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The West Highland White Terrier is a dog like no other.
He is an 80 pound German Shepherd, Golden retriever , Doberman Pinscher, Bloodhound and a Siberian
Husky tightly compressed into a 14-20 pound, solidly muscled body adorned with a fine white coat. He is a hunter of
fierce critters, yet as lovable as your heart can handle.
If you think he is not a formidable adversary for many
situations ------ think again! Westies have no comprehension of the word fear. They will take on the world in
an effort to protect what is theirs and those they love, yet be more than eager to curl-up on the bed joining you in an afternoon
nap.
Energy is surely not lacking in this mighty little dog. Be aware, when in an unfenced area, he will
require a leash but while on that leash, he'll show no hesitation joining you on a five mile hike or jog. Should you
pause during this outing to rest, he'll be looking around the area for something to do while he waits. It seems the
only time these dogs show tiredness is after the two of you are back home ----- then ----- Crash, he or she will be "out"
for an hour or two.
There was a survey taken several years ago by The American Kennel Club's "Gazette"
of men and the "Macho" breeds they tend to own. The top ten dogs included all of the "expected"
breeds with one notable exception, THE WEST HIGHLAND WHITE TERRIER.
Back in 1989, when I first met Joyce, she was,
even then, raising Westies. Being a man who likes a dog to be a DOG, and never had any use for little, whimpy,
yappy creatures. I thought, "oh boy" this could be a problem but I decided to enter the situation with an
open mind. Well, within a couple of weeks, her Westie stud dog (Jordy) was beside me in my work truck most of the
time. It didn't take me long to realize that a "Man's Dog" didn't need to take up 1/2 of the truck bed, only
about 2 square feet of the front seat while resting his head on my right thigh. Now, it did take awhile for my future wife,
Joyce, to come to terms with Jordy's transfer of affection. He had always bee strictly her dog. As time passed,
everything worked out fine and here we are 22 years later and still raising those GREAT LITTLE WESTIES.
Westies are endowed with exceptional intelligence. All through my younger years I had heard that dogs did
not have the ability to "reason". Reasoning, being the ability to see a situation or problem and find a way
to circumvent it or to outwardly devise a "trap" for a playmate. Well, during my latter years and my
many, many hours working with dogs has proved this to be completely false. Dogs do think-out situations and
adjust their efforts to solve problems. The Westie seems to do this even on a higher level then many of it's counterparts.
Sometimes nearing human "I. Q." of 130 + or more. We can't count the times one of them have completely
amazed us. We have stood shaking our heads in disbelief as to how one has done something or set a situation to totally
trick a playmate. They do it all the time.
Although Westies are tough, cute, smart, loyal, lovable and protective,
they are not for everyone. You'll need to be able to work with and accept what is termed "WESTITUDE".
The Westie's inherently strong and independent nature may not be suitable for some families. A home with young children,
who have no idea of how much "pressure" is too much or who thinks hitting is playing, will not be a situation where ANY
young puppy or smaller dog should be placed. Severe aggression by youngsters will surly met with Westie retaliation.
First may come a threatening grow and a showing of teeth. If this does not resolve the issue (and in the above
situation probably won't) a lightning fast strike to the offending hand or possibly the face will follow. The movements
of a Westie are swift. They were bread to be extremely quick in movement to avoid their prey's teeth. They had
to be able to handle critters such as sea otters, badgers and groundhogs in and around the sea cliffs and craggy areas of
the Scottish highlands. In the Westie's world, a mother will often use a swift "snap" to the puppies face declaring
the pup has pushed some issue too far and needs to be taught what is acceptable and what is not. The only way a
dog can state "enough is enough" is with a snap or bite. 98% of all facial dog bites are the result of a child
becoming to rough and hurting the puppy/dog. Not knowing the limits during play is the main cause of this problem.
Of course, this statement may not apply to the "guard dog type" that may have a nastiness built into
them.
Westies are one of the toughest small breeds and love to play rough, especially male puppies,
but have little tolerance for being injured themselves. Without realizing it, their extremely sharp "baby teeth"
can be quite damaging to our skin. When they bite too hard, many times a sharp tap on the nose with a finger will help
curtail this. It may take many slaps on the nose along with a sharp vocal reaction to teach the
needed lesson. You have to exert enough vocal and slap to say "that is not acceptable" but not so much to actually
cause severe pain or injury.
