Orlovia
The West Highland White Terrier has a friendly and balanced personality without being boring. He is very self-confident, courageous, and docile.
West Highland White Terrier Character
The West Highland Terrier is not aggressive towards other dogs, but rather friendly and confident. These typical character traits make this terrier so lovable. His well-balanced nature and willingness to play make the West Highland White Terrier the ideal family dog.
He loves to romp, to move and is an ideal playmate for children. He accompanies joggers effortlessly. But the Westie also lies quietly next to the desk when you have to work. With a shoulder height of 28 cm and a weight of 8-10 kg, the “Westie” is one of the small dog breeds. Those who live with him will find that the Westie is a “big” little dog.
He is robust, not susceptible to diseases, he wants to be stimulated and moved. His upbringing demands the same consistency as with a large dog because he has the stubborn head typical of terriers. He’s not a lap dog.
The West Highland White Terrier is one of 5 Scottish Terrier breeds:
- Scottish terrier
- cairn terrier
- Skye terrier
- Dandie Dinmont Terrier
These breeds were bred for hunting. It owes its existence to a hunting accident. Until then, the light-colored puppies in the Cairn Terrier litter were killed as they were considered unfit for hunting. Colonel Malcolm of Poltalloch shot his own dog, mistaking it for the color of the game he was hunting. He was so upset by this incident that he decided from now on to keep and hunt only the light-colored puppies in the Cairn Terrier litter. This eliminated the dark color from his Cairn Terrier breed for generations.
The white cairn terriers emerged, which were in no way inferior to their dark-haired relatives when it came to hunting. However, they had the advantage of being more clearly recognized in the dark and in bad weather due to their light color. Beginning of the 2o. At the end of the 19th century, the name West Highland White Terrier was decided upon and the breed was recognized. (1904 the Scottish Kennel Club and 1907 the English Kennel Club)
As a Westie owner, one should not underestimate that he still has the hunting requirements. The Westie has a double coat. The so-called undercoat warms it and a rough coat over it, which protects it from wet and cold since the undercoat does not get wet.
The topcoat may only be plucked (trimmed not cut), otherwise it loses its protection against wet and cold. If it is cut, the protective outer hair only forms again after about 1 year of trimming. Unfortunately, you often see shorn Westies in the street scene.