West Highland White Terrier

West Highland White Terrier: BREED BOX Country: Great Britain Size: 15-22lb(7-10kg), 10-11in(25-28cm) Temperament: Bright, friendly Grooming: Few brushes a week required Recognition: FCI, AKC, ANKC, CKC, KC(UK)

History - Maybe the most relaxed of the Terrier family, this completely white dog was first bred by a Scot, Colonel Malcolm, and was at first known as the Poltalloch Terrier after his estate. Colonel Malcolm is said to have been a keen hunter, and used Cairn terriers to flush foxes out of their holes. Because it was often difficult to distinguish between dog and fox, he bred them for white coat color. A photo taken in 1905 shows Colonel Malcolm in his old age, surrounded by the terriers he created, and in 1907 they were shown for the first time in an official dog show.

Appearance - This is a typical terrier, standing 10" to 11" at the shoulder, with a stocky, strong boned build. The small, rounded head is framed by a thick ruff of fur which is usually plucked and trimmed on the neck to emphasise it. The body is slightly shorter than the height, and is well covered by a double coat which is soft and fleecy underneath and straight haired and hard on the outer layer. The muzzle is of medium length and covered by quite long hair, so that the dog seems to be heavily mustached and bearded. Eyes are deep set and dark colored, ears are held erect and are almost hidden by the ruff. The tail is high set and upstanding, fairly short and quite lightly furred. Coat color is always pure white, and a long frill extends from the lower body, reaching almost to the ground. This coat is actually quite easy to keep clean, and if trimmed twice or three times a year and plucked twice a year, the dog will look wonderful with only a daily brushing.

Description - This is a self confident, happy natured dog which usually gets on well with children and other animals. As with all the terriers, it is inclined to dig, chase small animals and bark, but this is one of the less frenetic of its type. Training to obedience is not really successful because of this terriers independent nature.

Ideal Owners: Great as a family pet with school aged children.

Coat Color: White

Life Expectancy: 13-14 years

West Highland White Terrier Pictures

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West Highland White Terrier Reviews

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