West highland white terrier (westie)

As hinted from the name, the west highland white terrier is a dog breed descending from the west highlands in Scotland. These friendly terriers have been popular in the US for over a hundred years and it's understandable considering their cute soft exterior and their charismatic personality.

Average lifespann: 12 - 17 years

Height: 25–28 cm or 9.8–11.0 inches

Weight: 6.8–9.1 kg or 15–20 lbs

Looks and characteristics:
Westies have dark colored, dep-set eyes, pointy ears and a thick, carrot-shaped tail. Their snow white wired-coated fur is double-coated and can grow to around 2 inches (5.1 cm) long. The double coat fills out its face making the face appear rounded

Colors: White

History and origins
The terriers of scotland; Cairn, Skye, Scottish, and Dandie Dinmont and the Westie are all part of the same family tree, as they are all descendants of the Highland terrier.

An occuring fault when hunting was misstaking the dog as prey and shooting it. Though white terriers had previously been seen as weak and culled, people began to realize the benefit of having a white hunting dog as it would not be as easily confused. After being bred from the Poltalloch terriers, used as earthdogs, they gained traction and was picked up by others. The first breed club was set up in 1904 and not long after in 1907–1908 America started importing the breed

Temparement
Westies are described as "highly social and is the most friendly and jolly of all the Scottish breeds of terriers." It can vary how tolerating they are of children and they have a strong will. This makes them stubborn dog, as is typical of many terriers, and with their history of hunting small game it's no surprise that they possess a great prey drive. As all earth-working dogs, westies possess great courage and loyalty. Though these stubborn dogs may be harder to train, with patience, it makes it all worth it in the end as you'll end up with a loving and loyal friend

Health

The Westie are considered an overall heatlthy breed though it has genetic predispositions to some skin problems, as well as something refered to as "westie jaw". Good breeders will always screen their dogs and make sure to try to always produce healthy offsprings.

The recommended Health Tests From the National Breed Club are:

• Patella Evaluation
• Hip Evaluation
• Ophthalmologist Evaluation