West Highland White Terriers, commonly known as Westies, are a breed of dog known for their distinctive white coat. Originating in Scotland, the breed was used to seek and dig out foxes and badgers. This breed is commonly recognised through its use as a mascot for Black & White (a brand of Scotch whisky), Cesar brand dog food, and various other logos.
A male typically weighs between 15 and 20 pounds (6.8 and 9.1 kg) and a female between 13 and 16 pounds (5.9 and 7.3 kg). average height is 9 to 11 inches (23 to 28 cm) at the withers. The Kennel Club has recommended that their tails, typically "carrot-shaped", should never be docked hence the tail should be between 5–6 inches (13–15 cm).
West Highland White Terriers are game and hardy little terriers, which are easy to train. They are fairly friendly toward strangers and get along well with children. They are lively and extremely self-assured toward other dogs, but will not pick fights with other dogs, if their owners know how to display proper leadership. They may chase a cat for fun, and need to be corrected if they do attempt this. Robust, friendly, cocky and spunky. Westies just love companionship.
Despite its size, they make a very good watchdog. These little dogs are easy to travel with. The Westie likes to dig and bark. If a Westie is allowed to become the pack leader, they may snap when irritated and be combative with other dogs. A lack of leadership on the owners part can cause many behavior problems, such as biting, guarding food and furniture.
A Westie who has an owner who knows how to display firm, confident, consistent, leadership will not experience these behavioral problems. These problems can be corrected once the owner becomes the dogs true pack leader. Do not allow the Westie to develop Small Dog Syndrome.
As with most other dogs, westies generally require around thirteen hours of sleep per day. In order to accrue their needed sleep, westies will usually follow the sleep patterns of their human companions and also take several naps during the day.
Craniomandibular osteopathy
Westie puppies may be affected by craniomandibular osteopathy, a disease also known "lion jaw". (The disease is an autosomal recessive condition and so a puppy can only be affected by it if both its parents are carriers of the faulty gene.) With this disease, the only current way to identify carrier breeding stock is if an affected puppy is produced. Therefore, breeders may be unaware that breeding stock are carriers until an affected puppy is born. Craniomandibular osteopathy is a non-neoplastic proliferative disease of the ventral mandibular ramus, occipital base of the skull and tympanic bullae, characterised by excessive bone deposition in these areas. In most incidences, the defect is bilateral, although this is not always the case. The disease varies in severity, the region(s) affected and the individual pain threshold of the affected puppy. Definitive diagnosis is achieved by radiographic examination.
Craniomandibular osteopathy is extremely painful to the puppy. Affected puppies will most likely display signs of pain or discomfort, such as yelping, when their head is touched and when chewing or eating. The puppy may be lethargic and be reluctant to eat as a result.
The condition usually manifests when the puppy is around 3–6 months of age, and regresses spontaneously around 12 months of age. Treatment of the disease is concerned with managing the symptoms and providing appropriate analgesia to improve quality of life and enable the puppy to eat until the disease resolves spontaneously. Corticosteroids are the usual therapeutic agents used to manage the disease. The exact treatment protocol depends on the severity, localisation and pain sensitivity of the affected puppy. In extreme cases, euthanasia may be required.
