Puppies › West Highland White Terrier › Westie shedding and allergies
Westie guideWesties shed a moderate amount from a hard white double coat that's kept in shape by stripping or clipping. Like every breed, a Westie can still set off a dog allergy.
Some, about in the middle of the range for dogs.
The coat is built in layers, with straight, hard hair on the outside and a short, soft undercoat beneath it, and it should feel hard to the touch, never soft and fluffy. The daily brushing the breed needs anyway catches loose hair before it lands on the furniture. It's white hair, so on a navy sofa you'll know when you've skipped a day.
There are two ways. The traditional method is stripping, which means plucking the old, dead hair out by hand, and it's the method a show dog needs. Many pet Westies are clipped for a tidy look instead, with a groomer visit about every 4 to 6 weeks, and either way the coat wants brushing and combing every day.
Go easy on baths. The coat is meant to be hard, and bathing too often does it more harm than good. White is the breed's only color, as the name promises, and a hard coat with some wheaten tipping is better than a soft one that's pure white, so a touch of wheaten on a hard coat is nothing to worry about.
A Westie can trigger a dog allergy like any other dog. No breed is free of the allergens, because they come from a dog's saliva, dander and urine, and a longer or shorter coat makes no difference to them.
The practical test is time. Spend a few hours around grown Westies before you commit, and if allergies are serious in your house, talk to your doctor first.
A Westie is a confident, busy little dog. It's a sturdy little terrier, bred to hunt rats, that needs no pampering and will chase anything that moves, so a fenced yard or a leash is part of life with one. Westies love a walk and a romp, and they're bright, though that terrier independence means lessons go best when they're patient and kept interesting.
Westies have no small amount of self-esteem, and we've yet to meet one that would argue. They usually live 13 to 15 years, a good long run for a small dog with a big opinion of itself.
A Westie used for breeding should have its kneecaps, hips and eyes checked, with an eye exam every year until it's 8, and a DNA test for a condition of growing puppies in which extra bone forms on the jaw and skull.
We are working toward health testing all of our mamas and papas, and the certificates we have are posted on each parent's page. So far the ones for our Westie parents cover eye, heart, kneecap and hip exams. Our Westie puppies are on the breed page with both of their parents.
See our Westie puppies on the breed page, where every listing names both parents and gives an estimate of the grown dog's weight.
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