Description of the breed
Despite his miniature and touching appearance, the dog has a wayward character. He is jealous of his owner, does not tolerate children's pranks, and chases cats and other small pets.
Height – 25-28 cm, weight – 8-10 kg, life expectancy – 12-15 years. Westies are strongly built, have a deep chest and well-developed muscles. Their snow-white coat consists of hard, even hair and soft, thick undercoat. A healthy dog has even, strong jaws with a correct bite, dark eyes and white teeth.
Posted by INTERIOR DESIGNER ARTIST (@viktoriam_illustration) Apr 28, 2021 at 12:13 PDT
How to choose a puppy
It is better to buy West Highland White Terrier puppies from a kennel. There you can see the parents, choose the baby according to their character traits or the dictates of their heart. Specialists create a pedigree for each dog. It indicates the brand number, date of birth, parents' nicknames, and breeder's address. The dates of vaccinations and anthelmintic procedures are noted in the veterinary passport.
Another sensitive problem is cryptorchidism. In males of this breed, the testes descend into the scrotum at 7-9 months. Without this, the dog will not be able to leave offspring. In addition, it cannot be registered to participate in exhibitions.
When selling Westies, breeders give a receipt in which they undertake to return part of the amount if the testicles are not descended before the age of one year.
Dogs of the West Highland White Terrier breed are not suitable as pets for novice dog breeders, young mothers, busy people and elderly people. They require a lot of attention, time, and expense. The cost of such puppies is quite high.
- pet class (pets) – 20-25 thousand rubles.
- breed (suitable for breeding) – 30-35 thousand rubles.
- show class (for participation in exhibitions) – 40-50 thousand rubles.
You can find West Highland White Terrier puppies online at a more affordable price. But the purity of their breed and health status will remain in question.
Natural food
A balanced West Highland diet consists of varied, nutritious, tasty food. It should be based on the following products:
- Meat. The recommended share of the product is two thirds of the total amount of food. You should choose only lean varieties of red meat - beef, veal, lamb. Sometimes it is allowed to give beef liver. Sea fish without bones - no more than 2 times a week. You can feed soft bones to calves or lambs, which have a lot of cartilage and leftover meat on them. It is a good source of calcium. Bones are especially useful for puppies during the eruption of permanent teeth.
- Vegetables and fruits are given raw, after being grated. Fruits are cut into pieces.
- Fermented milk products with low fat content. The most useful are sour cream and low-fat cottage cheese.
- Among grain products, buckwheat and rice are better absorbed. Millet and pearl barley are the cause of flatulence.
The daily portion of meat for West Highland White Terrier puppies up to 6 months is calculated by multiplying 1 kg of the dog’s weight by 30-40 g of product. For adult animals it is equal to 3.5% of body weight.
With a natural type of nutrition, the dog’s diet must include vitamin and mineral complexes, fish oil, and calcium, provided specifically for animals of this breed. You can add them to Westie food only after consulting a veterinarian.
Prohibited foods
When drawing up a menu, it is necessary to take into account that food from the human table is not suitable for Westies. Smoked, salted, fried in large amounts of oil food is harmful to them. Moreover, you should not give your pets spoiled food or leftovers from a meal.
The diet of Westies who are prepared to participate in exhibitions must be worked out with special care. They are prohibited from foods containing large amounts of carotene: seaweed, carrots, beets. They disrupt the pigmentation of the coat, which leads to yellowing.
Salmon oil improves hair quality. The herbal product makes it silky and thick. This nutritional supplement is given to Westies before shows.
The diet should not include foods that are difficult to digest. This is fatty and smoked meat (in particular pork). Liver in large quantities is also not recommended.
Chicken meat, white bread, wheat, and peas can cause allergies. Nuts are very poorly digestible, and if stored improperly, they become poisonous.
Westies are not good for sweets, especially chocolate and raisins. Only puppies can consume whole milk without harm. Adult animals do not produce the lactase enzyme, causing their digestive system to lose the ability to break down milk fat.
Feeding rules
A strong jaw and correct bite allow West Highland White Terrier puppies to eat both natural products and commercial food.
Natural nutrition
For the first two months, the puppies are fed by the mother. But already in the fifth week, the breeder feeds the babies with fermented milk products. In a new home, owners should gradually introduce different foods. You need to give it one tablespoon at a time, and then monitor the dog for 12 hours.
The basis of the dog's diet is lean meat. Carbohydrates from rice, barley, and buckwheat porridge provide energy for games. To make the coat shine, it is necessary to add fats in the form of sunflower oil dressings. When changing teeth, the dog’s body requires calcium from fermented milk products. To strengthen the jaw and develop chewing muscles, the menu includes bones of a spongy structure without chips or sharp parts.
The following foods are contraindicated for dogs of the West Highland White Terrier breed:
- fat meat;
- legumes;
- citrus fruit;
- sausages, sweets.
After reaching six months of age, many puppies become lactose intolerant. Therefore, milk is completely removed from their diet.
Industrial feed
Westie puppies should eat only premium and super premium food. You can determine the quality of canned food, pates and granules according to the instructions on the packaging. In their composition, meat is written first in a ratio of 30-50%. If by-products, cellulose, sugar, dyes are indicated, refuse such a purchase.
