Standard Schnauzer vs West Highland White Terrier
Side by side
Standard Schnauzer
West Highland White Terrier
Adult weight
14–20 kg (31–44 lb)1
Males 8.3–11.9 kg (18–26 lb); females 7.4–10.6 kg (16–23 lb) (measured in UK vet records, n = 6,605, mean ±1 SD)2
Shedding
Holds loose hair until it is brushed or clipped out
Grooming
A brush once a week
Exercise
A moderate amount
Health
No sourced figure
Class
Watchdog
Companion
Which suits you
Size
The Standard Schnauzer is much larger: about 17 kg (37 lb) as an adult, against 9.6 kg (21 lb) for the West Highland White Terrier.
Temperament
They differ most on independence (Standard Schnauzer: cooperative, with its own ideas; West Highland White Terrier: decides for itself) and on loyalty (Standard Schnauzer: sticks close to its people; West Highland White Terrier: bonded to its family).
Neither is the better dog in general. Which suits you depends on your home, your days and the care you can give.
What they're like
Standard Schnauzer
Pinschers & molossoids · Medium
The breed is alert, intelligent and energetic, with a strong instinct to guard home and family. It tends to be reserved with strangers but devoted to its own people.
West Highland White Terrier
Terriers · Small
In character the breed is confident, alert and cheerful, with the independence and persistence of a working terrier and a strong urge to dig and chase.
Breed traits
Day to day
Standard Schnauzer
West Highland White Terrier
Activity
Differs
Needs lots of exercise
A good daily walk and play
Intelligence
Differs
Needs daily brain work
Learns readily, likes games
Handler demand
Differs
Needs an experienced owner
Needs steady training
With people
Standard Schnauzer
West Highland White Terrier
Affection
Affectionate on its own terms
Affectionate on its own terms
Loyalty
Differs
Sticks close to its people
Bonded to its family
Independence
Differs
Cooperative, with its own ideas
Decides for itself
Around the home
Standard Schnauzer
West Highland White Terrier
Sensitivity
Differs
Average
Hardy, takes a busy home in its stride
Voice
Differs
Barks to alert, then settles
Very vocal
Prey drive
Differs
Chases; needs managing
Likely to chase small pets
Puppy growth
Reference curves · both sexes
Summary
Detail
The Standard Schnauzer grows to the heavier adult, about 17 kg against the West Highland White Terrier's 9.7 kg.
Standard Schnauzer
West Highland White Terrier
More comparisons
Compare the Standard Schnauzer with
Sources
- 1
- 2VetCompass UK. Primary-care veterinary records. ↑
- 3
- 4Hawthorne et al., 2004. Body-weight changes during growth in puppies of different breeds. Journal of Nutrition 134(8 Suppl): 2027S–2030S (WALTHAM). ↑
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8Morrill et al., 2022. Ancestry-inclusive dog genomics challenges popular breed stereotypes. Science 376: eabk0639 (Darwin's Ark). ↑
- 9Dogs Trust. Finding a good, responsible breeder. ↑
- 10American Kennel Club. Screening puppy buyers: how top breeders find the best homes. ↑
- 11
Parts of this page were written by AI ·