West Highland White Terrier

Cheerful and confident, with a strong urge to dig and chase.
A West Highland White Terrier
Photo: Christopher Walker from Krakow, Poland
Adult male
8.3–11.9 kg
18–26 lb
Adult female
7.4–10.6 kg
16–23 lb
Lifespan
13.4 yrs
Class · Companion
also Family

What it's like

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. It is also familiar from advertising: a Westie and a Scottish Terrier have long appeared together in the branding of Black & White Scotch whisky.

Day to day
Activity
A good daily walk and play
Intelligence
Learns readily, likes games
Handler demand
Needs steady training
With people
Affection
Affectionate on its own terms
Loyalty
Bonded to its family
Independence
Decides for itself
Around the home
Sensitivity
Hardy, takes a busy home in its stride
Voice
Very vocal
Prey drive
Likely to chase small pets
Breed explains only about 9% of how individual dogs differ in behaviour1. Meet the dog. A good breeder breeds for temperament as well as health, and matches each puppy's personality to the right home2,3.
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Living with one

Stripping out dead hair is the traditional way to keep a Westie's hard coat, but many pet owners have it clipped by a groomer every four to six weeks. Because the coat is hard, frequent bathing can harm it, and daily brushing and combing are important.

Size and growth

A West Highland White Terrier is a small dog, about the weight of a grown Pug. Males end up a little heavier than females.

Bred to go to ground after quarry in rocky country, the Westie is a compact, short-legged dog with a deep chest and muscular hindquarters. Its double coat pairs a harsh white outer layer with a soft, close undercoat, and the hair is usually trimmed to frame the face in a rounded shape. Dark eyes, small pointed upright ears and a carrot-shaped tail carried high complete the outline.

Puppy growth

Reference curve · community data appears as owners log
By about 5 months, a male West Highland White Terrier puppy is already as heavy as a grown Jack Russell. They grow fastest between 3 and 4 months old.
Fully grown
10 mo
Both sexes, at 99% of adult weight9
Male
Female
Shaded: expected range
0510152m4m6m9m12m18m
0510152m3m4m6m9m12m18m
Age
Male
Female
2 months
2.1–3.0 kg 4.6–6.6 lb
2.1–3.0 kg 4.6–6.6 lb
3 months
2.9–4.1 kg 6.4–9.0 lb
2.7–3.8 kg 6.0–8.4 lb
4 months
4.0–5.8 kg 8.8–12.8 lb
3.6–5.2 kg 7.9–11.5 lb
5 months
5.0–7.2 kg 11.0–15.9 lb
4.4–6.3 kg 9.7–13.9 lb
6 months
5.8–8.3 kg 12.8–18.3 lb
5.0–7.1 kg 11.0–15.7 lb
7 months
6.3–9.1 kg 13.9–20.1 lb
5.4–7.8 kg 11.9–17.2 lb
8 months
6.8–9.7 kg 15.0–21.4 lb
5.8–8.3 kg 12.8–18.3 lb
9 months
7.1–10.2 kg 15.7–22.5 lb
6.1–8.7 kg 13.4–19.2 lb
10 months
7.4–10.6 kg 16.3–23.4 lb
6.3–9.1 kg 13.9–20.1 lb
11 months
7.6–10.9 kg 16.8–24.0 lb
6.5–9.4 kg 14.3–20.7 lb
12 months
7.7–11.1 kg 17.0–24.5 lb
6.7–9.6 kg 14.8–21.2 lb
15 months
8.0–11.5 kg 17.6–25.4 lb
7.1–10.1 kg 15.7–22.3 lb
18 months
8.3–11.9 kg 18–26 lb
7.3–10.5 kg 16.1–23.1 lb

Health and lifespan

Vets record these more often in Westies than in crossbreeds. Dry eye (moderate) stands out as far more likely. An insulin-secreting pancreatic tumour (life-limiting) and Addison's disease (serious) are much more likely. Diabetes (serious) and corneal ulcers (moderate) are more likely. These are figures for the breed as a whole, not a prediction for your dog.
Listed by likelihood level, highest first, then by how serious it is, then by name. These are 5 of 11 measured; lab-confirmed figures only fill places the vet-record studies leave empty.
  • Dry eye
    Far more likely
    Impact: moderate
  • Insulin-secreting pancreatic tumour
    Much more likely
    Impact: life-limiting
  • Addison's disease
    Much more likely
    Impact: serious
  • Diabetes
    More likely
    Impact: serious
  • Corneal ulcers
    More likely
    Impact: moderate

Lifespan

In UK vet records, the typical West Highland White Terrier lived to about 13 and a half years, about average for a small breed.

Where it comes from

The West Highland White Terrier comes from the working terriers of Scotland's West Highlands, and its white strain was developed chiefly by the Malcolms of Poltalloch in Argyll. Its quarry was fox, otter and badger, hunted among scree and boulders rather than in soft earth. White whelps, it is said, were once discarded as unlucky, but the Malcolms and the Duke of Argyll favoured them17,18.

The West Highland White Terrier had several names before its present one took hold, among them the Poltalloch Terrier and the Roseneath Terrier, the latter after the Duke of Argyll's estate. It is thought to share early roots with the Cairn and Scottish Terriers. The Kennel Club recognised the breed under its current name in the first decade of the twentieth century, and it soon moved from the hillside to the show ring and the home.

Breed standard

The West Highland White Terrier is judged against standard no. 85, in group 3, Terriers5.

Questions people ask

General guidance for dogs rather than a measured West Highland White Terrier figure: most females have a first season somewhere between six and fifteen months, and cycles then settle to roughly every 180 days. Smaller breeds tend to start earlier and larger ones later, so a small breed is most likely at the early end.

Compare with related

Cairn Terrier
Terriers · Small
Yorkshire Terrier
Terriers · Small
Maltese
Companion & toy · Toy
Standard Schnauzer
Pinschers & molossoids · Medium
Or compare the West Highland White Terrier with any breed you choose
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Sources

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Parts of this page were written by AI ·