All Dog Breeds >>Appearance of West Highland White Terrier
Commonly, Westies have bright, deep-set eyes that are dark in color. Their ears are small, pointed, and erect. 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). They also have deep chests, muscular limbs, a huge skull, a large black nose, a short and a closely fitted jaw with "scissors" bite (lower canines locked in front of upper canines, upper incisors locked over lower incisors).
Their teeth generally appear quite large for the size of the dog. Westies have a very strong bone structure for their size. They have a soft, dense, thick undercoat and a rough outer coat, about 2 inches long, that requires regular grooming. Some Westies have "wheaten tippings" on their backs, though for individuals put forward for conformation showing this can be regarded as undesirable.
Also, some Westies do not have a top coarse coat, and just a second silky coat. This breed is a non-shedding dog. As they develop into adults, their thinner "puppy coat" is normally removed by either 'hand-stripping' or otherwise clipping.
West Highland White Terrier Training
The West Highland White Terrier is moderately easy to train. He learns new commands at the average rate. He is neither difficult nor easy to train.
West Highland White Terrier Shedding
The West Highland White Terrier sheds practically no hair at all. You'll virtually never find a hair in your home!
West Highland White Terrier Grooming
Pet coat (less work): Cut his coat short every few months and then it only needs to be brushed every so often.
Show coat (more work): Professionally groom his coat to the breed standard. Brush it daily.