Is the #westhighlandwhite Terrier dog breed the right one fo you? Discover the pros and cons of living with #westies. in this video guide featuring Caroline Hickey who's owned the breed for over twenty years. Top canine experts also add their tips on health issues and grooming and training #westhighlandterriers.

In the video, Caroline says Westies make fantastic family pets. I’ve only ever had Westies. I’ve had Westies when I’ve had little children, and obviously growing up to them, larger children, teenage children, and they’ve been absolutely marvellous.

The West Highland White Terrier or Westie, as they’re often called, are small, cute, playful, nigh on inexhaustible. They are lively feisty animals. They give huge amounts of love. They’re very, very fun loving. Make great family pets, or actually companions if you’re in mature years.

From a behaviour point of view, although it’s cute, it may well like to chase and it may well like to dig. If you think you’ve got a chaser, then you need to get the training in early. If you’ve got a digger, then you need to think about providing it with an area in your garden that it can dig otherwise it’ll rule the whole of the garden.

Westies just need medium exercise. They’d be a good dog for somebody who doesn’t want to go for miles and miles. They’re good friends, good companions and they can be loyal little dogs.

Westies can have inherent problems with their skin and with their ears, and it’s those skin problems that are obviously very uncomfortable for the animal, and for the owner will cost an awful lot of money in vet bills. If overwalked, their growth plates on their back legs can be damaged, which is why sometimes you’ll see quite a few terriers kind of like, hopping on three legs rather than walking on four. So it’s about little and often. But they are the sort of dogs that do need to be stimulated. They are quite feisty little animals and they can get into an awful lot of trouble.