West Highland White Terriers

[TwingleMum]

Hi. I'm researching West Highland White terriers. I've always loved them and I'm thinking of getting one. I wanted to talk to people who have/had a Westie. I have 3 boys (6,6,9) I have had dogs my whole life. I usually have had big dogs ~ multiple German Shepards & Alaskan Malamutes. I don't want a mix nor will I buy from a puppy mill. Any Westie owners??? I have a little over 2 acres fenced.

 

[java]

I don't own one. But we almost did.
We researched and then changed our mind.
Our biggest concern was -
Westies generally fixate on ONE person in the family. (I was afraid that one person wouldn't be my daughter and she would be crushed)
my young boys might be too rough on the dog.
The bark . A LOT!

My neighbor ended up getting one right around the time we were thinking about it- and that dog barks from sun up to sun down.

But they are adorable. Good luck with your decision.
By the way we ended up with a French Bulldog- a sturdy muscle of a 20 pound dog. She can be a lap dog. Or a crazy run around if the boys want to play.

 

[sunshine1178]

I don't own one. But we almost did.
We researched and then changed our mind.
Our biggest concern was -
Westies generally fixate on ONE person in the family. (I was afraid that one person wouldn't be my daughter and she would be crushed)
my young boys might be too rough on the dog.
The bark . A LOT!

My neighbor ended up getting one right around the time we were thinking about it- and that dog barks from sun up to sun down.

But they are adorable. Good luck with your decision.
By the way we ended up with a French Bulldog- a sturdy muscle of a 20 pound dog. She can be a lap dog. Or a crazy run around if the boys want to play.

My DSD got one for her 13th birthday. The dog is almost two now. She barks non-stop. She is always filthy. She is sweet and affectionate, but not the low maintenance dog we had hoped for.

 

[yoopermom]

As with any breed, find a reputable breeder and ask to come and visit with all ages of dogs of that breed that they have in their home. WWT are TERRIERS first and foremost, and terriers bark/dig/get dirty/are high energy/etc because they are, well, terriers.

Among terriers there are some that are "softer" and some that are "harder". I'm no expert, but I know from dog training that Airedales, for example, are softer, aka less terrier-ish. My mom has always had Wheaten Terriers, and they are midrange, the males, if neutered, are calmer, whereas the females tend to be more alpha.

So just investigate, and don't go by how pretty they look when they're show ready!

Good luck!
Terri

 

[meliss8599]

My aunt had one that, totally unprovoked, bit my daughter in the face. He had bitten my cousin before and snapped at others. It wasn't a common thing for him but when he snapped it was really unexpected.

Agree w/a previous poster about their cleanliness. B/c they're white, unless kept impeccably cleaned and bathed/groomed often, they smell and looked dirty. Their longer fur gets wet from being outside and just plain gets a smell.

Sorry, not a fan of the Westie; however, all Westie owners seem to love their tenacity.

 

[FayeW]

We have two Westies. Our oldest (Suzy) was such a perfect dog we decided that the only thing better than one Westie would be two Westies, and we got the puppy (Heidi) last January.

Heidi was much more challenging than Suzy, but now at a year and a half old she is really settling down. Both of them are more attached to me, but that is because I am home most often with them and do most of the training. They love all of the members of the family and make a fuss over each one whenever somebody comes home.

They are very intelligent and highly trainable. They are barkers...Suzy barks outside and Heidi barks at the television. or neighbours outside. We solved that problem COMPLETELY about three weeks ago when we purchase the anti-barking collars that spray citronella when they bark. It was astonishing how quickly and how well these collars worked to modify the behaviour.

Our kids were 7 and 9 when we got Suzy, so your kids are a good age for a puppy. The important thing is to teach the kids to respect the dog's personal space. Puppies explore their world by using their mouths and sometimes they will nip. They will also nip when kids are too rough with them and not respecting their boundaries. The kids will need to be trained along with the dog.

Westies are sturdy, hardy little dogs. They are delightful pets.

 

[5lilfish]

We have a Westie and he is a wonderful dog. Tucker is 4 yrs old. We have 5 kids...12, 11, 10, 2 and 2 (twins). Tuck barks when someone comes over but generally calms down quickly. He does bark at pretty much everything when he is outside so we choose to walk him instead of just hooking him out. He is a little more attached to me (I trained/fed him during his early days while the rest of the family was at work/school)...but he is not a one-person dog. If I am sitting on the couch he will often choose to lie with me, but he is very happy to lie next to my husband and/or the kids if they want to pet him. He puts up with a lot from my 2 yr olds. He has growled a few times. I can't blame him from being frustrated by the twins but I had no problem putting him in his place when he did growl and it's never become a problem. As for getting dirty...he is a small white dog. Of course he will get dirty. If we put him in the crate with a towel, most of his dirt ends up on the towel and he comes out fairly clean. We do not bathe him very often.

