West Highland White Terrier: owner reviews, breed description, character, care features, pros and cons

2024 Author: Priscilla Miln | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 00:21

Despite the fact that dog owners around the world leave mostly positive reviews about West Highland White Terriers, the breed is not very common in our country. Some dog lovers simply do not know about it, while others know little about the virtues that connoisseurs appreciate. We will try to correct this shortcoming.

History

Start with the history of the West Highland White Terrier.

It is impossible to say exactly when this breed appeared, as it happens in most cases. The breed was officially registered in Argyllshire (Scotland) by Donald Malk in 1904. But in general it exists much longer than one century. Examining fifteenth-century manuscripts, one can already find descriptions of dogs very similar to West Highland White Terriers.

Perhaps today, looking at these small dogs, it is hard to believe that they were originally used for hunting. Due to their small size, the dogs were perfect for burrow hunting. Breeders did a great jobcreating the ideal dog for hunting badgers and foxes, hiding in deep and narrow burrows at any danger.

Height, equal to 30 centimeters, allowed the dogs to easily squeeze into the narrowest hole. This was greatly helped by small, but rather powerful paws. The jaws, despite their small size, are strewn with sharp teeth - a weighty argument in a dispute with the owner of the hole.

The coat is short and rather harsh. It is not only less clogged with dirt and earth, but is also washed very easily. The white color was also not chosen by chance: thanks to it, the owner will be able to see the pet from afar at dusk. Because of this color, the dog is definitely not confused with a badger or a fox, which means that an accidental shot that injures or kills a helper is almost completely excluded.

Also, the West Highland White Terrier gets great reviews thanks to its sharp mind. Still, a hunting dog, and even so tiny, simply will not survive without a sufficient level of intelligence.

Appearance

Now let's move on to the next important point - the description of the West Highland White Terrier breed. The size of the dogs is very modest. The average height of a male at the withers is 28 centimeters, and that of a female is 26 centimeters. The standard provides for a weight within 8-12 kilograms. The coat is not too long, hard, white in color. But the undercoat, although short, is very soft, more like fur.

The head is large, the muzzle is elongated, proportionately and gracefully folded. The ears are slightly protruding, small, set rather high. The nose is wide (for a better sense of smell) and jet black.

The body is small, and the legs are short, but despite this, they are quite powerful, which allows the dog to jump well and develop unexpectedly high speed at short distances. True, the breed does not differ in endurance, so a friend of a person will not be able to run for a long time.

The straight tail has an average length of 13 to 15 centimeters. Quite thick at the base, gradually tapering towards the end.

Character

Before you start a West Highland White Terrier, it is very important to know the nature of the breed. Otherwise, later you will have to regret the bad choice, and the dog will not be to blame for this at all.

First of all, when talking about the nature of these dogs, devotion will come to mind for connoisseurs. Indeed, it is this quality that is one of the most pronounced. Despite its small size, the terrier will confidently defend its owners (if necessary, to the last drop of blood). However, this has a downside: dogs do not tolerate loneliness and get very bored if the owner leaves them for the whole day in an empty apartment. Of course, this can turn into a complete defeat, gnawed and damaged things.

The character is generally quite soft and good-natured. They lend themselves perfectly to training, and they themselves get a lot of pleasure from the process of learning and demonstrating newly acquired skills to the owner, who in no case should forget to praise the pet, and sometimes indulge in various goodies.

Care

Many breeders positive feedbackThe West Highland White Terrier is given a fairly simple grooming routine. Indeed, they are quite unpretentious to food, get sick relatively rarely and almost never have problems with the heart or musculoskeletal system.

You don't have to bathe them often. If the dog is distinguished by neatness, then washing can be completely abandoned. It is enough to wipe your paws after a walk. Otherwise, you can bathe about once a month. Short coat dries rather quickly, and terriers are not too afraid of hypothermia: dense coat in total with a warm undercoat reliably protects from the cold. True, until the dog dries, it is advisable to close the windows and the balcony, at least in winter, so that it does not blow through with a draft.

You also don't have to deal with hair, which breeders of other dogs often cover all furniture and floors in an even layer: the white terrier hardly sheds. Alas, this has a downside. After all, the wool still dies, but it practically does not fall out. And instead of her, a young one is growing. As a result, the pet acquires an untidy appearance, and an unpleasant odor begins to emanate from the old wool. In addition, the dog begins to itch, causing a lot of problems for both her and the owner.

Therefore, the West Highland White Terrier has to be trimmed regularly. The procedure is not too pleasant, but it allows you to remove dead hair without a trace. How do you know when it's time for a procedure? It is enough to grab a bundle of wool and pull it lightly - if there are a lot of hairs left in the fingers, then trimming needs to be visited. And the ownersshow dogs will have to take their pet to the salon every month.

Who suits

In general, West Highland White Terrier puppies, like adult dogs, can be a good choice for almost any breeder: they will get along with children, adults and the elderly. With children they will run, jump and have fun. And next to the elderly owner, they will take a nap and sleep with pleasure, enjoying the closeness of a loved one.

But for single people who spend most of their free time outside the home, this breed is clearly not suitable. The terrier is very bored, and because of the seething energy, it may well make a mess in the apartment.

In general, you need to walk with them a lot so that they spend their strength and come home tired, eat well and go to bed. Otherwise, gnawed wires, shoes and any other items will become a familiar part of your life.

Education and training

Many experienced trainers give excellent reviews to West Highland White Terriers. Which is not surprising: dogs are smart and, importantly, love to please their owners. The main thing is to provide them with good motivation: stroke, praise for achievements - and the dog will be ready to turn the whole world for you.

Starting training is about six months old. But you need to engage in education immediately after the appearance of the dog in the apartment. Immediately draw the line of what is permitted: the pet should not sleep in bed, drag food from the table, and much more. Having given up the slack once, it will be very difficult to restore the taboo.difficult.

Reviews about the breed

Very rarely white terrier breeders regret their choice. Many highly value devotion, energy, playful character, unpretentiousness and intelligence. However, in order not to be disappointed in the acquisition, it is important to be aware of the shortcomings.

Representatives of this breed love to dig in the ground. Therefore, releasing them on the lawn or beds is not recommended at all. In a couple of hours, a well-groomed, refined site will turn into Dresden after the bombing: the flower beds are torn up, the lawns are covered with holes, the grass is uprooted and scattered. Well, terriers have this habit.

The fountain of energy has already been mentioned above - you need to give the dog the opportunity to release it, otherwise it will find such an opportunity on its own, and this will obviously not please the owner.

Finally, some dogs have allergies (primarily to food). And terriers sweep literally everything that catches their eye. Therefore, the diet must be seriously monitored.

Conclusion

This concludes our article. Now you know about the main pros and cons of the West Highland White Terrier. This means that you can easily decide whether this breed is acceptable for you or whether it makes sense to give preference to another dog.