Other Names: Poltalloch Terrier, Roseneath Terrier, White Roseneath Terrier.
The West Highland White Terrier, commonly known as the Westie, is a breed of dog from Scotland with a distinctive white harsh coat with a somewhat soft white undercoat. It is a medium-sized terrier, although with longer legs than other Scottish breeds of terrier. It has a white double coat of fur which fills out the dog’s face, giving it a rounded appearance.
The breed is intelligent, quick to learn, and can be good with children, but does not always tolerate rough handling. The Westie is an active and intelligent breed, and is social with a high prey drive, as they were once used to hunt rodents. Additionally, it is a hypoallergenic dog breed.
The modern breed is descended from a number of breeding programs of white terriers in Scotland before the 20th century. Cousin to the Cairn Terrier, the Westie was bred to hunt small rodents at places such as farms. Edward Donald Malcolm, 16th Laird of Poltalloch, is credited with the creation of the modern breed from his Poltalloch Terrier but did not want to be known as such.
Other related breeds included George Campbell, 8th Duke of Argyll’s Roseneath Terrier and Dr Americ Edwin Flaxman’s Pittenweem Terriers. This breed of small white Scottish terriers was given its modern name for the first time in 1908, with recognition by major kennel clubs occurring around the same time.
The breed remains very popular in the UK, with multiple wins at Crufts. It has been in the top third of all breeds in the US since the 1960s. It has been featured in television and film, including in Hamish Macbeth, and in advertising by companies such as Cesar dog food and the Scotch whisky Black & White.
Several breed-specific and nonspecific health issues appear in the breed, including a condition in young dogs nicknamed “westie jaw” which causes an overgrowth of bone in the jaw of the dog. It can also be prone to skin disorders, with a breed-specific condition called hyperplastic dermatosis occurring. They are a very energetic and boisterous breed, needing regular exercise of around one hour per day.
History
Scottish white terriers were recorded as early as during the reign of James VI of Scotland, who reigned between 1567 and 1625. The king ordered that a dozen terriers be procured from Argyll to be presented to the Kingdom of France as a gift. Sandy- and brindle-coloured dogs were seen as hardier than those of other colours, and white dogs were seen as being weak. At various times during the breed’s existence, it has been considered a white offshoot of both the Scottish Terrier and the Cairn Terrier breeds.
Reports of a ship from the Spanish Armada being wrecked on the island of Skye in 1588 indicated the ship carried white Spanish dogs, whose descendants were kept distinct from other breeds by Clan Donald, including the families of the Chiefs. Other families on Skye preserved both white and sandy-coloured dogs. One such family was the Clan MacLeod, and it was reported by their descendants that at least two Chiefs kept white terriers, including “The Wicked Man” Norman MacLeod, and his grandson Norman, who became Chief after his death.
George Campbell, 8th Duke of Argyll, chief of Clan Campbell, bred a breed of white Scottish terriers known as the “Roseneath Terrier”. Another breed of white Scottish terriers also appeared at this point, with Dr. Americ Edwin Flaxman from Fife developing his line of “Pittenweem Terriers” out of a female Scottish Terrier which produced white offspring. The dog seemed to produce these white puppies regardless of the sire to which she was bred, and after drowning over 20 of these offspring, he came upon the theory that it was an ancient trait of the Scottish Terrier that was trying to reappear. He rededicated his breeding program to produce white Scottish Terriers with the aim of restoring it to the same stature as the dark-coloured breed. Flaxman is credited with classes being added to dog shows for white Scottish Terriers towards the end of the 19th century.
The person most closely associated with developing the modern breed of West Highland White Terrier is Edward Donald Malcolm, 16th Laird of Poltalloch. Malcolm owned terriers used to work game; the story told is that a reddish-brown terrier was mistaken for a fox and shot. Following this, Malcolm decided to develop a white terrier breed, which became known as the “Poltalloch Terrier”. The first generation of Poltallochs had sandy-coloured coats and had already developed prick ears, which is a trait seen later in the modern breed. It is unknown if the Poltalloch Terriers and Pittenweem Terriers were interbred. In 1903, Malcolm declared that he did not want to be known as the creator of the breed and insisted that his breed of white terriers be renamed. The term “West Highland White Terrier” first appears in Otters and Otter Hunting by L.C.R. Cameron, published in 1908.
The first breed club was set up in 1904; Niall Campbell, 10th Duke of Argyll, was the society’s first president. A second club was subsequently set up, with the Countess of Aberdeen as chairman. Edward Malcolm succeeded the Countess as the club’s second chairman. Kennel Club recognition followed in 1907, and the breed appeared at Crufts for the first time in the same year. The Westie was imported into the United States in 1907–1908 when Robert Goelet imported Ch. Kiltie and Ch. Rumpus Glenmohr. Initially, it was also known at the time as the Roseneath Terrier, and the Roseneath Terrier Club was recognised by the American Kennel Club in 1908. The club was renamed during the following year to the West Highland White Terrier Club of America. The breed spent the period that immediately followed as being “in vogue”, becoming popular almost immediately upon its arrival in the US. Canadian Kennel Club recognition followed in 1909. Until 1924 in the UK, Westie pedigrees were allowed to have Cairn and Scottish Terriers in them. By the time of Malcolm’s death in 1930, a stable type had appeared with prick ears, a white coat, and a short back.
In major conformation shows, the breed has been equally successful on both sides of the Atlantic. The first member of the breed to win a show championship was Ch. Morvan in 1905, owned by Colin Young. The dog was registered at the time as a Scottish Terrier and won the title at the Scottish Kennel Club show at the age of seven months. Because the breed was not yet recognised independently, the championship title was not retained when the dog was reregistered as a West Highland White Terrier. The first win at a major show came at the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show in 1942 when Constance Winant’s Ch. Wolvey Pattern of Edgerstoune won the title of Best in Show. The same title was taken by Barbara Worcester’s Ch. Elfinbrook Simon in 1962. It took a further 14 years before the breed took its first Best in Show title at Crufts, the UK’s major dog show. Ch. Dianthus Buttons, owned by Kath Newstead and Dorothy Taylor, took the title for the breed in 1976. A Westie also won Crufts in 1990 with the Best in Show title going to Derek Tattersall’s Ch. Olac Moon Pilot, and in 2016 to Burneze Geordie Girl.
The popularity of the breed during the early 20th century was such that dogs were being exchanged for hundreds of guineas. As of 2010, the Westie is the third-most-popular breed of terrier in the UK, with 5,361 puppies registered with the Kennel Club. However, this is a decrease in numbers since 2001, when it was the most popular terrier breed, with 11,019 new dogs registered. The breed’s position in the United States is more stable with it remaining in the top third of all breeds since around 1960. It was ranked 30th-most popular in 2001, based on registrations with the American Kennel Club, which has varied around the 30s in the decade since with it ranked 34th in 2010.