It would be best, when younger children are visiting,
for you to be directly involved with the introduction of the children and puppy/dog and after a short, closely watched meeting
of the two, your little friend Westie be placed into his containment crate or a secure room for his and the children's safe
keeping. Do not allow the children to play or tease through the crate door as this will do nothing but provoke the dog
and teach him to totally dislike small children. There have been and are many small dogs and even some big dogs "put-down"
or otherwise discarded because their owners were not properly informed in this area of care. You must remember, to a
puppy or small dog we humans are HUGE creatures that they depend on and want to love and please us with all
their being. In many cases they are "our children" and we must always be concerned with their well-being.
If, while any child is playing with you puppy/dog, you notice the dog is trying to hide behind or under a piece
of furniture or some other item, he is saying "I'm finished. I don't want to play anymore". All playing
needs to cease, if not , he will probably release a growl followed by the showing of teeth and if that doesn't obtain the
desired result (of leave me alone), a formidable snap, intended surely to cause pain, will probably follow.
One other thing to keep in mind is that terriers have a natural "Pry Drive". This is the urge
to chase anything that runs away and/or moves quickly and makes a lot of noise. This drive is super strong and almost
irresistible. Children, even older ones, creating this type of situation will surely be chased and possibly nipped by
any type of terrier. After all, they are hunters.
It is surely not our intention to turn you away from the
terrier breed. It is however, our duty as a responsible breeder to offer you the information you need to make an informed
choice to become the proud family of a fine West Highland White Terrier. They are truly one of a kind.
Yes, you will belong to him/her ---- not the other way around as you may think. Westies and children can and do
develop fantastic relationships, it's just that each party must learn and respect each other and their responsibilities. This
is inclusive of the Westie also. He/she must be taught what is and what is not, acceptable. We have
several families, with young children, who have our puppies and they are doing very well.
Properly
cared for Westies don't just love their people --- they fall in love with them.
The Westie is a natural leader
and dominant by nature. They expect to be in charge. In a grouping of various size dogs, if there is a terrier
or terrier-mix within its ranks, you will notice he/she is the one at the head of the pack. Adult Westies also
believe they should rule over you if you are not going to take the lead so ----- if your not going to be a strong, responsible
and consistent "alpha-pack leader", they will instinctively attempt to fill that role. You MUST be the ALPHA
of your pack. whether it consists of one dog or several. The "pack's" entire being MUST be controlled
by you. You determine when to eat, how much to be eaten, what is eaten and even to the point of if they eat at all.
Food is their main driving force and generally the most important thing in their lives. You totally
control the food -- ALPHA POSITION and you must demand their respect. This may sound somewhat harsh but setting you
in that dominant role brings to your dog that all important security of a strong leader. In a dog's world that is extremely
important. Without a strong leader, the pack could parish.
Westies are all and need all that is stated herein
but they also have a HUGE craving for uncompromisedaffection. They love to be considered "Daddy's Girl" or
Momma's Boy" or vise versa. The tightest bonding will generally accur with the one who shows the most stability,
demands the most, earns their respect, yet talks and treats him/her lovingly (as if talking to a human baby). You will
know when this bonding is developing because, you'll notice he/she lying at your feet under the table (if you allow this)
and showing other closeness directed much more toward one person than any other.
It takes a little work to maintain
your Alpha status. It demands daily reinforcement. Westies fully beleive in the old adage "Give me an inch
and I'll take a mile". If you lose consistency or give in to their cuteness, poor-pitiful look or wily ways which
break "pack rules", Westies WILL preempt your Alpha position. "Westitude" interprets your backing-down
as relinquishing your dominance to a stronger Alpha being ---- them. Signs of trying to take over your dominance
include "humping" your leg or whatever, forcefully growling at you, snapping or snarling at you or other "pushy"
ways to DISCIPLINE YOU for your dropping the reigns of power in the pack. When a terrier is allowed to become the pack
alpha, humans, as a group, are considered just another pack member who MUST conform to the NEW ALPHA'S rules. This is
not the position you want to be in. You need to be in charge and it is easy to accomplish. Being pack alpha should
NEVER mean being overbearing. Fairness, firmness and consistency enforcing your "Packs" rules is all it takes.
Inconsistency creates confusion --- confusion shows weakness in the leader.
Westies most of all want to
please their leader but being of high intelligence they become bored easily.
Example
While playing "fetch", you have taught you puppy to sit while you take the ball from
his mouth and prepare to throw it. After repetitions of this game he begins to get bored and begins to change the
"sit" to a "lay down". This may be a sign of being bored. Another may be, instead of placing
the ball in your hand as you have taught him, he drops it a foot from you and wants you to reach for it. When
you do, he quickly snatches it up and takes off with his head high in the air. Another may be dropping the toy
just out of your reach, and just standing there barking. What he is doing is saying "I'm bored with this same old game.
