West Highland White Terriers

[TwingleMum]

I am thinking of buying a Westie puppy. (please no go to a pound or rescue, been there done that) I love the puppy cut look. Is it hard to maintain?? I read that they are one of the most family friendly terriers. Do you find this?? I'm researching breeders. Anything you can tell me~ life expectancy, maintenance etc...

 

[daisax]

I'm not a terrier person, but the best place to network to find a well bred puppy is a local dog show. I'm not sure where in NY you are, but you can go to www.infodog.com which is the website for the Moss Bow dog show superintendant -- they run the majority of the AKC shows in the Northeast/New England area, though NY overlaps with some other superintendants, I believe.

If you go to show calendar you can look up upcoming shows by date/state, etc, and find links to directions, hours, etc. Within a week of the show, they will post the judging schedule, which will tell you which ring the Westies will appear, and at what time (may be different times on different days of the shows). The best time to talk to people is AFTER the dogs have shown, or sit ringside and chat with people who are seated and watching (understanding that they may want to stop talking when their dog is in the ring). If you ask people if they know anybody who has puppies or older puppies/young adults they are looking to place, or anybody expecting a litter, you will usually be pointed in the right direction. Usually the best thing to do is to get on a waiting list before a breeding is even done. A good breeder will be asking you lots of questions to make sure you'd be an appropriate home - they may not want to get into the third degree until they actually have puppies available, or they may chat with you casually, depending on what else is going on.

Be sure not to touch any dogs without permission (sometimes the coats are prepared "just right" and even a casual pat will throw things off. Not so much with a westie, but there are breeds where people will freak )

If you already have the names of local breeders, you can email them and ask if they'll be at particular shows, and if you can meet up there and see their dogs. Seeing adult dogs and getting a feel for their temperaments can be very helpful. Trust your instincts -- your breeder should be a resource for the next 10-15 years for anything having to do with your newest member of the family. If it isn't a person you feel like you can work with/go to with a problem, it might not be the right breeder for you, even if they have a pup you can get right away.

 

[zumbergc]

make sure when you find a breeder, you go to their house, and check out the conditions in which the dog is living in, etc. Make sure to meet both dogs parents, so you can see what type of temperment your dog may have.

Find out when they sell the new pups. Ask all the breeders you meet when they release the dogs. Especially if they are puppy mill type breeder, they will release them weeks before the others will. So make the time to goto a dog show. Generally they carry their business cards with them to the shows. Some have websites.

 

[Gabes_mommy]

I have a male Cairn Terrier which is a very similar breed to the Westie - he looks like a Westie but blonde. I adore him! He is the sweetest little dog. His hair does have to be groomed but most groomers know the standard Westie/Cairn cut. He doesn't shed at all which is fantastic. He is very smart and affectionate. He does bark a lot, but that may just be his personality versus the breed. I would definitely go with this breed again and I would love to have a Westie someday.

 

[DisneyWorld Delight]

Our grandma has a WHT. She's pretty and coming into the westie look as opposed to a baby. She needs alot of grooming. She's pretty hyper, we're hoping that's cause she's just a year old, but man is she wild. It's very hard to keep her looking white. She loves to dig and looks filthy most of the time. I think she's kinda high mtnce. FWIW.

 

[kacaju]

if you are not far from NJ there are two dog shows this coming weekend (7/11-12) in Morristown at the Mennen Sports Area.
Sat. Westies are on at 1:45 in ring 3 there are 6 of them being shown. On Sunday they are in ring 4 at 3pm and there are 7 being shown (I just happen to have my judges program right here!!)

 

[jfranklyn]

My sister has two westies - a 9 year old and a puppy. They are very nice dogs! Cute, fun, cuddly. They can be "yappy" but can be trained not to be. The are "rooters", though, and will hunt out anything in your yard if they are given the chance (small animals don't stand a chance with a westie). My sister has 4 sons, and both dogs do fine with the kids, and a 3rd larger non-westie dog. They do need grooming, but not as much as some other dogs of that nature.

 

[FayeW]

We have two Westies. Suzy is 5 yrs old, and Heidi is 8 months. Suzy is delightful. We should have named her Mary Poppins because she is "practically perfect in every way!". Heidi...not so much. Nice dog but much more high maintenance and generally a pain in the butt. She chews excessively, digs, barks, etc. but she is also very, very cute. I am hoping she will soon outgrow the "extreme puppy" phase.

