Commonly westies have bright, deep-set, almond-shaped eyes that are dark in colour. Its ears are pointed and erect. Members of the breed typically weigh between 15 and 20 pounds (6.8 and 9.1 kg), and the average height is between 10–11 inches (25–28 cm) at the withers. The body should be shorter than the height of the dog at the shoulder.It also has a deep chest, muscular limbs, a black nose, a short and a closely fitted jaw with "scissors" bite (lower canines locked in front of upper canines, upper incisors locked over lower incisors).The Westie's paws are slightly turned out in order to give it better grip than flat footed breeds when it climbs on rocky surfaces. In young puppies, the nose and footpads have pink markings, which slowly turn black as it ages.It has a soft, dense, thick undercoat and a rough outer coat, which can grow to about 2 inches (5.1 cm) long.The fur fills out the face to give a rounded appearance.As it develops into adults, its coarse outer coat is normally removed by either "hand-stripping", especially for dog-showing, or otherwise clipping.
The American breed club puts the lifespan of the Westie at 12 to 16 years. A club survey puts the average lifespan at 11.4 years. Veterinary clinic data from the UK shows an average of 10.5 to 15 years.The average litter size is between three and five puppies.The breed is prone to skin disorders. About a quarter of Westies surveyed are affected by atopic dermatitis, a heritable chronic allergic skin condition. A higher proportion of males are affected compared to females. There is an uncommon but severe breed-specific skin condition that may affect West Highland White Terriers affecting both juveniles and adults dogs. This condition is called Hyperplastic Dermatosis. Affected dogs can suffer from red hyperpigmentation, lichenification and hair loss. In the initial stages, this condition can be misdiagnosed as allergies or less serious forms of dermatitis. An inherited genetic problem that exists in the breed is globoid cell leukodystrophy. It is not breed specific, and can appear in Cairn Terriers and other breeds including Beagles and Pomeranians. It is a neurological disease where the dog lacks an enzyme called galactosylceramidase. The symptoms are noticeable as the puppy develops, and can be identified by the age of 30 weeks. Affected dogs will have tremors, muscle weakness, and trouble walking. Symptoms will slowly increase until limb paralysis begins to occur. Due to it being a hereditary condition, it is recommended for owners to avoid breeding affected animals in order to eliminate it from the breed.for different pics....
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