- White
Small, sturdy, and confident terrier from Scotland, characterized by its distinctive dense white double coat, bright inquisitive expression, and lively personality
Developed in the Scottish Highlands to hunt fox, badger, and other vermin. Colonel Edward Donald Malcolm of Poltalloch is credited with developing the modern white breed after one of his reddish terriers was mistaken for a fox and shot, leading him to breed only for white dogs to avoid future hunting accidents
“Small, active, game, hardly, possessed of no small amount of self-esteem with a varminty appearance. Alert, gay, courageous, self-reliant but friendly”
Quoted from FCI standard n°85. It describes the breed the registry recognises, not any individual animal.
Breed reference from The Dog API.
Drawn from sources, not opinion: FCI breed standard. An empty column means we hold nothing for that side, not that there is nothing to say.
The West Highland White Terrier standard is published by the FCI (Fédération Cynologique Internationale), the international federation of pedigree-dog clubs, and it is what show judges apply. This section sums up what it says about coat and colour and size. It does not assess any one animal: use it to know what to ask the breeder.
Double coated.
Outer coat consists of harsh hair, about 5 cms long, free from any curl.
Undercoat, which resembles fur, short, soft and close.
Open coats most undesirable
Shortened from FCI standard n°85 — each label is the standard’s own wording with the verdict lifted into the tag beside it. Read the full clause at source.
The colours and patterns the standard admits, and what it prefers, discourages or disqualifies in each. An accepted colour says nothing about health.
Height at the withers (cm)
The same scale for every breed: no source defines size categories by height.
An adult's measurements, per the standard. It does not say how big this puppy will be. Quotations from the FCI are in English, as the standard publishes them; the headings are ours.
Breed-level information from The Dog API. It describes the West Highland White Terrier in general; any individual animal can differ.
Known hereditary risks for the West Highland White Terrier breed, and the specific documentation to request from any breeder before paying a deposit. A responsible breeder will have these readily available; deflection is a red flag.
4 conditions documentedThis is breed-level literature, not veterinary advice about an individual animal — your vet knows the animal.
Health checklist (PDF)Found in more than about one in twenty of the breed's dogs screened, or described as common in the sources.
An overgrowth of bone in the jaw and skull of young, growing dogs, usually before a year old: the jaw swells and is painful, so the puppy struggles to open its mouth and eat, and it often runs a fever. It usually settles by itself once the skeleton stops growing. It is seen most often in this breed, and is linked to an SLC37A2 variant that acts dominantly with incomplete penetrance — one copy can be enough, but some dogs with two copies never showed signs. It is very common: in a screen of 658 Westies more than two in five carried at least one copy and about one in seventeen carried two.
What to ask for
Craniomandibular osteopathy (SLC37A2) DNA test result, on both parents
An overgrowth of bone in the jaw and skull of young, growing dogs, usually before a year old: the jaw swells and is painful, so the puppy struggles to open its mouth and eat, and it often runs a fever. It usually settles by itself once the skeleton stops growing. It is seen most often in this breed, and is linked to an SLC37A2 variant that acts dominantly with incomplete penetrance — one copy can be enough, but some dogs with two copies never showed signs. It is very common: in a screen of 658 Westies more than two in five carried at least one copy and about one in seventeen carried two.
What to ask for
Craniomandibular osteopathy (SLC37A2) DNA test result, on both parents
Described in this breed, but found in few or no dogs in recent screening, or only ever in one dog or one family. They are here so a test result makes sense if a breeder mentions one.
A fatal inherited storage disease that destroys the insulating myelin around nerves, described in this breed and the Cairn Terrier: affected puppies develop weakness, tremors and loss of coordination in the first months and decline steadily. It is recessive. It looks very rare in Westies now — a single copy among 658 in a recent screen.
What to ask for
Globoid cell leukodystrophy (GALC, terrier type) DNA test result, on both parents
An inherited metabolic disease in which L-2-hydroxyglutaric acid builds up in the brain; in dogs it causes seizures, unsteadiness and changes in behaviour. It is recessive in the breeds where its variants are known. In this breed it has been reported in a single Westie; the Westie variant tested on the large panels has not yet been published, and none of 657 Westies in a recent screen carried it.
What to ask for
L-2-hydroxyglutaric aciduria (L2HGDH, West Highland White Terrier type) DNA test result, on both parents
An inherited enzyme deficiency that makes red blood cells break down early, causing chronic anaemia that is easily mistaken for immune-mediated anaemia; dogs can adapt to it for years, but it eventually causes hardening of the bones, iron overload and death. The breed's own variant was traced in three anaemic Westie littermates, and three apparently unrelated Westies in Ireland and the UK were later diagnosed with it. It is recessive and looks very rare now — a single copy among 658 Westies in a recent screen.
What to ask for
Pyruvate kinase deficiency (PKLR, West Highland White Terrier type) DNA test result, on both parents
A fatal inherited storage disease that destroys the insulating myelin around nerves, described in this breed and the Cairn Terrier: affected puppies develop weakness, tremors and loss of coordination in the first months and decline steadily. It is recessive. It looks very rare in Westies now — a single copy among 658 in a recent screen.
What to ask for
Globoid cell leukodystrophy (GALC, terrier type) DNA test result, on both parents
Median survival 13.4 years
95% confidence interval 13.3–13.5 years, from 6,730 recorded deaths among 12,095 dogs
Mortality hazard 0.73 (0.72, 0.75) relative to crossbred dogs, whose median is 12.0 years.
Measured in the United Kingdom from 584,734 dogs. Median survival is not a prediction for an individual dog.
McMillan, K.M., Bielby, J., Williams, C.L., Upjohn, M.M., Casey, R.A. & Christley, R.M. (2024) Longevity of companion dog breeds: those at risk from early death. Scientific Reports 14, 531.
An inherited enzyme deficiency that makes red blood cells break down early, causing chronic anaemia that is easily mistaken for immune-mediated anaemia; dogs can adapt to it for years, but it eventually causes hardening of the bones, iron overload and death. The breed's own variant was traced in three anaemic Westie littermates, and three apparently unrelated Westies in Ireland and the UK were later diagnosed with it. It is recessive and looks very rare now — a single copy among 658 Westies in a recent screen.
What to ask for
Pyruvate kinase deficiency (PKLR, West Highland White Terrier type) DNA test result, on both parents
An inherited metabolic disease in which L-2-hydroxyglutaric acid builds up in the brain; in dogs it causes seizures, unsteadiness and changes in behaviour. It is recessive in the breeds where its variants are known. In this breed it has been reported in a single Westie; the Westie variant tested on the large panels has not yet been published, and none of 657 Westies in a recent screen carried it.
What to ask for
L-2-hydroxyglutaric aciduria (L2HGDH, West Highland White Terrier type) DNA test result, on both parents