or exercise. If none of these are available, then the Westie can become very destructive if left alone. 

Some commands are more important than others-at least to begin with. The West Highland should know the five basic commands plus some-come, heel, sit, down, and stay. Combining them to form a sit-stay and down-stay is also very beneficial for a dog such as the Westie with an overwhelming attraction to people combined with high energy. Stay firm yet positive, always ending every training session with a command the dog does know, even after spending an hour or so learning new ones.

 

Westie puppies may be affected by craniomandibular osteopathy, a disease also known "lion jaw". (The disease is an autosomal recessive condition and so a puppy can only be affected by it if both its parents are carriers of the faulty gene.) With this disease, the only current way to identify carrier breeding stock is if an affected puppy is produced. Therefore, breeders may be unaware that breeding stock are carriers until an affected puppy is born. Craniomandibular osteopathy is a non-neoplastic proliferative disease of the ventral mandibular ramus, occipital base of the skull and tympanic bullae, characterised by excessive bone deposition in these areas. In most incidences, the defect is bilateral, although this is not always the case. The disease varies in severity, the region(s) affected and the individual pain threshold of the affected puppy. Definitive diagnosis is achieved by radiographicexamination.

Craniomandibular osteopathy is extremely painful to the puppy. Affected puppies will most likely display signs of pain or discomfort, such as yelping, when their head is touched and when chewing or eating. The puppy may be lethargic and be reluctant to eat as a result.

The condition usually manifests when the puppy is around 3–6 months of age, and regresses spontaneously around 12 months of age. Treatment of the disease is concerned with managing the symptoms and providing appropriate analgesia to improve quality of life and enable the puppy to eat until the disease resolves spontaneously. Corticosteroids are the usual therapeutic agents used to manage the disease. The exact treatment protocol depends on the severity, localisation and pain sensitivity of the affected puppy. In extreme cases, euthanasia may be required.

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History

Originating in the highlands of Scotland, many breeds have the West Highland White Terrier blood line in them, all originating back to the early 1800's with each breed deriving their name from the areas of their origin. These short-legged Scotland terriers are now known as the Scottish, Skye, Cairn, Dandie Dinmont, and West Highland White Terriers--and all were bred as small game hunters. Not raised as pets alone, each breed of terrier was a working dog and had a specific purpose-keeping vermin in control for the Scotland villages, coalmines, mills, farms, and homes. Zestful diggers and hunters as they were, flower gardens and vegetable patches today presents a challenge to these little hunters. 

Originally these dogs had colors which ranged from red to cream, and cream to white. Because one of his red dogs were killed emerging from the hunt, Colonel Edward Donald Malcom, of Poltlloch, Argyllshire, Scotland, bred his hunting lines down to white because of that situation. This brought on the Poltlloch White Terrier, or eventually the West Highland White Terrier. Up until that time, all white terriers were killed immediately at birth.

In 1907, the Westie breed was listed as the West Highland White Terrier at the Crufts dog show in England. The name was derived from the rugged character of the terrier dog, and the area of which it was developed. In 1909, the West Highland White Terrier Club of America was founded as a member club of the American Kennel Club.

Temperament

The Westie is a very intelligent dog who loves human companionship both indoors and outdoors-but do have issues with other pets or small animals. Introduce them gradually to the little newcomers, making sure the Westie is not ignored or pushed back. Happy, curious, and always trying to get into the middle of everything, they are considered one of the most affectionate of all the terriers with their also demanding personality-yet can still feel jealousy if their homeland is threatened. 

They are very popular due to their extreme versatility. And like most terriers, this breed loves to bark and dig-or dig and bark-anyway, they have a tendency to do both at the same time, while showing off their independence and stubborn attitude. A high energy level requires walks in the park, leash-training lessons, fetching balls or toys, or sleeping. Due to a high need to stay active when awake, sleeping about 13 hours a day is required by the little Westie when they finally collapse. In fact, many Westie owners say that if their West Highland White Terrier is contented, they can sleep as much as 22 hours a day! But when they are awake, watch out for a pure energy ball of business. 

Its faults are listed as excess timidity or excess pugnacity. Another fault listed is in reference to its gait, when there is lack of reach in front, and/or drive behind-stiff, stilted, or too wide movements.

Health Problems

The West Highland White Terrier has a few major ones are globoid cell leukodystrophy, along with Legg Perthes diseaseand CMO. The Globoid Cell Leukodystrophy disease is similar to Krabbe's disease in people. A storage disease, it is an accumulation of galactocerebroside, which is a component of myelin, leading t o a progressive loss of the myelin. The breeds that are most affected by the disease are the Cairn and the Westie through an autosomal recessive disorder. 

Sporadically, the disease has been reported in the Beagle, Miniature Poodle, Basset Hound, Pomeranian, and blue tick hound. Minor concerns are copper toxicosis, Cataracts, patellar luxation, Deafness, with suggested testing areas as the hip and knee.

 

Westies are prone to allergies and dry skin problems, and bathing too frequently may aggravate these problems. Washing once a month or on a longer interval will generally not cause problems. 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. Water in the ears must be removed before an infection develops. Westies should be groomed at least every 6 weeks, and bathed and brushed as needed between appointments.

Westies love dog treats which can be helpful for dogs to have positive habits. Westie particularly love dog treats made from beef, chicken, lamb and rice such as Bully Sticks, Greenies, Dog Beef Jerky, Chicken Dog Treats, Lamb Treats...etc. You can purchase those dog treats at a local pet retailer such as Petco or an online dog treat shop such as Gibdog Pet Supplies. Westies are very sensitive, so make sure to give the right dog treats. Dog treats for Westies should always be the "big" ones so that it takes a long time to get a small piece in their mouth. A Westie can get small pieces stuck in their throat and the raw hide can wear a hole through the esophagus. The chews become soft and can also get stuck in the roof of the mouth. Dog treats such as pig ears and raw hides are not good for Westies.

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