![]() Although small in size, they have medium energy levels and they love to play. They are widely considered to be a social breed, and many Westies make excellent guard dogs. Westies are usually good with children, but they do not enjoy rough handling and prefer to be treated gently. However, even if these issues do arise, they can be easily corrected when the owner learns to be a leader and provide proper training. If proper training methods are implemented early on they will experience few, if any behavior issues, but improper training and an owner’s inability to act with authority can result in a Westie that has tendencies to bite and displays resource aggression with food and toys. Westies are known for being loyal and easy to train, although it is not unusual for this breed to exhibit stubbornness at times. Westies have made numerous television and film appearances and they are used as the mascot of Cesar, a gourmet brand of dog food that caters to the dietary needs of small dogs. They were ranked the most popular terrier breed in the early 2000s and they are currently ranked the 42nd overall most popular breed by the AKC. Westies are a popular breed of choice in many parts of the world. Some maintain this instinct to hunt after small critters, but a large portion of the breed has lost this instinct over time as they have been trained to fit into a more picture-perfect home lifestyle. Originally bred for hunting purposes, they were a valuable asset to Scottish farmers and were often trained to hunt and kill rodents and other small nuisance mammals that posed a threat to crops or farm animals. The breed was registered with the AKC under the name Roseneath Terrier 1908 and the name was changed to West Highland White Terrier the following year. Often referred to a “Westies” or “Westys,” West Highland Terriers originated in Scotland and were first given their modern name in the early 1900s.
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