The cartoon adventures of a West Highland Terrier
I am very conscious about doing my bit for the environment. I find that the best way to save energy is to have a nap! BOL!
I am sure I will be awarded ‘Eco Dog Of The Year’ any day now!
Wags ‘n’ nose licks,
To link to this post use: https://www.minniethewestie.com/westietude-save-energy-take-a-nap
This is something mum is often asked when she’s walking me. People give me a pat (or sometimes even a belly rub!) and then ask what the west highland terrier temperament is like, as they are thinking of getting a dog. Here is my view of the west highland terrier temperament, based on the Westies I have known and sniffed. 🙂
The most well-known aspect of the west highland terrier temperament is a Westie’s friendly nature. I’ve met many Westies, and they all love humans.
Why do we love humans? Because they give such pawsome belly rubs! Collecting belly rubs is my favourite hobby!
To be honest, that depends on the Westie: the west highland terrier temperament varies here, and also depends on our formative years.
Me, I was the runt of the litter, so I’ve always been non-assertive with other dogs. And I got attacked by some big dogs a couple of times. I am now very selective who I hang out with. My favourite furiend is my boyfriend Morris. He lives next door, and we spend time together regularly. I love Morris, he is pawsome!
My boyfriend, Morris, also a westie, is my bestie!
Us Westies do like company. We like to be part of the (human) family, so we’ll happily go for rides in the car, plane, or boat with you. Being with our human pack is very impawtant.
My humans take me sailing, and I love it! Though the best thing about it is being with my humans. 🙂
Because west highland white terriers do like human company so much, don’t get a Westie if you’re going to leave him home alone every day while you’re at work. Your poor doggy will be miserable without you, and barking may become a problem.
No, Westies aren’t generally yappy dogs. They will bark if they are unhappy, for example if you leave them all day.
If persistent barking is a problem, that’s a training issue. You need to show the dog what’s acceptable behaviour and what isn’t.
Me, I only bark when people come to the front door. And then I bark with a very deep ‘woof’. People are often a little scared and expecting a big dog based on my big, deep woof! BOL!
Most Westies will woof when someone approaches the front door. We are very alert, and it only takes the tiniest sound to rouse us from the deepest of sleeps.
However, as soon as the door is open, we wag our tails and hope to score a belly rub from the visitor. So if you want a dog that’ll put the bitey on intruders, the west highland terrier will disappoint you!
Now there’s one kind of intruder that I’m very good at dealing with: cats! If a kitty cat ventures into my garden, I will give it a good chase. My motto is, “if it runs, chase it”… and all my Westie furiends are the same. My English furiends even get to chase things like squirrels and rabbits, lucky dogs!
Why do Westies chase other animals? Well, we were bread to hunt and kill rodents, so that is an ingrained part of the west highland terrier temperament. You will need to work hard with your Westie to train it not to chase furry critters.
Because of our inclination to chase furry things at a moment’s notice, west highland white terriers have terrible road sense. Our reactions are generally a lot quicker than humans, so please, never let a Westie off the lead anywhere near a road.
Despite our fondness of chasing furry critters, yes, we can live happily with cats. We quickly learn that cats have sharp, pointy claws – so please, protect your young pup’s eyes and nose in the early days.
The cat quickly becomes top dog in the household. Believe me, I’ve experienced it. I respect the claw!
Got a cat already? Westies will learn to ‘respect the claw’ very quickly!
This is a trickier question to answer, as it depends on the Westie, the parents, and the children. Generally, the Westies I know are very good with children, but (and this is a big but) the kids need to be trained how to handle and act around the dog.
Many dogs hate the sudden, jerky movements children make – they feel threatened, and may snap. This is just their self-preservation. Likewise, any dog might get a bit grumpy if its ears are pulled, fur is yanked, or things waved in front of its eyes. In particular, make sure children are careful around a dog’s food. Dogs may snap or bite if they think their food is being threatened, especially if a stranger (e.g. visiting child) goes near it.
