Dog breed · Scotland
The West Highland White Terrier (commonly shortened to Westie) is a Scottish dog breed with a distinctive white harsh coat and somewhat soft white undercoat. It is a medium-sized terrier but has longer legs than other Scottish terriers. It has a white double coat of fur which fills out its face, giving it a rounded appearance.
The Westie is intelligent and quick to learn. It is social and can be good with children, but rarely tolerates rough handling and sometimes prefers solitude. Having been bred to hunt small rodents on farms, it is an energetic and boisterous breed with a high prey drive and thus needs regular exercise of around one hour per day. The modern breed is descended from a number of pre-20th century breeding programmes of white terriers in Scotland. Edward Donald Malcolm, 16th Laird of Poltalloch, is credited with the creation of the modern breed from his Poltalloch Terrier, but did not want to be known as such.
The Westie is a cousin of the Cairn Terrier and is related to other breeds such as the Roseneath Terrier (bred by George Campbell, 8th Duke of Argyll) and Pittenweem Terrier (bred by Americ Edwin Flaxman). The Westie was given its modern name for the first time in 1908, with recognition by major kennel clubs occurring around the same time. The breed remains very popular in the United Kingdom, with multiple wins at Crufts, and has been in the top third of all breeds in the United States since the 1960s. Several breed-specific and non-specific health probl
Temperament: The temperament of Westies can vary greatly, with some being friendly towards children and others preferring solitude. They will not typically tolerate rough handling, such as a child pulling on their ears or fur, and can frequently be both food- and toy-possessive. This makes regular training from a young age particularly important. Westies can make good watchdogs and are normally independent, self-assured, and confident. They are loyal and bond with their owner but are often on the move, requiring a minimum of one hour of daily exercise. Westies are highly social and are the most friendly of all the Scottish terriers.
A hardy breed, Westies can be stubborn and cause issues with training, potentially requiring their training to be refreshed on occasion during their lifetime. Having a typical terrier prey drive, they tend to be highly interested in toys, especially chasing balls. They retain the instincts of an "earthdog" such as being inquisitive and investigative, as well as natural instincts to bark and dig holes. Westies are tied for 47th place (with the Scottish Deerhound) in Stanley Coren's 1994 book The Intelligence of Dogs, which designates them as being of "average working/obedience intelligence" and places them almost exactly in the middle of the list.
Appearance: Westies commonly have bright, deep-set, almond-shaped eyes that are dark in colour. Their ears are pointed and erect. Westies typically weigh between 15 and 20 pounds (6.8 and [dose — ask your vet]) with an average height between 10–11 inches (25–28 cm) at the withers. The body should be shorter than the height of the dog at the shoulder.
Westies have a black nose, deep chest, muscular limbs, and a short closely-fitted jaw with "scissors" bite (lower canines locked in front of upper canines, upper incisors locked over lower incisors). Their paws are slightly turned out to give them better grip than flat-footed breeds when they climb on rocky surfaces. Young puppies have pink markings on the nose and footpads that slowly turn black as they age. Westies also have short and sturdy tails.
Westies have a rough outer coat that can grow to about 2 inches (5.1 cm) long and a soft, thick undercoat. The fur fills out the face to give it a rounded appearance. As puppies develop into adults, their coarse outer coat is normally removed by either "hand-stripping" (especially for dog-showing) or otherwise clipping. Most Westies are pure white, although there are some light wheat colour variations.
Health: A 2015 French study found a life expectancy of 12.93 years, while a 2024 British study found a life expectancy of 13.4 years (averaging 12.7 years for purebreeds and 12 years for crossbreeds). The typical litter size is between three and five puppies.
The breed is pre-disposed to conditions found in many breeds, such as abdominal hernias. Craniomandibular osteopathy is a disease that most commonly affects West Highland White Terriers. The disease is an autosomal recessive condition, so a puppy can only be affected by it if both of its parents are carriers of the faulty gene. The condition appears across many breeds, including several different types of terriers, as well as other unrelated breeds such as the Great Dane. It typically appears in dogs under one year old, and can cause problems for the dog to chew or swallow food. Radiographic testing can be conducted to diagnose the condition, in which the bones around the jaw thicken; additionally, the blood may show increased calcium levels and enzyme levels. The condition often stops progressing by the time the dog is a year old, and in some cases can recede. It is normally treated with anti-inflammatory medications, and the feeding of soft foods. In some cases, tube feeding may be necessary.