We know many people that love their Westie so much that they ended up having 2 Westies. If I didn't have 5 kids, I would consider getting a 2nd Westie...and I am not really a dog/pet person.

Jess

 

[Rock it Dog]

We unexpectedly adopted a Westie last year, when a family member asked if we'd be available to foster a small dog that needed a home. We didn't know the breed of the dog that needed the home but agreed to keep him until a suitable home was found. A few nights later he arrived at our home and immediately stole our hearts. I will say, judging from what many others seem to experience with their Westies, our little guy seems to have a somewhat different temperament than what must be the norm for the breed. In coming here, he had to integrate into a home that already had four very high energy, rat terriers, one of which is a heck on wheels diva and little Westie boy blended into the pack with the calmest, sweetest, most submissive personality I have personally EVER seen in a dog. I do have to wonder whether his history (neglect) may have something to do with that though. He is a cuddle baby. Loves to be held, (falls asleep in my arms when I carry him around) rocked, cuddled. Rarely barks. The only thing that sets him off is when "the Princess" decides the pack should bark. I will say it is a job and a half to keep him clean. He loves loves LOVES to dig and sometimes comes in absolutely covered in mud. The fact that they're so close to the ground seems to contribute to the collection of leaves and muck that gather round him. He's like little Pigpen from Peanuts!

All in all he's a very loving, sweet hearted, rather stubborn, mud adoring, slightly spacey, short legged little angel. We call him our cartoon dog. You just can't help but smile when you look at the fuzzy little face asleep on the couch, stubby little legs poking out from under the blanket, tongue out, fast asleep. He is priceless!

 

[TwingleMum]

Thanks for all the honest responses and food for thought. I'm not sure what puppy I'll ultimately decide on but I appreciate hearing from someone who owns one.

 

[Patricia]

Our beloved Westie, Minnie, died last year at 13 years of age. She was by far the best dog I have ever owned (shhhhh don't tell the Maltipoo on my lap). We got her as a young puppy when my kids were 9, 5, and newborn. I cannot say that she was loyal to any one of us, but she did prefer me, but I was the one who took care of her all the time. She was NOT a barker at all, but I have heard that from others about their Westie. That can be trained out in many ways though. The only thing that she did which I would categorize as annoying was when she was a puppy, she did like to dig. I solved that by following her outside for a few days and just saying " NO" each time she dug. She was bright, easily trained, and never chewed. I miss her still. Good Luck! In case you are wondering, I was not going to get another dog. My oldest, now 24, bought this Maltipoo... she is adorable and loving... but much tougher to train. Likes to dig too!

 

[ladycollector]

I haven't owned one, but I will say do not rely on the "characteristics" of the breed to totally make your decision. Look at the individual dogs personality that you are interested in and what type of dogs the breeder breeds (if you go that route.)

I say this because I was never a huge chihuahua fan because it seemed like they were always nippy, nervous, and yappy. Well, the little guy in my siggy is a long-hair chihuahua and he loves EVERYONE , is scared of nothing, and doesn't bark. He is SO much fun and such a sweetheart. He also potty trained himself (another trait they say is hard with chihuahuas- training).

So if you're really set on a westie I would just go see individual dogs and see if any of them have personalities that would fit your lifestyle.

 

[legalsea]

I had a Westie for 14 years. I was told by my vet that they get along well with other dogs (that he did: I got him to be a companion for my golden retreiver since I was gone during the day and they became inseparable friends) as well as children (lots of small children around me at that time).

He rarely barked (I think influenced by how quiet the golden was). When I married he readily became attached to my wife. When the golden died and we adopted a stray the Westie quickly became friends with the new dog.

Simply a magnificent dog (he died a few years ago). Tough as can be. Loving, loyal, playful. I say go for it.

 

[Rock it Dog]

I have to second what legalsea said about them getting along with other dogs. I've actually never seen anything like it. Our little Westie somehow managed to integrate in with the our four little rats and within just a few short days it was as though he'd been with them forever. They played like old friends almost immediately. Frankly I've never seen a new dog charm his way into a pack that quickly. We have a mama with her three adult babies and mama seemed to almost adopt him as one of her own. We noticed after just a day or two, she was protecting him... scolding the others if they got too rough with him during play time. Of course he was the instigator of the play in the first place which also seems to be typical Westie behavior. Even Mama dog's baby girl, "Princess I Rule the World" plays and sleeps with him. Her accepting another dog was something I'd always loudly proclaimed would never in a million years happen but this Westie charmed them all. I would take another in a heartbeat.

I love my little rat girl diva, but thankfully she can't read this because... shhhh....frankly her little adopted brother is the best dog we've ever had.