The West Highland White [ Westie ] is a very popular breed of dog here at my clinic in Essex, many of my clients own them and they are great characters, bright, alert and friendly. The only downside to Westies is that they can be independent at times and inclined to do their own thing but this is a common terrier trait, they do not suffer fools gladly and so are probably unsuitable for families with very young children. This is of course a Scottish breed and they originated in the in the 1800s, some sources credit a Colonel Edward Donald Malcolm with developing this breed to the dog we recognise today. It is likely that another Scottish terrier the Cairn Terrier produced white pups from time to time and these became the building blocks of the West Highland White breed.They were bred to hunt otters, foxes and other small animals, their white colour was considered as asset as they would not be shot in mistake for foxes in the heat of the moment.
They are a robust and long lived breed but they tend to suffer from skin disease, mainly atopic dermatitis, I guess there is a genetic predisposition for this but the basic cause is an allergy, in days gone by atopic dermatitis in any breed of dog was referred to as West Highland White Dermatitis. Most small animal vets in the UK will spend a lot of time trying to combat this disease with varying degrees of success, and frankly sometimes it is impossible to resolve. I see them for other reasons as well, they can develop a hip disease called Legge-Perthes syndrome and the are magnets for penetrating grass seed injuries. These factors may look like reasons not buy a Westie as a pet but remember any vet you speak to can most likely reel off a list of diseases which any breed you may care to name is susceptible to.
So there we have it the Westie, rarely a cuddly dog they are certainly not lap dogs. However, they are extremely companionable, and want to be with you no matter what you are doing, you can take a Westie just about anywhere that dogs are allowed to go. They will bark to announce that a stranger is approaching and so make good guard dogs. They can be trained not to bark, or to bark once and then stop, although they announce strangers, they will also extremely friendly with everybody. Some breeders have told me that Westies need twelve hours sleep a day!
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