West Highland White Terriers: Westies
81WEST HIGHLAND TERRIERS
West Highland White Terriers—Westies—are a dog breed originally bred in the West Highlands of Scotland. They are related to the Scottish Terrier. While Scottish Terriers can be black, red, cream, or white, the Westies are always white.
The story goes that Edward Donald Malcolm (1837-1930), 16th Laird of Poltalloch, was troubled that his reddish-brown terriers he used as game dogs were being mistaken for foxes and shot at. His solution was to breed only his white dogs and thus was born the West Highland White Terrier.
These distinctive dogs were officially named the West Highland White Terrier in 1908 by the American Kennel Club. For several decades, Westies have consistently been about the 30th most popular dog in the United States, out of around 100 breeds. They are the 3rd most popular terrier dog in Britain, though only half as many of them are bred today in the UK as ten years ago.
THE WESTIE DOG
The first West Highland White Terriers landed in America in 1908, and they were immediately popular.
There have been white terriers in Scotland since at least the 16th century when King James I of England gave a dozen of them to France as a gift. Some say they originated on the Isle of Skye.
The Westies were first used to control rats, foxes, badgers, and other small animals. Hunters of small game trained them as game dogs. These men were from isolated clans that lived in the harsh environment of the vales and glens of the Scottish Highlands.
The Westie terrier proved to be rugged earthdogs, well suited to rough and dangerous conditions. Their double coat protects them in bad weather.
WEST HIGHLAND WHITE TERRIER
The West Highland White Terrier is a robust, muscular dog with a distinctive, remarkably bright, white coat. It's dry coat needs daily brushing and regular stripping. The undercoat is soft and dense; the outer coat is rough.
An adult Westie weighs 15-20lbs. The male stands about 11" tall and the female around 10". They have pointed prick ears, that stand erect and wide apart. The straight short tail is shaped like a carrot. They have bright, deep set, almond shaped, dark eyes.
The Westies are well balanced, agile, strongly built dogs with powerful jaws and big teeth for a small dog. They have a deep chest, very muscular thighs, and a distinctive gait that is free and easy. The typical life span is 12-16 years.
THE WESTIE TERRIER
West Highland Terriers are active, independent, confident, strong-willed, stubborn, hardy, happy dogs with high self-esteem.
They make for wonderful traveling companions that are social, friendly, loyal, faithful, devoted, and obedient.
They are good natured, and they love people, especially children.
The Westie dog is noted for its high prey drive. It loves toys and loves to chase balls and play fetch. They are an inquisitive earth-dog that loves to dig holes. It is an excellent watchdog that tends to bark a lot.
If a Westie is allowed to become pack leader it may snap when irritated and be combative to other dogs. Its owner must be a firm consistent leader.
THE LEADER OF THE PACK
Your dog depends on you for survival. Dogs have helped men hunt and guarded us while we slept for Lord knows how long. They are naturally inclined to cooperate with people.
Nonetheless, dogs retain their animal instincts and part of that is the instinct to test your authority. A dog has deep inside the instincts of a wolf. And in no wolf pack is there more than one leader. The most important thing about being a dog owner is to be the pack leader in your house.
A fish swims, a bird flies, a snake slithers, a dog walks. Your dog needs to walk every day with you to release energy. The most important part of that walk besides the sunshine, fresh air, and exercise, is that you are leading the dog—it is not leading you. In a dog's mind the leader always leads the way.
If you ever watch a pack of wolves walking, the leader of the pack is always out front and everybody else follows him. Make your dog heel; make it learn to follow you. Do not let it pull you on the leash. Do not let your dog sniff anywhere he wants or eliminate anywhere he wants.
Do not let your dog go through a doorway before you. If you are going to take her outside, you go out the door first. If she gets habituated to going out ahead of you, she will begin to think of herself as your leader.
It is OK for a dog to sleep with you but it should be taught to never jump onto your bed uninvited.
It is best not to play with your dog when it approaches you with a toy in its mouth. Ignore it and wait a while until the dog forgets the toy, and then you pick up the toy and throw it for the dog to fetch. YOU initiate the action.
Do not play tug-of-war with a dog but if you ever do YOU must win. It might be OK to throw something for your dog to fetch if it submissively sets it down at your feet and then sits quietly. Teach your dog that it must release a ball or toy if it expects you to play.
Affection should be initiated by you. Dogs may come over to paw your leg, bat your arm, stick their head in your face, or try to climb up on you—demanding affection. That is dominating behavior; pack leader wolves exhibit that same behavior. Shoo them away. When a dog is calm, relaxed and being perfectly obedient is when you softly say her name and give her warmth and affection.
If your dog is sleeping on the floor, never walk around it as wolves do their pack leader. Either make it move out of your way or step right over it.