Heidi just had her first hairdo on Thursday, and she has a puppy cut. Very cute! We generally get Suzy groomed about 4 or 5 times a year (anywhere between 10-14 weeks apart, depending on the season). It costs about $55 each time. Other than that they are very easy to look after. You may need to bath them a little more frequently than dogs that are not white, but they are small and sturdy so it is easy enough to do. We bathe ours in the laundry tub. We got a rubber spray nozzle from the dollar store and it works just fine.

We love our Westies and they are great with our kids. Our son antagonizes Heidi sometimes, so I say he can take what he gets. If he doesn't respect her space it's his own darn fault! (He is nearly 13, so he is old enough to know better)

 

[JuneChickie]

Our grandma has a WHT. She's pretty and coming into the westie look as opposed to a baby. She needs alot of grooming. She's pretty hyper, we're hoping that's cause she's just a year old, but man is she wild. It's very hard to keep her looking white. She loves to dig and looks filthy most of the time. I think she's kinda high mtnce. FWIW.

We had one too. And yes they are very very hyper dogs and constantly on the go or wanna be on the go. Very very determine little dogs. And are not afraid of anything. Ours was very very friendly. Very high maintanence as others have said but thats because they are white and
anything white requires more washing to keep it that way. Dogs are no
different. We got her the puppy cut every 2 months. Ours was great with kids and loved to play. She could even climb a low tree if we threw the ball into it. What a funny little dog.

That said , we don't think there is a sense of loyalty in the westie breed. While she was all of the above , she was not a lap dog what
so ever and other westies that we knew through the years were
the same way. Busy but not loyal. They all liked to run off and chase
little critters , did not catch them to hurt them , just loved the thrill
of the chase. A fun dog.

Ours was 14 when she died and nope she never slowed down till she was about 12 years old. Still liked to chase chipmonks and a bird every now and then. But that puppy
stage was still there at the age of 10.

 

[Patch'sD]

We have two Westies, Female and Male, Lex and Dex, Lex just turned four and Dex will be three in September. Great Dogs, Temperament is perfect for Kids. Yes they are barkers and will bark at anything. They are hunters and will take off if they see an animal to give chase. We groom ours maybe three times a year, we like the shaggy look as opposed to the Westie Cut. They will live into their teens. They are very smart and stubborn. After dinner they both will go to the door and stare at their leashes for their after dinner walk. Playfull, they will play and play all day. Good Watch dogs as no one is allowed to pass in front of there domain. Love comfortable places to catch some rest. If you get up from the comfy coach, there is no doubt that a Westie will be in your seat. On the down side, they seem to have skin problems. Do some research on that, Our first Westie had that along with Autoimmune issues and we lost her before her fifth Birthday. They are hypoallergenic. They do like to get dirty (Diggers) so baths are frequent. The best thing is they provide lots and lots of love. They love to be talked too and love attention. Westies are the besties

 

[ndelaware]

We have a 4 yo Westie. She is a fabulous dog and very lovable. She doesn't bark very much. Doesn't get particularly dirty, we hardly ever have to wash her between groomings. She does like to get up in the chair with people and she will sit on my lap. We are actually thinking of getting 2 more.

 

[kacaju]

Make sure to meet both dogs parents, so you can see what type of temperment your dog may have.

Please keep in mind not every breeder will have both parents on site.
Many breeders do not always breed their own dogs to each other.

In our case my contract with our breeder is she gets two stud services (this is not normal for a pet dog, we bought him as a show dog) I am in NJ the breeder is in NH. If she uses him at stud and has a litter of puppies he will NOT be there by the time the puppies are ready to go. Heck, he won't even be there when they would be born!!

 

[daisax]

Make sure to meet both dogs parents, so you can see what type of temperment your dog may have.

Actually, both parents on site is often a bad sign -- the best possible mate for a particular female is not likely to be another dog in the same house, and a good breeder will go looking. With artificial insemination, using dogs from very far away and even deceased dogs is possible and desirable to avoid local genetic bottlenecks.

There are exceptions, of course.

 

[rascalmom]

We have a Westie - he's 6 years old and I can honestly say that both my husband and I feel he is the best of any dog breed either of us have ever owned.

As I type, I'm sitting on the couch with my laptop in my lap. Gizmo is "wedgied" into the space between me & the arm of the sofa. This is his usual spot. If we are sitting, he's cuddled up to one of us. At night, he sleeps on our bed at our feet, or cuddled up behind the crook of our knees (dh & I are both side sleepers).

He does bark, but I wouldn't consider him yappy AT ALL. He barks when the doorbell rings, when another animal crosses "his" yard, and at certain things on tv. Anything with a ball, particularly - we think he thinks they have his toy! lol

We have him cut about every 6 weeks. We'll also occasionally send him in just for a bath, but we also bath him at home too. He's very cooperative.