The breed is prone to skin disorders. About one quarter of Westies surveyed are affected by atopic dermatitis, a heritable chronic allergic skin condition. A higher proportion of males are affected compared to females. An uncommon but severe breed-specific skin condition, hyperplastic dermatosis, may affect West Highland White Terriers of any age. Affected dogs can suffer from red hyperpigmentation, lichenification, and alopecia. In the initial stages, this condition can be misdiagnosed as an allergy or less serious forms of dermatitis.
An inherited genetic problem that exists in the breed is globoid cell leukodystrophy. It is not breed-specific, and can appear in Cairn Terriers and other breeds including Beagles and Pomeranians. It is a neurological disease wherein the dog lacks the enzyme galactosylceramidase. The symptoms are noticeable as the puppy develops, and can be identified by the age of 30 weeks. Affected dogs have tremors, muscle weakness, and trouble walking. Symptoms slowly increase until limb paralysis begins to occur. Due to it being a hereditary condition, owners should avoid breeding affected animals to eliminate it from the breed. Another genetic condition that affects the breed is "white dog shaker syndrome". As this condition is most commonly found in Westies and Maltese, the condition was originally thought to be connected to the genes for white coats, but the same condition has since been found in other non-white breeds including the Yorkshire Terrier and the Dachshund. The condition typically develops over one to three days, resulting in tremors of the head and limbs, ataxia, and hypermetria. Affected males and females can be affected for different lengths of time, with symptoms in females lasting between four and six weeks, while males can be affected the rest of their lives.
Other less common conditions which appear in the breed include hydroxyglutaric aciduria, which is where elevated levels of Alpha-Hydroxyglutaric acid are in the dog's urine, blood plasma, and spinal fluid. It can cause seizures, muscle stiffness, and ataxia, but is more commonly found in Staffordshire Bull Terriers. A degeneration of the hip joint, known as Legg–Calvé–Perthes syndrome, also occurs in the breed. However, the chances of this condition occurring are much higher in some other breeds, such as the Australian Shepherd and the Miniature Pincher. The breed is also one of the least likely to be affected by a luxating patella, where the knee cap slips out of place. The breed is predisposed to atopic dermatitis.
History: Scottish white terriers were recorded as early as during the reign of James VI of Scotland, who reigned between 1567 and 1625. The king ordered that a dozen of these white terriers be procured from Argyll to be presented to the Kingdom of France as a gift. Sandy- and brindle-coloured dogs were seen as hardier than those of other colours, and white dogs were seen as being weak. At various times during the breed's existence, it has been considered a white offshoot of both the Scottish Terrier and the Cairn Terrier breeds.
Reports of a ship from the Spanish Armada being wrecked on the island of Skye in 1588 indicated the ship carried white Spanish dogs, whose descendants were kept distinct from other breeds by Clan Donald, including the families of the Chiefs. Other families on Skye preserved both white and sandy-coloured dogs. One such family was the Clan MacLeod, and it was reported by their descendants that at least two Chiefs kept white terriers, including "The Wicked Man" Norman MacLeod, and his grandson Norman, who became Chief after his death.
George Campbell, 8th Duke of Argyll, chief of Clan Campbell, bred a breed of white Scottish terriers known as the "Roseneath Terrier". Another breed of white Scottish terriers also appeared at this point, with Dr. Americ Edwin Flaxman from Fife developing his line of "Pittenweem Terriers" out of a female Scottish Terrier which produced white offspring. The dog seemed to produce these white puppies regardless of the sire to which she was bred, and after drowning over 20 of these offspring, he came upon the theory that it was an ancient trait of the Scottish Terrier that was trying to reappear. He re-dedicated his breeding programme to produce white Scottish Terriers with the aim of restoring it to the same stature as the dark-coloured breed. Flaxman is credited with classes being added to dog shows for white Scottish Terriers towards the end of the 19th century.
