West Highland White Terrier puppies

About the West Highland White Terrier

The West Highland White Terrier comes from the west of Scotland, bred from the same working terrier stock as the Cairn and the Scottish Terrier and kept white so that they could be told apart from their quarry underground. This is a small, sturdy terrier with a hard outer coat over a soft undercoat, pricked ears and a carrot shaped tail that was meant to be gripped. The character is bright, busy and self assured, friendly with people and entirely willing to take on a dog many times their size.

A Westie wants a daily walk and games rather than long distance work, and they should stay on lead or behind a fence because they will run after anything that moves. Daily brushing and combing, plus stripping or a clip every four to six weeks, keeps the coat in order, and bathing too often softens it. They sit at the top of the barking scale, so noise is worth planning for. Keep up the coat work, because a jacket left to go soft and cottony soon mats.

What to expect at eight weeks

At eight weeks a West Highland White Terrier puppy is sleeping around 18 to 20 hours a day, is not house trained, and cannot hold on for more than an hour or two at a stretch. A small breed puppy at eight weeks is light enough to carry everywhere, which is exactly how you get them socialised before the vaccination course finishes. They will still need four meals a day. This is a high energy breed. At eight weeks that shows up as intensity rather than stamina, and they will need a job to do long before they need long walks. Grooming needs are moderate, so build the brushing habit now while the coat is still short and easy. The socialisation window is open and closing: everything they meet calmly now, from vacuum cleaners to men in hats, is easier for the rest of their life.

Health worth knowing about

Conditions this breed is reported to be predisposed to. Predisposed does not mean inevitable, it means ask about it.

• Craniomandibular osteopathy, also called lion jaw, diagnosed by physical examination and x-ray
• Transitional cell carcinoma of the bladder, detected by tumour biopsy or the CADET BRAF mutation urine test
• Keratoconjunctivitis sicca (dry eye), diagnosed by clinical eye examination and tear production testing
• Patellar luxation, diagnosed by physical and orthopaedic examination
• Periodontal disease, detected at routine veterinary dental examination and treated by cleaning

Your West Highland White Terrier puppy's first six months

• Vaccination schedule, dated for your country.
• Worming and parasite schedule.
• Feeding calculator. Set expected adult size to Small for a West Highland White Terrier.
• Adult size predictor, to check growth against the 6.8 to 9.1 kg adult range.
• Puppy names and the first week checklist.

Kit sizes: crate 24 inch (24 x 18 x 20 in, 61 x 46 x 51 cm) for an adult of up to 9.1 kg; chew toys made for small breeds. Worked out the same way as the crate size calculator. PetMD bases a crate on the dog's own measurements, not weight or breed alone, so measure once the puppy is home.

Buying guides for this

• Best crate for a puppy: wire, plastic or soft, and how to size one with a divider

Other small breeds

More on the West Highland White Terrier

Previous: Welsh Terrier · Next: Westiepoo

Sources

• akc.org for adult weight and height, life expectancy, energy, grooming, shedding and the temperament ratings, coat type and health notes
• fci.be for country of origin
• Health notes from West Highland White Terrier breed information at https://www.akc.org/dog-breeds/west-highland-white-terrier/. Discuss any of these with your own vet.

Photo: Christopher Walker from Krakow, Poland, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons, cropped. All photographers are listed on the photo credits page.