West Highland Terrier

The West Highland Terrier is more commonly called Westies and it is a Scottish breed of terrier. They are best known for their distinctive white coats. Westies have small, erect pointed ears and bright dark deep set eyes topped off with a small black nose. They have a very strong bone structure for a terrier of their size.

West Highland Terrier - One of the Smaller Terrier Breeds

One of the more smaller breeds of terrier, The West Highland Terrier weigh in around 15 and 20 pounds (6.8 and 9.1 kg) for males and 13 and 16 pounds (5.9 and 7.3 kg) for females. Their height averages between 9 to 11 inches (23 to 28 cm).

Westies are almost completely non-shedding, but require regular grooming so you must be ready to spend the effort and time for it; they have a soft dense undercoat and a rough outer coat that’s about 2 inches long. This breed of terrier requires frequent brushings to keep the oils in their coat well distributed and clean.

The West Highland Terrier are a more sensitive breed where bathing them too much will result in skin irritation; they are more prone to allergies and dry skin issues as well. Using baby oriented, soft skin or detergent free shampoo when bathing Westies will also help keep their skin hydrated. They should be groomed at minimal every 2 months and, as needed, bathed and brushed between grooming. Visit our sister site to learn more about Grooming a West Highland Terrier.

West Highland Terrier – A Highly Adaptable Breed

You should seperate them from other dogs when possible because West Highland Terrier are highly accepting of other people and animals but are known to be scrappy with other dogs. This breed is highly adaptable to most living situations but require plenty of exercise since they are a high energy dog type. The average lifespan of a West Highland white terrier is up 11-14 years and sometimes longer.