When you establish eye contact with a dog, it must always look away first, as a wolf will do with its leader. If you avert your gaze first your dog is dominating you.
Dogs should not have a perpetual food supply available. It must learn the important lesson that to obey is to eat. You decide the time and place that your dogs feed and make sure they know it.
Do not use your dog's name during correction or out of anger. Only use its name when giving positive reinforcement.
All animals including dogs understand a universal language—they read energy and emotions. They do not reason; they react.
Many Americans treat dogs as if they were human children. They bend over backwards to be "nice" to them. They think this is what will make them happy. But what really makes a dog happy is being welcome in any and all social situations and for that to be the case it must be well behaved. A happy dog is not a confused dog as to who the leader of the pack is. Firmly establishing that you are the leader is what will make a dog feel safe, secure, and happy.
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Great pictures and very informative hub. vote up!
Another great hub James but for me, regardless of breed dogs reflect the character of their master.
It's neat that you wrote down 'leader of the pack' rules. I'd never thought too much about it, but they seem to describe what works, and they sometimes work with people too.
JJRBJ- The wee one is indeed a beauty............. thank you for this gift! Kaie
Great hub as always James. I love the pictures, especially the Westies on the steps.
James, Lovely, beautiful, heart-warming, enchanting, entertaining, informative presentation. Ditto for your well selected photos. My heart has melted throughout this canine journey. I love all of the photos, but I think that my favorite has to be the puppy with its paws (against a glass?), one ear up and one ear down.
I love dogs; each breed has its own unique beauty. "The dog" were my first words as a child, so, although I'm drawn to all of nature, dogs occupy a special part of my heart.
You've given wonderful information for establishing respectful-loving interactions between Westies and their families. In fact, your guidelines apply to all pets, and, perhaps some humans.:-)
Cailin is clearly living a happy, full life, as all pets should, as everyone on the planet should.
Wonderfully done.
Kind regards, Stessily
James, thank you so much for this awesome hub. I have always wanted a Westie. The pictures you included are a beautiful addition to your excellent hub. I love that little "curious" Westie. If I could have a pet, this would be my choice.
Voted all the way up.
Great article James! Ceasar Milan would be proud of you. Westies are great little dogs.
James, what an absolutely delightful Hub -- but then I'm partial to Westies. My brother, Jim, had several and every one of them was smart, alert and mannerly -- true little treasures. All of them I've known have been ideal pets. Thanks so much for sharing tips on "leading the pack" -- it makes all the difference in the world! Best/Sis
BRIAN SLATER- Thank you for being my first visitor!
I surely appreciate the visitation and your comments. I am grateful for the voted up as well. Thanks again.
picklesandrufus- Thank You! Thank you very much. :)
When I was a kid, we had a westie named 'Doogie'... he was one of the best pets I've ever had; lovely temperament and full of spunk. Great hub :)
Spirit Whisperer- Thank you for the gracious compliment. I agree with you. :)
I'm amazed at your ability to move in and out of writing topics. This is a truly great article. I love these dogs. I have a close pastor friend that had 3 of them; great dogs. I love dogs anyway. My dad used to raise Boston Terriers and I had many of them. Wonderful article. Enjoyed it much. I voted up all across.
FitnezzJim- You have got to be the Leader of the Pack, brother! :D
I'll have to ruminate on whether those rules work with people. I hadn't thought about that.
But I do thank you for visiting and commenting!
Kaie Arwen- You are welcome. The wee one is a beauty alright. Thank you for your ongoing support, affirmation, and encouragement. You inspire me to greater heights! :-)
JJRBJ
Mardi- Thank you!! Thank you very much! :D
(Elvis has left the building.)
Aww! I am such a dog person I loved this. I actually have an unpublished hub that I've yet to finish, on the ever popular Golden Retriever. Although I've always been more of a larger breed person, myself, the benefit that we get from the smaller breeds is longer life span. Now you've got me thinking about a Westy... : ) Voted up & useful.
stessily! Your stage name came up as "anonymous."
Thank you so much for the awesome accolades. Wow. Your words have warmed the cockles of my heart! :-)
I am glad you enjoyed the pictures. I too love the one of "the puppy with its paws against a glass."
"The dog" were the first words you ever spoke! How about that! Very cool. I love dogs.
I haven't tried those Leader of the Pack guidelines on any humans but you've given me an idea.
Cailin is very happy. I sure appreciate the visit and your comments.
James
Phyllis Doyle- Hey! It is great to hear from you again. I am glad you stopped by and left word that you did. I am well pleased that you enjoyed the Hub and the photographs. Yea, that "Curious Westie" is beautiful.
