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€1,150
Puppy Care & Health Information
At a glance
- Type
- Purebred, FCI No. 85, Group 3 (terriers)
- Height
- About 28 cm at the shoulder
- Weight
- Typically about 6–10 kg (the FCI standard sets no weight)
- Life expectancy
- About 12–16 years
- Coat
- Harsh white outer coat over a soft, close undercoat; sheds lightly to moderately
- Grooming
- Brushing two or three times a week; hand-stripping or a clip every 2–3 months
- Exercise
- About an hour a day, with sniffing and digging games
- With children
- Good with sensible children; sturdy and confident, not a dog to carry about
- In an apartment
- Yes, with daily walks and early work on barking
- Cyprus summer
- Moderate: walk early and late; the pink skin under the coat burns
- Our price
- from €1,150
About the West Highland White Terrier
The Westie exists because a white dog is easier to see. The Malcolm family in Argyll bred a white strain out of Cairn Terrier stock in the mid-nineteenth century, on the argument that a pale dog working among rocks and heather would not be mistaken for the quarry. Everything else about the West Highland White Terrier is standard-issue working terrier: short legs, deep chest, and a great deal of self-belief.
The breed standard wants courage and independence in this dog, balanced by a friendly outlook, and that combination is what owners enjoy. A Westie is cheerful and sociable, sturdier than he looks, and not remotely a lapdog. He is also a terrier — he will dig, he will chase anything small that moves, and he will hold an opinion. Recall needs real work, and cats need introducing carefully.
An hour a day suits him, which makes him practical for an apartment provided he actually gets out. The white coat is harsher than it looks and is meant to be hand-stripped or clipped every few months, with brushing two or three times a week in between. He sheds moderately.
Cyprus dust and sea salt show up quickly on a white dog, so plan on rinsing his legs and beard after beach walks. Hardy and long-lived, a well-bred Westie often reaches thirteen or fourteen.
Origin, purpose and temperament follow the official FCI breed standard; exercise, grooming and family suitability follow The Royal Kennel Club (UK). Every puppy is an individual — ask us about the one you are considering.
Living with a Westie in Cyprus
Red earth, orange legs. Cypriot red soil and summer dust turn a Westie’s legs, belly and beard orange-brown within days. Go easy on the shampoo: frequent baths strip the oils from skin that is already this breed’s weak point. Let the mud dry and brush it out, wipe the beard with a damp cloth after meals, and keep baths to one every month or two.
Itchy seasons. Westies are among the breeds most prone to atopic dermatitis, an allergic itch of the skin. Cyprus supplies the triggers: grass and olive pollen in spring, coastal heat and humidity, dust all year. Licked paws, red armpits, a face rubbed along the sofa and ears that keep flaring up are the signs. See the vet at the first ones, not after weeks of scratching, and once a food suits him, keep to it.
Pink skin under white hair. The nose, the ear tips and the thinly haired belly burn on a bright day, and a short summer clip exposes the rest. Keep any clip at two or three centimetres and, above 35 °C, walk only before 8 and after sunset.
A terrier on the hillside. A lizard on a stone wall, a stray cat under a car, a hole worth making bigger: a Westie takes each one personally. Keep him on a lead near roads and cat colonies until his recall is proven in a fenced field. From about May to October the scrub at dusk holds sandflies, whose bite can pass on leishmaniasis; agree protection with your vet, and for ticks see our puppy care sheet.