For any dog to be part of a happy home, it means training both the dog and all the humans.
The west highland terrier temperament is known as being a little, um, stubborn. So I shall write more about training your Westie another time. For now, all I’ll say is that you must plan on spending time training your Westie puppy each day, and puppy obedience classes are a very good idea.
Me, I looooove food *drools at the thought*. My boyfriend, Morris, has a healthy appetite too. We will do anything we can to score some noms from you, and I have pawfected the art of using my ‘hypnotise-eyes’!
But other Westies I know are picky eaters. I think we’re all a bit different in this regard. However, I am doing my best to teach everyone my hypnotise-eyes tricks, there is a Minnie Merchandise range to help them with that!
Even though west highland white terriers are small dogs, we are not lap dogs. We like daily exercise, thank you very much! I sometimes see overweight Westies, and that makes me sad. Our daily walks and sniffs are impawtant to us. If you are not willing to walk a dog each day, the west highland terrier is not the dog for you.
Westies love discovering new sniffs!
Most Westies will enjoy some naps throughout the day. Being this cute is tiring, y’know!
Oh, and our favourite napping position? Your bed. 😉 You can always rely on a Westie to find the comfiest spot in the house, even if you don’t approve of it!
Yes, it is true that many Westies are prone to skin issues: I have had skin problems myself. There seem to be as many remedies as there are Westie owners; there is no hard-and-fast solution! Be prepared for some vets bills; and also the time to treat your Westie if a skin condition develops. Believe me, your Westie will repay you with love if you can make his skin comfy for him. 🙂
Here is my own experience of Westie allergies.
Westies have hair, rather than fur, and it grows at about the same rate as human hair. Therefore your Westie will need to be groomed regularly. Me, I get groomed every 4-6 weeks in summer, and every 6-10 weeks in winter. As well as getting a bath and hair cut, my groomer also clips my nails and cleans out my anal gland. Not all groomers provide the same, comprehensive so don’t assume that all groomers will do this – ask!
If you don’t want to pay for someone to groom your Westie, you could learn to do it yourself.
In between grooms, your Westie will also need its hair brushed and maybe the occasional bath. (Me, I get a shower every week or two… I actually quite like it, and it soothes my skin!)
Wow, I hope you enjoyed this information on the west highland terrier temperament. Talking about Westies is one of my favourite subjects!
For a light-hearted look at the Westie’s attitude, check out my series on Westietude!
Love ‘n’ licks,
To link to this post use: https://www.minniethewestie.com/west-highland-terrier-temperament-what-are-westies-really-like
About Minnie The Westie:Minnie The Westie is the star of the dog cartoon book, Minnie The Westie: The Adventures Of A Cartoon West Highland Terrier Cartoon Dog. It’s available as a Paperback book from online bookstores, and Kindle eBook from Amazon. It contains 85 black-and-white Minnie The Westie cartoons.
Shop for Minnie The Westie’s book at Amazon.com, Amazon.co.uk and The Book Depository (with free shipping worldwide).
Get a Minnie The Westie cartoon emailed to you each month with Minnie Mail – it’s free and fun! You can sign up here (or click here for more details):
Why are Westies always so happy? I’ve met so many Westies, and they are always perky and upbeat little furiends…
I hope you have a happy month too!
Till next time,
Love ‘n’ nose licks,
PS. Would you like to use Minnie The Westie dog cartoons? Click here to read about cartoon licensing.
Hint: using my dog cartoons is free for non-commercial blogs and organisations such as dog clubs and dog rescues!
To link to this post use: https://www.minniethewestie.com/cartoon-of-the-month-september-2012
My wish is that all Westies enjoy full bellies and comfy snoozes. *wags*
(Just don’t overdo the noms… or if you do, make sure your humans take you for nice, long walks!)
Wags ‘n’ nose licks,
To link to this post use: https://www.minniethewestie.com/westietude-a-full-belly-a-great-day
Earlier this winter I had a short holibobs with mum and dad on Waiheke Island.
