Saturday, July 13, 2013

The Dog On The Highlands: West Highland White Terrier

By Domingo Malizia


At around 1700s, the Isle of Skye as well as other highlands in Scotland had been currently producing plenty of small terriers. Scottish breeds were separated into two: the Skye terriers and also the Dandie Dinmont terriers.

The Dandie Dinmonts have been categorized as a separate breed. The Skyes incorporated the Scotties, the Cairns along with the West highland white terriers or the Westies.

It was also noted that these terriers were the hybrids among the crossed Cairns, Scottish, and Dandies terriers. A single could assume that the hybrid would actually be loyal and its hunting instincts couldn't be belittled. In reality, several royalties in Scotland owned terriers that were quite comparable to the Westies of right now.

One more outstanding story is about a Westie that stopped a mother from constantly yelling at her daughter. Each and every time the mother would yell at her teenage daughter, the Westie would attack the mother. The aggression of the dog got worse over the years that resulted within the mother's total inability to scold her teenager.

It turned out that the girl was really rewarding the dog for his protection by calming and soothing him down soon after every "threat" from her mother. Numerous would perceive that the daughter was in a position to help her mother to modify her approaches when actually she was helping herself by rewarding the dog for its behavior.

The following are a number of the fundamental information breeders would really enjoy to know about Westies:

Category: Terrier Living Atmosphere: indoors (extremely advised); outdoors (fenced yard)

Coat: about two-inch coarse and wiry outer coat and soft, dense, and furry undercoat Colour: white

Height: amongst ten and 12 inches

Weight: in between 13 and 22 pounds

Temperament:

Naturally,

* they prefer to bark and dig * they are not as willful like most terriers * they adore companionship

When correctly trained

* they can grow to be relatively friendly towards strangers * they develop close affinity with behaved young children * they enjoy to chase cats however they don't hurt them * they can become a very good watch dog * they can become extremely lively

Breeders ought to note in the following wellness issues:

* Chronic skin troubles * Perthe's disease (hip difficulties) * Jawbone calcification * Cranio mandibular osteopathy (lion jaw) * Patella luxation, a disorder inside the kneecap * Liver ailments * Deafness * Congenital heart illness

Care and Exercise:

* Their coat must be brushed routinely employing a brush with stiff bristles. * They need to bathe only when essential. * Their whole coat ought to be stripped at the least twice a year and trimmed every 4 months. * The fur around the eyes and ears must be trimmed employing blunt-nose mirrors. * They will certainly be much more agile and wholesome right after normal sessions of play and/or walk.

Origin/History:

As noted, they share precisely the same lineage with Cairns and Scotties (from Skye terriers), and also together with the Dandies. This trio was developed in the Isle of Skye, which was one of the highlands in Scotland. It was noted that white whelps were selected in the wiry-coated Cairns, Scotties, and Dandies to produce the selection that have been called Poltalloch terriers.

Following are some items inside the history that show the Westies' reputation of becoming owners' preferred companion dogs.

Records in the history described that around 1620, King James 1 of England requested some small white dogs from Argyleshire in Scotland. Colonel Malcolm, who was regarded because the originator of Poltalloch terriers, which might be quite comparable to the Westies of these days, accidentally shot his terrier (a dark one). From then on he vowed to possess only white terriers.

Inside the 19th century, terriers that have been extremely equivalent towards the Westies had been called Roseneath terriers in honor of Duke of Argyll's interest and patronage of this breed. Roseneath was the name of his estate at Dumbartonshire.

Inside the first-ever dog show that were organized within the late 1800s, the Westies have been referred to as as White Scottish terriers. In 1904, they had been classified under the name West Highland White terriers.

Through the mid-1900s, breeders from the Cairns in Argyll, Scotland chosen white puppies from the stock and interbreed some to acquire white Cairns. Nonetheless, in 1917, the American Kennel Club ruled that Cairns might be listed if they've the Westies' lineage.

We are able to say the history repeats itself for this delightful terrier is now mainly a preferred companion dog of several households.




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