Secrets of westies attractiveness

Among many other representatives of the the Terrier group, Westie is one of the most popular breed in many countries of the world, the "rating" of their popularity is very high.

 Westie proudly carries his head, which can remind a "woolen" ball or "chrysanthemum", they have a black noses and dark shiny eyes with a black rim, slightly covered by bangs, and small prick-ears. The dog has a mischievous, intelligent and perky expression of the muzzle - a breed feature of Westies. The tail is not very long, but sticking high up, is also one of the typical breed features. The dog always looks cheerful and self-confident.

Westie has an excellent temperament, and although this is also inherent in other breeds of terriers, this breed are usually self-confident, insolent and at the same time they are extremely friendly dogs. Westie is always ready for any communication with all its sincerity.

Its dazzling white coat always attracts a lot of visitors to the show rings. Modern dogs are practically not used for hunting, although anatomical build and fitness for a particular type of hunting remain the main requirements for their participation in dog shows and, ultimately, participation in breeding.

The West Highland White Terrier has strong constitution, limbs of medium length, which allows the dog to stand firmly and steadily on the ground. A well-built Westie should be neither short-legged nor high-legged - having the sweet spot of a compact dog.

Ribcage is deep: rounded directly at the spine, and then flattened, the chest goes down to the elbows. The body should be rather wide from the back to the waist. So that the internal organs have space for normal functioning.

Paws are thick, strong, always with black pads, toes tightly brought together. The shoulder blades pulled back, the sufficient length of the humerus form the correct angle of the shoulder-scapular joint and create the required length of the forelimbs and their free movement. The shoulder blades are oblique, behind them begins a relatively short, straight, strong back, which is considered a particularly important breed requirement. That is why Westies carry their head so proudly.

The skull part of the head is somewhat rounded, gradually narrowing towards the front into a short, deep and strong muzzle, which is slightly shorter than the skull part. The teeth are very large compared to the size of the dog. When mating dogs with an incomplete set of premolars, breeders should show increased attention to the offspring of the first, second and subsequent generations.

The structure of the hind limbs is of great importance. The requirements for a correct hindquarters structure are as follows: a strong loin and a horizontal croup with a high set tail. The pelvic bones, femur, tibia and metatarsus have the correct "geometry" of the angles and the length corresponding to each other. The knee is well bent. When the dog walks, its step is wide, the limbs move freely forward and backward. The back is covered with strong, developed muscles. The hocks are clearly defined, bony, and the metatarsus is short. The dog, when running or jumping, has the ability, strongly squatting on its hind legs, to send a powerful push forward, transferring the initial force to the body. Nails are thick, as dark as possible, deep black color is desired. A fast-moving Westie looks like a bouncy rubber ball.

Dog’s movements are fast and precise. Limbs when viewed from the front and back are parallel to each other. With fast movement, a slight inward shift of the direction of the limbs in relation to the horizontal axis of the dog's body may occur. When viewed from the side, the limbs are well extended both forward and backward, the initial push of the hind legs is clearly visible. The movement is evaluated from the side, front and rear.

The structure of the hind limbs is of great importance. The requirements for a correct hindquarters structure are as follows: a strong loin and a horizontal croup with a high set tail. The pelvic bones, femur, tibia and metatarsus have the correct "geometry" of the angles and the length corresponding to each other. The knee is well bent. When the dog walks, its step is wide, the limbs move freely forward and backward. The back is covered with strong, developed muscles. The hocks are clearly defined, bony, and the metatarsus is short. The dog, when running or jumping, has the ability, strongly squatting on its hind legs, to send a powerful push forward, transferring the initial force to the body. Nails are thick, as dark as possible, deep black color is desired. A fast-moving Westie looks like a bouncy rubber ball.

Dog’s movements are fast and precise. Limbs when viewed from the front and back are parallel to each other. With fast movement, a slight inward shift of the direction of the limbs in relation to the horizontal axis of the dog's body may occur. When viewed from the side, the limbs are well extended both forward and backward, the initial push of the hind legs is clearly visible. The movement is evaluated from the side, front and rear.

The coat of this terrier is pure white color. A light cream coating in the area of ​​the spine is permitted only when the dog has no other flaws. Cream coating is part of the history of the breed and often the structure of the coat in such dogs is better - it is more coarse. But this does not mean that pure white color cannot have the same quality. The undercoat is soft and dense, and for show dogs it is often removed during trimming. The presence of an undercoat is considered more important than the length of the outer coat. Double coat structure, with the undercoat so thick and dense that the dog is able to stay in the water for a long time and not get wet to the skin. Hair length - 2 inches (5 cm). To give a show look, the hair is shortened on the neck and back. Trimming of coat is necessary - overgrown, it becomes water- and cold-penetrable, since the outer coat ceases to fit to the body. The coat requires daily brushing and combing, and monthly trimming. The neck line is especially emphasized, the coat on the tail and ears is removed, leaving a short new layer and giving a characteristic beautiful shape. The hair is shorter on the neck and throat. Unlike other white dogs, the coat of the West Highland White Terrier is minimally soiled, retains whiteness for a long time, and is cleaned well with simple combing, unless of course it is soiled in something strong smelling.

At present, the West Highland White Terrier successfully uses all its qualities to participate in the Dog Shows. But the main thing is that all its advantages and the main breed characteristics are preserved in accordance with the breed standard  allow Westie to be an excellent companion for people. And this is the main purpose of this message.