Thank you for the voted all the way up. And you are welcome. :-)
thanks for this excellent hub on my current second-favourite terrier type. Our little mutt made a Westie friend one day down by the river near our house and they chased each other around for about 30 minutes. Suddenly the Westie became aware of the humans, stopped, looked straight at us and barked... it was hilarious, although, I'm sure, pure ego-centric bravado. I'm sending this on to dog-loving friends!
Kristeen- Thank you!! Thank you very much! :D
Angela Blair- Hello, Sis! You are welcome. It was pleasure to share "Leader of the Pack" tips.
I am glad to read that you are familiar with and partial to the wonderful Westie dog.
Thank you for visiting and commenting. I appreciate your warm words.
James
fi fi- Thank you for sharing with us about your Westie, Doogie. I also appreciate your kind compliment. Good of you to come!
Drtruthman- Why, thank you doctor for the awesome accolades. I love dogs too.
I sincerely appreciate the "voted up all across." I am well pleased that you expressed your enjoyment of this article. God Bless You.
Westies are marvelous wee beasties and very intelligent. A friend had one who had been raised with her two boys, and knew they were not allowed to do certain things (it was almost their babysitter), and when her son took up smoking as an adult, the dog would still bark at him whenever he lit up. As far as the dog was concerned, he was still not allowed to have lighters or matches.
Thank you James, my pleasure, really great Hub.
albertsj- Welcome to the HubPages Community, Jacy! I was a hippie once. :-)
I look forward to reading your Hubs, especially the one upcoming about the Golden Retriever.
Yes, you have a point: the smaller the dog the longer the life. And we do get attached to them, don't we?
I am glad you love this Hub. I very much appreciate the voted up and useful. Thank you for coming.
James,
I'm still a hippie...or at least a wannabe...; ) I think I'm going to hold off on my Golden Retriever hub for now. Writing about something else right now. Just not feeling it. But def will get back to it when I am. Yeah, I got a Westy...just kidding. But I wouldn't mind if my situation was right. Maybe one day... : )
Awww. . .so adorable! Show me a dog - any dog! and I will fall in love. Lol! The Westies are a very feisty and intelligent Terrier breed, and it was very interesting to hear the history of this breed. Hmm, I wonder how long it took the photographer, before getting those twelve Westies to sit still on the staircase, and look so attentive in to the camera? Hehe!
James - As always, I enjoyed reading your superb work. You are the greatest! Thanks.
techygran- You are quite welcome. That is a funny story. Thanks for sharing it with me.
And I certainly appreciate you sharing this Hub with your dog-loving friends. :-)
I am glad you came to visit. I enjoyed your comments.
RedElf- I surely agree with you, "Westies are marvelous wee beasties and very intelligent."
I love that hilarious story you shared with us. Dogs are awesome. Especially your friend's dog.
Thank you for taking the time to check out this Hub. I enjoyed your remarks. I will see you soon. :)
Drtruthman- You are quit welcome. I am glad you enjoyed it.
albertsj— I look forward to reading whatever it is you are writing about.
They say the Golden Retriever is the best dog and the most popular dog—whoever "they" are. :-)
Thanks for coming back. I'll see you soon on one of your Hubs.
James
These are beautiful. A brother had one for years and ran over it in his drive-way by some unlucky set of circumstances. I don't particularly like terriers but I would probably take that curious pup. lol
SanneL— You asked a very good question:
"I wonder how long it took the photographer, before getting those twelve Westies to sit still on the staircase, and look so attentive in to the camera?"
Ha! :)
Thank you ever much for the accolades. I appreciate this visitation from you. And you are quite welcome.
James
Jackie Lynnley— How sad for your brother; and how sadder for his Westie. The "curious pup" is a great photograph.
Thank you for visiting and commenting. It is always a pleasure to hear from you. :-)
These pictures are adorable! These dogs are precious, almost as precious as my miniature schnauzers lol. I'm a dog lover of any breed really. They are so loving and loyal. As always, great article James :)
What an interesting history about the Westies! I had to laugh to myself regarding your dog training tips. It appears that our dogs have been training us for years! Haha! Those surely are cute photos you used in this hub. Enjoyed reading this. Voted up and useful.
rls8994— I am glad you enjoyed the pictures. Thank you for your kind compliments about my article. I appreciate you coming by to see me. I always look forward to your comments. It is great to hear from you. :-)
James
Peggy W— I must sheepishly confess I have not always followed my own dog training tips. :-)
But dogs will surely train us if we don't train them.
I am glad you like the photos and enjoyed reading my Hub. I appreciate the voted up and useful. Thank you for the visitation!
We just got a westie/dachshund mix who is three and I love getting to know her. I find your comments on Westies really accurate. She is an amazingly open, affectionate and sweet dog, full of curiosity and good spirits - now I'm curious about her other half, the dachshund! Thanks for the heartwarming pictures and tips.
