Description:
The West Highland White Terrier is a small well-balanced hardy looking terrier, exhibiting good showmanship. He is an elegant looking with a beautiful, shiny white coat and bright, button eyes, shaggy eyebrows and a black nose. He is an intelligent dog who learns quickly. He loves human companionship and will play with his family indoors or out. His size makes him great for an apartment but he is just as home in the country. A great companion for children of all ages. He is one of the most popular breed of dogs today. He ranks the highest among terriers as a hunter of small animals.

Other Names:
Poltalloch Terrier

Height:
10 - 11 inches

Weight:
15 - 22 lbs.

Colors:
All white

Coat:
Double coat, harsh straight, wiry outer coat and soft, close, furry undercoat.

Temperament:
Active, assertive, fun-loving, well-behaved, light-hearted

With Children:
Yes, make excellent playmates for children because they can withstand rough play.

With Pets: Yes, but teach them when they are young to tolerate cats.

Special Skills:
Family Pet

Watch-dog:
High

Guard-dog:
Low

Care and Training:
He is easy to train and should have basic training. Needs regular brushing two to three times a week to help keep his white coat clean. Monthly bathing. Minimal trimming if he is just a pet. If you plan to show him he will also need trimming, plucking and stripping of the coat.

Learning Rate:
High, Obedience - High,

Problem Solving - Very High

Activity:
Indoor & Outdoor - Very High

Living Environment:
At home in the country or the city he will do well as an apartment dweller if he is walked several times a day though he will always enjoy having the freedom to play in a yard. He does best with human or canine companionship.

Health Issues:
Healthy and robust. Some problems with skin allergies, patella luxation, hernias and cranio mandibular osteopathy (lion jaw), deafness and congenital heart disease.

Life Span:
15 + Years

Litter Size:
2 - 5

Country of Origin:
Scotland

History:
How the Westie came to be selectively bred for his white coat is an interesting legend. The short-legged terriers of Scotland are now recognized as the Scottish, Skye, Cairn, Dandie Dinmont, and West Highland White Terriers.

All undoubtedly descend from the same roots. All of these dogs were valued as intrepid hunters of small game. Originally, their coat colors ranged from black to red to cream or white. Colonel Edward Donald Malcolm, of Poltalloch, Argyllshire, Scotland, is generally credited with breeding the white dogs true, although he took none of the credit unto himself. He had kept a pack of light colored working terriers for hunting.

As the legend goes, a reddish dog of his, emerging from cover, was mistakenly shot for a fox. Malcolm is said to have decided on the spot to breed only for white dogs that could be readily identified in the field.

The breed was listed officially as the West Highland White Terrier in 1907 at the Crufts dog show in England. The name was chosen for the rugged character of the dogs and the area of their development. The West Highland White Terrier Club of America was founded in 1909.

It is a member club of the American Kennel Club. The Clubs annual meetings and specialty shows are held in conjunction with the Montgomery County Kennel Club Show at Ambler, Pennsylvania in October. In addition, the club holds a national Roving Specialty Show each year with one of the regional clubs acting as host.

The Kennel Club Breed Standard

General Appearance
Strongly built; deep in chest and back ribs; level back and powerful quarters on muscular legs and exhibiting in a marked degree a great combination of strength and activity.

Characteristics
Small, active, game, hardy, possessed of no small amount of self-esteem with a varminty appearance.

Temperament
Alert, gay, courageous, self-reliant but friendly.

Head and Skull
Skull slightly domed; when handled across forehead presents a smooth contour. Tapering very slightly from skull at level of ears to eyes. Distance from occiput to eyes slightly greater than length of foreface.

Head thickly coated with hair, and carried at right angle or less, to axis of neck. Head not to be carried in extended position. Foreface gradually tapering from eye to muzzle. Distinct stop formed by heavy, bony ridges immediately above and slightly overhanging eye, and slight indentation between eyes. Foreface not dished nor falling away quickly below eyes, where it is well made up. Jaws strong and level. Nose black and fairly large, forming smooth contour with rest of muzzle. Nose not projecting forward.

Eyes
Set wide apart, medium in size, not full, as dark as possible. Slightly sunk in head, sharp and intelligent, which, looking from under heavy eyebrows, impart a piercing look. Light coloured eyes highly undesirable.

Ears
Small, erect and carried firmly, terminating in sharp point, set neither too wide nor too close. Hair short and smooth (velvety), should not be cut. Free from any fringe at top. Round-pointed, broad, large or thick ears or too heavily coated with hair most undesirable.

Mouth
As broad between canine teeth as is consistent with varminty expression required. Teeth large for large size of dog, with regular scissor bite, i.e. upper teeth closely overlapping lower teeth and set square to the jaws.

Neck
Sufficiently long to allow proper set on of head required, muscular and gradually thickening towards base allowing neck to merge into nicely sloping shoulders.

Forequarters
Shoulders sloping backwards. Shoulder blades broad and lying close to chest wall. Shoulder joint placed forward, elbows well in, allowing foreleg to move freely, parallel to axis of body. Forelegs short and muscular, straight and thickly covered with short, hard hair.

Body
Compact. Back level, loins broad and strong. Chest deep and ribs well arched in upper half presenting a flattish side appearance. Back ribs of considerable depth and distance from last rib of quarters as short as compatible with free movement of body.

Hindquarters
Strong, muscular and wide across top. Legs short, muscular and sinewy. Thighs very muscular and not too wide apart. Hocks bent and well set in under body so as to be fairly close to each other when standing or moving.

Hindquarters
Straight or weak hocks most undesirable.

Feet
Forefeet larger than hind, round, proportionate in size, strong, thickly padded and covered with short harsh hair. Hindfeet are smaller and thickly padded. Under surface of pads and all nails preferably black.

Tail
13-15 cms (5-6 ins) long, covered with harsh hair, no feathering, as straight as possible, carried jauntily, not gay or carried over back. A long tail undesirable, and on no account should tails be docked.

Gait/Movement
Free, straight and easy all round. In front, legs freely extended forward from shoulder. Hind movement free, strong and close. Stifle and hocks well flexed and hocks drawn under body giving drive. Stiff, stilted movement behind and cowhocks highly undesirable.

Coat
Double coated. Outer coat consists of harsh hair, about 5 cms (2 ins) long, free from any curl. Undercoat, which resembles fur, short, soft and close. Open coats most undesirable.

Colour
White.

Size
Height at withers approximately 28 cms (11 ins).

Faults
Any departure from the foregoing points should be considered a fault and the seriousness with which the fault should be regarded should be in exact proportion to its degree.

Note
Male animals should have two apparently normal testicles fully descended into the scrotum.