I'll teach you a couple of new versions". One thing you need to watch out for is that he doesn't trick you into
becoming submissive and you end up doing all the fetching. That would be Westie dominance. Variety is the spice
of life to a Westie. Westie = fun. All teaching (accept for pack rules) must be at least part fun and part oral
gratification (food/treats).
A note of caution: Be watchful of a child or even an adult carrying food
in their hand at a low level. If it comes into "Westie-reach", it may be snatched away along with some skin
from a few fingers. This should never happen to you or the other Alpha members due to your training but those who are
not in that status could be fair game. Training any dog not to touch freewheeling, available food can be accomplished
but it takes a lot of perseverance. Food is the highest motivator for any action you want to train your dog to do.
It has been said, Westies are constantly searching for food and can't be trusted but we find that difficult to agree with.
Yes, they will steel human food from a hand if made available but as for their REGULAR food --- we find over-eating
not to be a mjorproblem with most Westies. Note: I said MOST WESTIES! Not all.
A LITTLE ABOUT DOG FOOD
Corn based dog food (corn listed as the very first ingredient) with hardly any real meat
meal, consisting of mostly grains and meat flavor will surely cause a dog to go looking for some REAL FOOD. Dogs are
meat eaters. Horses, cows, chickens and such are grain eaters. Grains in smaller amounts are also good for dogs
but meat is the main thing. We have found a ration of high quality meat meal with rice fortified with vitamins and minerals
will keep just about any dog satisfied and healthy until his next scheduled feeding. The body knows "Junk calories"
(corn, wheat and soy) from wholesome food. At least animals other than humans do.
The little "Great
White Hunter" has intense instincts for hunting large and small vermin. When they lunge into critter pursuing mode
they are nearly incapable of hearing human commands. It may seem that they are totally ignoring all verbal efforts
when in reality, it's their overwhelming critter instincts that filter out everything except the chase of the critter.
For this reason, when in a strange/open areas and/or until you are sure he/she will obey you commands, you need to keep
your Westie on a leash and in a securely fenced yard. Allow a Westie to lay eyes on a squirrel darting through the park
grass or a neighbor's cat trotting over the lawn and "CRITTER MODE" kicks in and away goes your dog in high pursuit.
He may stop if he "trees" the critter or he may see another critter and the chase may be on again. Get the
idea? The same thing goes for challenging another dog --- sometimes dog fight. Sometimes just a stand off, while
other times a bunch of niceness all around. Just remember, that little white Westie thinks he is some 12
feet tall and weighs over 500 pounds. No animal, no matter the size, will scare him off. He needs you protection
--- from him/herself.
Most of the time Westies learn to get along fine with cats but both have to be willing.
The most difficult part is teaching the cat not to run. Running = chase. Chase = problems. Remember, Westies
get bored easily, especially as puppies (up to 12-15 months old). They really do much better and have less problems
if they have a playmate.
Inherent behavior can be modified within reason (the key word being
reason). If you wanted a big dog in a little body well then, why would you want to make a "woosiedog" out
of a Westie.
There is so much more you may wish to learn about the wounderful world of the "Little
Giant", the West Highland White Terrier and things which effect his/her world. I have written two other
pieces on Westies and as time allows I will be putting them on this website.
It is our aim to make available
to good and loving homes the finest of the West Highland breed that we can. Our puppies come with a full 5 year genetic
health warranty, lead training, partial potty training and a "puppy packet" containing a lead, collar, brush, puppy
shampoo so your new friend gets started on the right footing.
The most important thing to us, as a quality
breeder, is that our little white balls of joy find truly loving homes. We want you to know up-front, if we are not
truly convinced our puppies will be cared for with much love and under the proper conditions, we will rescind our offer of
placement/sale. The welfare of our puppies is pinnacle.
We hope this writing has helped make you more informed
and helped in you decision concerning becoming a proud parent of one of the finest little dogs in the world.
Please, email or phone us should you have any question not covered herein (I couldn't cover everything here).
We
are always here to assist you in any way possible,
Rodger Morales
La Terra Dios Westie Ranch
194
La Terra Dr.
Clark Fork, Id. 83811
(208) 266-1586
ALL PHOTOS AND TEXT
UNDER COPYWRITE BY RODGER MORALES MARCH 2007, 2011. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
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