Show an uninformed dog lover a photo of a Westie, and they’d identify a Westie as a white Scottie. This mistake is perfectly understandable, since they do have similar physical attributes and both originated from Scotland.There are a lot of postulated theories about these similarities. However, one valid assumption is that centuries ago, a generic terrier was once a native to Scotland.
Over
years, different breeds came about from interbreeding, locations, conditions and human requirements, which resulted in different breeds. So when you compare modern Westie to its’ two closest relatives, Scottie and Cairn, you’ll see more similarities than differences.
Here are just some of differences between a Scottie & Westie.
A Westie is usually between 12-15 inches tall terrier with a straight and erect tail, about 5 – 6 inches. This breed has a two inch white double coat, while outer coat is hard straight hair under coat is soft.
They possess a black button nose and pointed erect ears. Their deep chests and muscular limbs give westies agility and power that was required in original line of work for their breed. They were originally developed to hunt for vermin in mountains of West Scotland.
The shorter Scottish Terrier is about at 10-11 inches tall. The coat of a typical Scottie is hard, wiry, weather-resistant and a thick-set, cobby body which is hung between short, heavy legs. Unlike westie, they come in different colors; black, brown and bindle.
Another difference is that their noses are larger compared to westie, although sometimes, you’ll come across a Scottie that has a button like nose. The Scottie’s ears and tail are pointy and erect.
