The West Highland White Terrier Club of Southeast Texas

• The average life span of a Westie is twelve to fifteen years.
• The adult weight of a Westie will typically be anywhere from fifteen to twenty-two pounds.
• Westies may be housetrained at around six (6) months, if YOU do a good job!
• They require frequent brushing to minimize shedding and to prevent mats.
• They require regular teeth cleaning to promote good lifetime dental hygiene (which lessens the frequency of expensive teeth cleaning visits at the vet's office).
• They require frequent nail clipping.
• The Westie coat is maintained by hand-stripping every one or two weeks (for show) or by clipping every four to six weeks (for a pet to resemble the proper look).
• Some like to fetch, but some prefer their owner do all the fetching.
• Some may like to swim (but extreme care must be taken because even an experienced Westie swimmer can easily drown)!
• They never totally grow up.
• Their high physical and mental energies require a release, or they will find their own mode of release and you may not like it!

You will find many different opinions on the subject of what to feed your Westie.   As a matter of fact, there are as many opinions on what to feed as there are types of food.  Keep in mind that dogs sometimes have allergies and in many cases these allergies have a food-based component.  Consistency is key.  If you choose to feed a commercially available dog food, and there are may quality varieties, it is best to feed a premium dry dog food only (better for the teeth) and to maintain your Westie on the same food (do not switch around as you would with a cat).