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About Westies
What is a Westie / The significance of the standard / Origins
/ Significant dates /
What is a Westie?
 "...Small, game, well-balanced hardy looking terrier...possessed with no small amount of self-esteem, strongly built...exhibiting in a marked degree a great combination of strength and activity." "Alert, gay, courageous and self-reliant, but friendly."
These words from the breed standard capture the very essence of a West Highland White Terrier, abbreviated fondly as Westie. Westies are rugged, strong-willed, determined, spirited dogs in a compact body. They are intelligent and clever sporting dogs. As pets they are devoted, loyal and light-hearted. They thrive on attention and make good watch dogs.
Westies are always white. They are about 11" tall at the withers (the high point on the back of a dog, located between the shoulder blades at the base of the neck). They should weigh no more than 20 pounds.
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What is the Significance of the Standard? Why is it Important?
 Man developed most purebred dogs for a specific purpose. Each these breeds required certain physical characteristics and temperaments to prepare it for its appointed tasks. For example, Westies were developed for hunting small game among rocks and boulders. Each part of his body as well as his temperament were important prerequisites for the Westie to do his work. It is this standard that serious breeders strive to maintain. They seek to breed for individuals that correctly resemble the Westie well equipped to do his work. For example, the long, thick coat of hair on the Westie's head gave protection to the eyes and face while the animal was in the quarry. The dog would also need self-assurance and strength to be an effective hunter ( Ruth Faherty, Westies from Head to Tail. Loveland, CO: Alpine Books, 1981, page 19).
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Origins of the Westie
 In the rocky countryside of the West Highlands of Scotland, small, short-legged terriers were needed for hunting small game such as otters, badgers, and foxes, which preyed on farm animals. The dogs had to be able to follow the animals into crevices, narrow passages, between rocks. Among the terriers of today, the Scottish Terrier, the Cairn Terrier and the Westie are closely related. In fact, Cairns and Westies are extremely similar to each other. A major distinction is that a Cairn can be any color but white.
In the mid-1800's, according to notable authors, the breed that developed into the Westie ranged in color from brown to red to wheat to cream or white. At this time, farmers and game keepers destroyed light-colored puppies because they were considered weak and inferior. Colonel Edward Malcolm, credited with breeding the white terriers, did not agree. He kept some of the light-colored dogs. These animals proved themselves to be quite able. They were preferable as hunters because they were easy to see in the fields. Malcolm's insight was recognized when a favorite reddish-brown dog , taken for a fox, was mistakenly shot.
Colonel Malcolm subsequently used his influence as the Laird of Poltalloch to promote the white terriers for hunting. As breeders came to see the white dogs' value as hunters, the dogs came to be preferred. In the early 1900's this breed became the standard, and it came to be known as White Poltallochs.
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A Few Significant Dates
The first show held for the breed was at Crufts (London) in 1907. The first AKC registration was in 1908. The name was officially changed to West Highland White Terrier on May 31, 1909, from the original registration as the Roseneath Terrier. In 1909, The West Highland White Terrier Club of America was founded.
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