He is playful, but not rowdy. When he plays, he wants to engage your attention & boy does he have cute little tricks to do so.

During his puppy year, he did dig & chew. The digging was pretty bad if we left him outside in his little enclosure for any length of time. We have red clay soil here - white dog + red mud = NOT GOOD, lol. The only thing he really chewed on that was inappropriate were my dd's flip flops. She had to learn not to leave them out where he would get them. He outgrew it though, along with the digging, at about 12-13 months.

We have already decided that any future doggy addtions to the family will be Westies.

 

[AtlantaSue]

This is the one breed of dog that I think looks really super cute in a sweater!

 

[natnelliesmom]

Our Westie just passed away this past March. She had been a loved member of our family for 14 years.
She was a great dog! We always maintained her in a puppy cut as she spent a lot of time outdoors and loved to swim! It was easier to maintain a shorter coat.
We had her long before we had children, so she was well trained before the kids came along. I am sure training a puppy with children already in the picture would be a bit more challenging. She was always very good with our kids, loving and gentle. We did teach our kids to leave her alone, not to pick her up at all and not to bother her when she was in her crate or eating. But she often looked to spend time with them and loved to play in the yard with them.
We had to be careful about her food. Her skin was very sensitive and the food would effect her skin. Our vet had us feed her Nutro, which he doesn't sell, so we figured it was really what was best!

I do recommend researching local breeders, meeting the parents and other puppies if you can. This will tell you a lot about temperament and personality. Actually visit the location where the puppies will be whelped and kept. This will help you see how they will be treated which can effect how your dog will behave.

I say to go for it! We loved our Westie.
-Sarah

 

[TheBigBadWolf]

I agree with daisax about meeting some show breeders before buying your puppy. What many people don't realize is you can oftentimes buy a puppy from a show breeder for less money than you'll pay for a puppy from a back yard breeder. And generally it will be a much better example of the breed, and one whose parents have had genetic testing for all the diseases that are common to the breed. Plus you are pretty well assured of getting a gorgeous, healthy dog.

Good luck finding the puppy of your dreams, and please post pics when you get him.

 

[TwingleMum]

Thanks everyone for all the great info, I really appreciate it.

 

[Patricia]

Our Westie, Minnie, died in Sept. after 13 amazing years. She was by far the best dog I have ever owned. She was curious and did like to dig when she was a pup, but once she was about 2, that passed. She LOVED to be held and to sit on the couch with us . Many summer days she would come in the pool with me on the raft and just lie in the sun. She was raised with my two daughters as young children and my son and she were born 4 months apart so they really did grow up together. He tortured her and she never hurt him at all. There were days he chased her with the barbeque spatula and she would just hide under the bed. That being said, she def. thought she was a big dog and had no problem going up to bigger more aggressive dogs. I love this breed and was very dissapointed that my daughter did not want another one when we got our new puppy yesterday. Good luck!

 

[keenercam]

We actually went to a breeder to buy a westie and were surprised to hear him say that he'd suggest a cairn terrier instead. The Westies require a lot of grooming because their fur can stain around their eyes, from their food around the mouth, and around their back end. He told us a Cairn is very similar in temperament and less hyper.

We have had our Cairn, Cali, since October 2000 and she is absolutely the love of the entire household. The things the breeder told us that we think he was DEAD-ON about are these:
She is sturdy, the kind of dog my kids could play with and do the rough and tumble thing and she wouldn't be real barky and is not fragile.

She is not just a one-person dog; she is loyal to our family, and not to one person alone. He said she wouldn't favor one child over the other if they both treated her well. He was so right about this. I feared she'd become DS's dog or DDs dog and not treat them equally. Turns out she had and has enough love for both of them.

She is generous with her love; infinite it seems

She is sweet and very affectionate (we have all held her and handled her a lot from the time she came home with us and we think that is one of the reasons she is so affectionate)

She is GREAT at reading people. She suits her interaction to the person. With our DD she is the "sweet baby girl" on whom our daughter can dote. Cali will folllow Jenn from room to room when she is home, or just lie on a pillow in her room to keep her company when she is doing homework or on the phone, etc.
With DH, she does the rough and tumble thing, loves to wrestle & play tug.
When DS was younger, Cali would romp around his feet, tug on the bottom of his jeans or on his sneaker laces to get him to play with her.
With me, she greets me at the door and treats me like she's been missing me forever.
Like I said, she is really smart.

She is a great "alert" dog but was very easily trained to be quiet when told. She also will not bark when she is in her crate; it's her safe place.

I hope all of that helps.