West Highland White Terrier

Westie is another name given for the West Highland white terrier. These dogs are sturdy built, but small in size. They have a round face. They have a tapering muzzle. It is blunt and it’s roughly shorter than the skull. They have a black nose. The teeth setup on these dogs is of scissor type. They have eyes that are dark brown in color. They are set deep into the skull and they are shaped like almonds. They have ears that are placed on top of the head. It stands erect because of the triangular shape.

The West Highland White Terriers have small legs. Their tails are undocked. It is roughly around 5 inches (12.5 cm) to 6 inches (15 cm) in length. Their tails are less thick at the edges than at the base. The West Highland white terrier has a double coat. The outer coat is hard and straight and around 5cm (2 inches) in length. The undercoat in these dogs is dense and soft. The most occurring coat color is white. These dogs have an average life expectancy of 15 years. But many of the West Highland White Terriers do end up living longer.

The West Highland White Terriers stand tall at approximately around 10 inches (25 cm) to 12 inches (30 cm) for a fully grown adult. The bitches stand tall at approximately around 9 inches (23 cm) to 11 inches (28 cm). For a West Highland white terrier on a healthy diet accompanied by a decent amount of everyday exercise, they weigh in at around 15 pounds (7 kg) to 22 pounds (10 kg). Their female counter parts weigh in at around 13 pounds (6 kg) to 16 pounds (7 kg). These dogs do face skin problems because of their long dense coat that is hard to maintain.

The West Highland White Terriers also are prone to jawbone calcification, hip problems, Legg-Perthes disease, liver disease and chronic hernias. These dogs adapt very well to city and apartment life. Yard or no yard, it doesn’t matter to them. These dogs are very active indoors. They can do well without a yard, as them make up for all the action indoors itself. They don’t need a lot of daily exercise. They will be more than happy and content with a daily walk down the street or in the park. That said, these dogs also adjust well to open country.

The double coat on the West Highland white terrier is easy to groom and maintain. Its coat is straight and harsh at the same time. They don’t shed much of hair, even if they do; it is al the most minimalistic level. These dogs don’t need weekly baths. But these will require brushing their coats once in three days. They will also require a hair trim around their ears. If you would like to do it yourself, it is very advisable to use blunt nosed scissors and not the general ones with a sharp nose.