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By about the 1700’s, the Isle of Skye and other highland areas in Scotland were already breeding lots of small terriers. Scottish breeds were separated into two types: the Skye terriers and the Dandie Dinmont terriers.

The Dandie Dinmonts were categorized as a solitary breed, whereas the Skyes were deemed to include the Scotties, the Cairns and the West Highland White Terriers also known as Westies.

West Highland White Terriers were hybrids of crossed Cairns, Scotties and Dandies terriers. These hybrids were reckoned to be good hunters and loyal. In fact, many members of the Scottish royal family owned terriers that were very much the same as the Westies of today.

One folktale concerns a Westie that stopped a mother from constantly yelling at her daughter. Each time the mother shouted at her teenage daughter, the Westie would attack the mother. The dog’s aggression got to such a level during the years that the mother gave up shouting at her daughter.

It turned out that the girl was stroking and rewarding the dog for his protection after every bawling out from her mother. lots of people would say that the daughter was able to help her mother to change her violent ways although she was also helping herself by rewarding the dog for its actions.

West Highland White Terriers can live in or outdoors, so are very flexible. They have a wiry coat of about two inches in thickness over a dense fur coat which is capable of keeping them warm. Westies are in essence small dogs of between 10 and 12 inches in height and 13 and 22 pounds in weight.

West Highland White Terriers like to excavate and bark, but they also like company. They like well-behaved children and they like to chase cats. They defend their property and territory vociferously.

As a breed, they can suffer some diseases such as: chronic skin issues, Perthe’s disease (hip problems), jawbone calcification, cranio-mandibular osteopathy (lion jaw), patella luxation, a disorder in the kneecap, liver ailments, deafness and congenital heart disease

However, there are steps that you can take to look after your Westie. For example, they ought to be brushed regularly using a brush with stiff bristles. You ought to bathe them only when necessary, but their whole coat ought to be shaved at least twice a year and trimmed each four months. The fur around the eyes and ears ought to be trimmed as well.

History shows that in 1620, King James 1 asked for some small white dogs from Argyleshire, Scotland. Colonel Malcolm, who was thought to be the creator of Poltalloch terriers, that are very much like the Westies of today, unintentionally shot his dark terrier. From then on he vowed to have only white terriers.

In the 19th Century, terriers that were very similar to the Westies were known as Roseneath terriers in honour of the Duke of Argyle’s interest and patronage of this breed. Roseneath was the name of his estate at Dumbartonshire.

In the first ever dog show, organized in the late 1800’s, the Westies were known as White Scottish Terriers. In 1904, they were reclassified as West Highland White Terriers.

During the mid-1900’s, breeders of the Cairns in Argyle picked white puppies from the stock and interbred them to obtain white Cairns. However, in 1917, the American Kennel Club ruled that Cairns could be listed if they have the Westies’ lineage.

Owen Jones, the author of this article, writes on a variety of topics, but is now concerned with the canine distemper vaccination. If you want to know more, please visit our website at Distemper Vaccines

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