West Highland White Terrier Breeders UK: Advertise Your Kennel Free

Advertise your West Highland White Terrier puppies, litters and stud dogs

Do you breed West Highland White Terriers in the UK? List your kennel on caninebreeder.co.uk so buyers looking for West Highland White Terrier puppies for sale, and owners searching for a Westie stud dog, can find you. A free basic profile shows your kennel name, website, social media, location and categories. You can advertise Westie puppies for sale, planned litters and stud dogs, and set out your CMO test results and grooming approach for careful buyers. Add your listing or see pricing for the full showcase features.

No breeders are listed here yet, so the first profiles get the page to themselves.

Free basic profile: your breeder or company name, website, social media, location, breeds and industries.
Litters and stud dogs advertised in their own sections, never mixed with puppies for sale.
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Featured placement at the top of this page, labelled as sponsored.

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Is it free to advertise here?

Yes. A breeder profile and your litter and stud dog adverts are free. Premium profiles, featured placement and sponsored articles are optional paid extras; see pricing.

Do I need a licence to advertise puppies?

In England you need a dog breeding licence from your council if you breed three or more litters in 12 months or breed and sell dogs as a business, and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own schemes. Licensed breeders show their licence number and issuing council on every advert. Puppies must be at least eight weeks old before they go to new homes.

Is my listing already here?

We add licensed breeders from councils' public registers. Search for your kennel name; if it is listed you can claim it and edit everything.

About the West Highland White Terrier

The West Highland White Terrier, usually called the Westie, is a small Scottish terrier in the Royal Kennel Club's Terrier group. The RKC breed page traces it to Cairn Terrier stock. In the mid-1800s the Malcolms of Poltalloch in Argyllshire began breeding a white strain, as white dogs were easier to see on moorland, and early dogs went by names such as the Poltalloch and Roseneath terriers. The Kennel Club recognised the breed in 1907.

The Westie was developed to pursue quarry and follow it underground, where it had to work on its own, beyond its handler's sight and hearing. The West Highland White Terrier Club of England links that job to the breed's independent, inquisitive character, while noting that Westies like to please their owners and that early training shapes the relationship. See also ratting and pest control terriers.

Size and build

The breed standard asks for a height of approximately 28 cm (11 in) at the withers. The body is compact and strongly built, with a deep chest, a level back and powerful hindquarters on short, muscular legs.

Coat and grooming

Pure white is the only colour the standard accepts. The coat is double: a harsh outer coat about 5 cm (2 in) long and free from curl, over a short, soft undercoat. The RKC notes that it sheds and suggests grooming more than once a week. The club's grooming guide explains that regular hand stripping helps the coat grow back thick and harsh, and warns that using thinning scissors on their own tends to leave it thin and soft.

Exercise

The RKC suggests up to an hour a day. The breed club calls Westies active dogs that need plenty of exercise, and whose intelligent minds cope poorly with long spells alone.

Temperament and suitability

The standard calls for an alert, courageous and self-reliant terrier that is still friendly. The RKC lists the Westie as suitable for a flat or a home with a small to medium garden, in town or country, so it may suit flat-friendly homes, and gives a lifespan of over 12 years. The club says Westies generally get on well with children, but is wary of pairing a young puppy with very small children unless the adults are experienced with dogs. You may also want to compare the Scottish Terrier or browse all Terrier breed breeders.

West Highland White Terrier health tests

The Royal Kennel Club does not currently recommend any pre-breeding health screening for the West Highland White Terrier, and it offers no breed-specific DNA testing package, although individual DNA tests are available. The RKC notes that this may change as new research emerges, so it is worth checking the breed page again before a mating.

The Westie is in Breed Watch Category 2, the RKC category for breeds with visible concerns that judges are asked to monitor more closely. The points of concern listed for this breed are misplaced canine teeth, and signs of dermatitis, such as irritated skin, hair loss or scarring from earlier episodes.

Breed clubs also highlight craniomandibular osteopathy (CMO), a condition in which extra bone forms on the jaw and eating can become painful. The England club's breed health page says CMO is recorded more often in Westies than in any other breed, and its 2016 report noted that cheek-swab testing for CMO could be done through a UK laboratory. The North of Ireland club adds skin problems, dry eye and Legg-Perthes disease of the hip to the conditions buyers should know about. Testing lowers risk but cannot guarantee a healthy puppy, so ask about the parents' health history as well as any certificates.

Health tests and schemes for the West Highland White Terrier:

RKC pre-breeding screening: none currently recommended
RKC DNA testing: no breed-specific package; individual DNA tests available
Breed Watch: Category 2 (misplaced canine teeth; signs of dermatitis irritation, hair loss or scarring from previous dermatitis)
Breed club advice, not an RKC recommendation: CMO testing by cheek swab through a commercial laboratory
Coefficient of inbreeding for the planned mating, checked with the RKC inbreeding coefficient calculator

Choosing a West Highland White Terrier breeder

As the RKC has no recommended screening for Westies at present, a careful breeder stands out by being open about what they do check. Expect them to say whether the parents have been tested for CMO, to talk honestly about any skin, eye, jaw or hip problems in the family, and to look up registered dogs with you on the RKC Health Test Results Finder. They should also show you how to start grooming, since a Westie coat needs care throughout the dog's life.

Licensed breeders in England may not sell a puppy under eight weeks old, and may only show it to buyers together with its mother, under the 2018 licensing regulations. Anyone breeding three or more litters in a 12-month period and selling any of the puppies needs a council licence, and every puppy must be microchipped and registered by eight weeks. A good breeder will ask about your home, routine and experience with terriers, and the North of Ireland club advises waiting for a litter from a reputable breeder rather than risking a puppy farm. Our buyer safety guide explains how to spot scams.

Questions to ask a West Highland White Terrier breeder:

Can I see the puppies with their mother, and can you tell me about the sire?
Have the parents been tested for CMO, and may I see the results?
Has either parent, or a close relative, had skin trouble, dry eye, or jaw or hip problems?
What is the coefficient of inbreeding for this mating, and how does it compare with the breed average?
How do you groom your adult dogs, and what handling and grooming have the puppies had so far?

West Highland White Terrier questions

Do Westies shed?

Yes. The Royal Kennel Club lists the breed as shedding and suggests grooming more than once a week. The double coat has a harsh outer layer over a soft undercoat, and the West Highland White Terrier Club of England recommends regular hand stripping to keep it thick and harsh, warning that thinning scissors used on their own tend to make it thin and soft.

Are West Highland White Terriers good with children?

The breed club says Westies generally get on well with children. It is cautious about a young puppy going to a home with very small children unless the adults are experienced dog owners, because both need a lot of attention. Supervision and early training help.

How much exercise does a Westie need?

The RKC puts it at up to an hour a day. The breed club describes Westies as active and intelligent, and says they should not be left alone for long periods, so mental stimulation matters as well as walks.

What health tests should a Westie puppy's parents have?

The RKC does not currently recommend any pre-breeding screening for the breed. Breed clubs highlight craniomandibular osteopathy (CMO), for which cheek-swab testing is available through a laboratory, and the breed is in Breed Watch Category 2 because of misplaced canine teeth and dermatitis. Ask about CMO results and the parents' skin health.

West Highland White Terrier breeders