We stayed near this pawretty beach: I got wuffly long walks every day, and met lots of new furiends at the beach!
Here are my holibob photos…
This is where we went: Onetangi Beach on Waiheke Island (New Zealand)... it's very pawretty!
Yay, I love the beach!
Meeting some wuffly new furiends on the beach.
Time for a photo oppawtunity with mum. As you can tell from her clothes, it was quite a cold winter's day!
It was just a short break, but just what this doggy needed! It was so much pawsome fun!
Love ‘n’ licks,
To link to this post, use: https://www.minniethewestie.com/winter-beach-break
Oh yes, now ain’t this the truth! *wag wag*
Share this westie cartoon with your friends – spread the Westietude! 
Wags ‘n’ nose licks,
To link to this post use: https://www.minniethewestie.com/westietude-westies-are-pawsome
Let’s talk about one of my favourite topics: cats.
Do you get on with them? Do you chase cats? (And do they ever chase you?!)
My motto is: if it runs, then chase it!
Till next time! Have fun out there!
Love ‘n’ nose licks,
PS. Would you like to use Minnie The Westie dog cartoons? Click here to read about cartoon licensing.
Hint: using my dog cartoons is free for non-commercial blogs and organisations such as dog clubs and dog rescues!
To link to this post use: https://www.minniethewestie.com/cartoon-of-the-month-august-2012
Woofings and welcome to Westietude! … It’s all about sharing the Westie philosophy on life with efurryone!
These are short cartoons that you can Like, Share and Pin: there are buttons at the bottom of the page to make it nice ‘n’ easy for you. 🙂 (For commercial use, please see the info on licensing my cartoons.)
Enjoy! *wag wag*
Do check my website again for more Westietude cartoons, I’ll be adding them regularly!
Let’s spread the Westietude! 😉
Wags ‘n’ nose licks,
To link to this post use: https://www.minniethewestie.com/westietude-i-really-dig-weekends
Woofings and welcome to Westietude!
These are short cartoons that you can Like, Share and Pin: there are buttons at the bottom of the page to make it nice ‘n’ easy for you. 🙂
It’s all about sharing the Westie philosophy on life with efurryone!
(For commercial use, please see the info on licensing my cartoons.)
I’ll add more Westietude cartoons soon!
Go on, share some Westie love with your furiends!
Love ‘n’ nose licks,
To link to this post use: https://www.minniethewestie.com/westietude-live-live-as-though-there-were-always-a-cat-to-chase
Woofings!
Things have been busy here, especially as mum is busy with drawing the cartoons for my second book!
We often get asked what’s involved in drawing the cartoons, so I have convinced mum to show you how she does it.
There are various stages, so we will blog about each stage separately.
The very first thing you need to do when cartooning is to make sure you have the right materials. And it can take a little bit of trial and error to find out what suits your own style.
Mum likes to draw the cartoons on holiday or when she’s out and about. Other cartoonists may do all their work at the compawter, but mum doesn’t want to do that, she enjoys hand-drawing.
Here’s what mum uses for the hand-drawing:
Cartooning materials for Minnie The Westie cartoons
After the hand-drawing stages are complete, some of the work is carried out on a compawter. We’ll talk about compawter resources later in this series, we’ll just look at the hand-drawing work to begin with. And the first hand-drawing step is to make some rough sketches.
Mum says that doing these rough sketches is one of the hardest part of the cartooning. She has to:
Here’s an example of one of mum’s rough sketches. And as you can see, some of it is very “ruff” indeed – and also very faint. The faintness is on purpose; the sketch will be improved upon later in Step 2 of the cartooning process.
Step 1 of the cartooning process for Minnie The Westie cartoons: the rough sketch.
We’ll watch this particular cartoon (for my new book!) evolve. The next blog post in this mini-series will look at the next step: fine sketches.
Do come back and see how the cartoon takes shape!
Love ‘n’ licks,
To link to this post, use: https://www.minniethewestie.com/the-cartooning-process-1-materials-rough-sketches