The products of any quality company are divided into categories. For West Highland White Terriers, food “for small dogs” is suitable. It is formulated taking into account the accelerated metabolism of dogs and the need for carbohydrates for energy. They calculate the daily dose of vitamins and microelements.
A separate diet has been developed for puppies, pregnant bitches, elderly and weakened animals.
Reviews
Svetlana Lukhishina, 19 years old, Krasnodar
My parents have a small apartment, so for a long time they refused to let me get a cat or a dog. I presented them with a fait accompli when I brought home in a basket a cute West Highland White Terrier dog, which a friend ordered for me after contacting the breeder. Mom and Dad liked the snow-white fluffy dog with cheerful and devoted eyes so much that they allowed her to stay. So Kitik settled with us.
I don’t know whether he has a pedigree or not, who his parents were - I took him practically for nothing, for the soul, and not for participation in exhibitions. Now Kitik is 1 year and 3 months old, and he has not changed much during all this time and remains the same small. They say that with age these dogs do not gain much in height and weight - this is exactly what I was counting on. I set up a corner in the kitchen for Kitik, where he eats and sometimes sleeps. I don’t feel any hassle in caring for him at all – the dog is clean. Sometimes you have to wash it only because dirty spots quickly become visible on the white fur. Otherwise, I do not feel any difficulties in handling. My dog has become the most important joy in my life!
Dmitry Konstantinovich, 46 years old, Saratov
My daughter always really wanted to have a dog, but I forbade her because it is endless wool. Before that, we had a Staffordshire Terrier, but it was a truly “masculine” dog, so I took my daughter a West Highland White, also a terrier breed. This is a miniature white dog that takes up little space, plays a lot and constantly asks for attention. Not an hour goes by without her running up to me asking for a pet or a walk. Our girl Tosya is very small, she is now in her fourth month, and we are already faced with nutritional problems. The breeder explained to us that for the first 30 days of Tosya’s life, Tosya was fed exclusively by her mother, then we were presented with a list of products that were given with the bitch’s milk. We tried to stick to it, making changes gradually, but if Tosya's stomach didn't like something, she would immediately have diarrhea. Now this problem has ceased to bother us, but then it was a real torment!
Ekaterina Denisovna, 56 years old, Astana
I have never been a big fan of small dogs, because I believed that dogs should, first of all, protect the house. But when Vestika gave me children a year ago, this stereotype was destined to be eradicated, because I loved my little dog with all my soul and heart. The West Highland White Terrier breed is very difficult to care for, because you constantly have to monitor the condition of the coat and feed it correctly, otherwise large red spots may appear. In addition, if someone is sleeping in the house, Vestika will never sit still, and he will run around and make noise until he makes him wake up. These are, perhaps, all the most difficult moments, but otherwise these dogs are the sweetest creatures who, although small in stature, have a big loving heart.
Characteristic diseases
Highlands have good health and strong immunity. However, their body is predisposed to allergic reactions. Problems can be caused by plant pollen, dust winds, food dyes, and fruits. Insufficiently careful care of the coat leads to the appearance of dermatological diseases and sensitivity to insect bites. Hereditary diseases include:
- congenital deafness;
- diabetes;
- pulmonary fibrosis;
- cardiomyopathy;
- hip dysplasia.
Timely vaccination helps improve your pet's health. The first vaccination is given at 2 months, the second - after changing teeth. Further injections are given every 12 months annually throughout the dog’s life.
10 days before each procedure it is necessary to carry out deworming. Veterinarians recommend vaccinating Highlands a few weeks ahead of schedule, since in the last month their immunity is maximally weakened.
Education and training
West Highland White Terriers are very energetic and playful. They require daily walks. Moreover, walking on a leash is not enough for them. The owners need to find a park and let the dog frolic, run, and play with other pets. Dogs are brave and curious, but they rarely become the culprits of conflicts.
Posted by Bonnie (@fuzzywuzzyfluff) Apr 30, 2021 at 1:53 am PDT
During training, Highland puppies are initially disobedient and stubborn. But, if the owner gains the authority of the dog, it will follow all his orders. To speed up the educational process, it is necessary not to punish, but to interest the dog. He should receive encouragement and enjoy walking together.
Nutrition for adult dogs
A puppy's diet changes significantly as it grows. So, by 10 months he becomes a fully grown dog with a formed physique and jaw. It is important to pay attention to the dog’s gastronomic preferences and occasionally allow him to enjoy the delicacies that he has loved since the first months of his life. Adult dogs should not include whole milk, which can cause stomach upset.
Raw meat takes first place in the West Highland White Terrier's diet. Heart, kidneys, and stomachs should also be alternated with meat products, however, due to the high content of vitamin C in the liver, it should be offered to the dog in limited quantities. Sea fish of low-fat varieties should also periodically appear in the dog’s bowl. Twice a week you can give an egg: hard-boiled white and raw yolk. The West Highland White Terrier can be given any fruit except citrus fruits, which are too sweet and too sour. Cabbage, pumpkin, zucchini and greens are better digested if you add a tablespoon of unrefined oil to your food daily. Among dairy products, good digestion is ensured by cottage cheese, yogurt, feta cheese, sour cream and kefir.