I enjoyed reading your article; the picture of the Terriers on the stairs and running are so cute.
edelhaus— You are quite welcome! Congratulations on your new dog.
Thank you for reading my article and responding with such warm words. I really appreciate your kind comments. It is nice to hear from you again. :-)
James
Coolmon2009— Thank you!!! Thank you very much!! :-)
Fascinating hub! These Westies are adorable and the photos and darling. You must have so much fun with your Westie. What I enjoyed so much were the training tips. I've never had a dog, but if I ever get one, I am following your tips. I never thought that you have to teach the dog who is "the leader of the pack." It makes perfect sense though. Thanks for sharing this information and another interesting hub!
suzettenaples— You are quite welcome! I am glad you enjoyed my Hub and I appreciate your thoughtful and insightful comments as well as your kind compliments.
I am well pleased that you like the photographs and will heed my advice if you get a dog. :-)
It is always a distinct pleasure to hear from you.
Nice hub which was interesting to read... I got useful information about rearing dogs as pets and our behaviour towards them. Really worthy...
Loved the hub. Great information and photos but I have to say the "A Whole Lotta Westies" is a heart stealer! We have a Westie neighbor and he and my min pin run back and forth along the fence barking and playing. They are cute little guys and you did them justice. Voted up.
I love these dogs. I have told my husband this will be our next dog. We have decided we're getting old and need to go with smaller dogs.
Enjoyed your hub. Voted Up
Vidyar Mallar— Thank you for taking the time to read my Hub. I am glad you enjoyed it and found it worthy and useful. Welcome to the HubPages Community!
tillsontitan— I am well pleased that you loved my Hub and voted it up. Thank you for reading it and for your kind comments. I agree that the photograph you mentioned is a heart stealer, as you say. It is always good to hear from you. :)
moonlake— I am glad you liked my Hub. Thank you for visiting and commenting. I appreciate the voted up, too.
I hope you do get a Westie and enjoy many happy years with it.
James, What an elucidating, riveting, thoughtful article on the life and times of Westies! In particular, you really excel at providing the background and training information which Westie-admirers and potential enthusiasts would like to know. For example, I like how you make a point -- such as regarding going outside, looking at, and playing with Westies -- and explain what to do and what the consequences are (leadership established) or are not (leadership challenged, confused). Additionally, your choice of photos is such an illustrative and summative contribution to what you're saying in the nearby text.
This is great learning fun, and Cailin is a really lucky girl!
Voted up + all (of course, because J.A.W. is the author).
Respectfully, and with many thanks for sharing, Derdriu
Sorry 4 the late reply James and thnku for welcoming me....have a blessed day.
What a very informative hub! I love these kind of dogs. They are so lovely. Thanks for sharing James.
We have what we believe to be a white westie how ever she has a bent tail tall ears and over all purplish skin hues the tail is bent maybe one half inch from the body and bend straight towards her head is this a true westie is it a birth defect or simply a different breed terrier?? thanks
Great info! I've been admiring "Wee Jock" the Westy in the Scottish mystery series, "Hamish McBeth" recently. Very cute and clever breed of dog, indeed! Voted up and useful! :)
Derdriu— Hello there! You are quite welcome, my dear. Your lovely laudations warm the cockles of my heart. I sincerely appreciate the voted up and all.
I must say you really seem to "get" me. :-)
You made my day with your awesome accolades. I could not be happier than I am at this moment. And it's all because of you. Thank you, my lovely lass.
Faithfully Yours,
James
Vidya Mallar— No worries. You are welcome. Thank you very much for your kind words.
Thelma Alberts— You are quite welcome, my dear. I am glad you enjoyed my Hub and love these doggies. Thank you for visiting and commenting. :)
Mr. W
its julie. I could look at kailin today becase im being good. i like to look at her and frodo. maybe you two will let me take her for a wakl. Now I have to do my spring show.
Julie g
T Garrett— You are quite welcome. If you would email a photograph to me I will do my best to answer your question. My Westie also has purpleish skin.
Thank you for reading my article.
justmesuzanne— I must confess I had not heard of that television series. Thank you for calling my attention to it. I will check it out ASAP.
Thank you for the voted up and useful; as well as the compliment. I appreciate the visit and your comments.
Julie G— Well, hello there Miss Julie. It is a pleasant surprise to hear from you today. Thank you for writing to me. I am glad you are being good and that you like Cailin. Good luck with your spring show!
:-)
Mr. W
BRIAN SLATER Level 5 Commenter 3 months ago
Love these dogs, we have a picture of two of these dogs sitting together in Braemar in the Highlands on our kitchen wall. Even though we had a cocker spaniel at the timelol we couldn't resist how cute they are. Voted up.