West Highland White Terrier

Originating in the 19th century, it is a pure white terrier from the western Highlands of Scotland. Somewhat fox-like in appearance with a long snout it is said that all Scottish Terriers were inherited from a common ancestor before being distributed throughout the UK. The West Highland was originally used for hunting otters, foxes and rats.

In the 19th century, Colonel Malcolm, who had been breeding in the village of Portorroch for over 60 years in the territory of the Duke of Argyll's Danbartonshire, a famous breeder, mated with the white coated breed to fix the look we know today. That's why the West Highland was once called the Podoloc Terrier.

Faithful, cheerful and accustomed to apartment life, the West Highland White Terrier is a delightful companion for every member of the family and makes a great companion dog. The West Highland is small in size, but strong and compact with plenty of bone and good body balance. Viewed from the front, it shows a rounded appearance. It is in harmony with the proportions of the body. Expression is full of curiosity and looks lively. The ideal body size is around 10-11 inches high at the shoulder.

Their eyes are medium in size, separated by a wide distance between the eyes, almond-shaped, dark brown, deep in position, and look alert and intelligent. The eye ring is black. The ears are small and erect, located at the edges of the head on both sides, with pointed tips. The nose is large and black.

The neck is well muscled; the back line is flat and horizontal both when standing and walking; the body is compact and strong; the loin is short, wide and strong; the front legs are well muscled, thick-boned, relatively short, straight-legged and covered with thick, short, hard hair; the thighs are very well muscled.

The tail is relatively short and shaped like a carrot. When the dog is standing, the tail is erect and covered with hard hair, with no trimmed hairs. The tail root is positioned high so that the spine does not slope downward.

The coat is pure white, hard and straight. Therefore, it is necessary to take care of it regularly. The walking gait is free, straight, calm but strong. From the front, the retreats are not parallel to each other. The West Highland is mild, lively and active, able to run after its owner for a long time, with an active temperament and a strong self-confidence. And this dog likes to bark, but very often this happens when it is alone or after being affected by something. So you can take a toy to distract him, and if he still keeps barking, you should reprimand him loudly.

The fact that he likes to bark also means that he has enough energy, so you can let him do a lot of exercise to burn his energy, so that when he is tired, he will sleep on his own, so that he will not be bothered by his noise. The white coat makes it look beautiful, but it must be groomed every day to keep it looking good. Daily care is essential, so this dog is not recommended if you have a busy schedule.

It is a good idea to clean his ears and the soles of his feet as well as his coat. The coat of the West Highland is often prone to clumping, and it is easy to bring in dirt, so it is best to clean it from time to time and bathe it regularly, but not too often, because the coat still needs the protection of certain oils.

The West Highland has cataracts, hip dysplasia and other genetic diseases, and common diseases such as primary hyperalgesia, chronic hepatitis, deafness, keratitis and conjunctivitis. You can correspond to this symptom to feed reasonably to achieve the effect of prevention.