One in ten people suffer from allergies to dogs, suffering from watering eyes and even attacks of asthma. Westies pose a considerably less serious risk than most other breeds of causing an allergic reaction to their hair and dander.
Actually, pet hair is not the cause of allergic reactions in humans. It is the dander common to the dogs and more commonly to specific breeds, which causes the sneezing and breathing problems in allergy prone humans. Dander is microscopic dead skin scales like human dandruff that pets shed as a natural action. The dander is so minuscule you just don't see it, but it circulates in the air and it stays on the furniture, the drapes and the carpeting.
Besides the west highland terrier, other hypoallergenic breeds of dogs are most terriers including the American hairless, the border, the cairn, the Kerry blue, the soft coated wheaten, the Tibetan, the wire haired fox and the Yorkshire. Other dog breeds noted for their hypoallergenic traits are Basenji, Chinese crested, Havanese, Maltese, miniature schnauzer, Portuguese water dog, Shih-tzu, Spanish water dog, and both standard and toy poodle. No dog is ever 100 percent hypoallergenic.
The very good news for owners and enthusiasts of the precious West Highland terrier that on the list of hypoallergenic dogs, starting with least offensive to allergies, Westies are number seven.
Westies have their own fine qualities as well. They love to be with their owners and family and travel well. Generally they like to swim although they must be supervised. Adult Westie males don't always get along well with other male dogs that haven't been altered, however. They are hunters by nature and must be kept on a leash out of doors or they'll take off in a split second to chase a butterfly, squirrel or rabbit.
A faithful Westie can instill in a child a sense of trust and security that will carry over into human relationship. Westies make great playmates, protectors and pillows and they are always available to listen and sympathize when parents, teachers, friends and siblings just do not understand.
Creating a good relationship takes understanding, communication and realistic expectations. Teach your child how to be sensitive to the needs of a Westie. Explain that Westies communicate with barking, body posture and facial expressions. Show your child how to pet the Westie gently, without pulling fur, tail or ears. Find special spots, belly or ears, that the Westie especially likes to be scratched, and sensitive areas such as feet and eyes, that the Westie does not like to be touched.
Supervise all interactions between children and Westies. This is especially true of babies and puppies.
Even well behaved Westies can get over excited during play, or have moments when they wish to be left alone. Even well behaved children can forget how to play nicely, or respond inappropriately to a Westies actions (or when the Westie chews a favorite toy).
Monitor their behavior to keep the peace and to keep child and Westie safe. However, Westies are not recommended for families with kids under the age of ten, people who contemplate having children during the lifespan of their Westie and Grandparents who anticipate frequently visiting grandchildren.
Westies were bred to hunt and kill small critters that screech, squeal, scurry and run. Many times, the normal activities of children can bring out these instincts. Sometimes families find ways to deal with them, sometimes they do not.
Remember, when you have got your Westie, you made a commitment to love and care for this Westie for his entire lifetime. It is now your job to make sure that you find a way to live up to this commitment and that you do it in a way that makes all members of your family happy, including Westie.
Each Westie comes with its own set of traits and behaviors and each human has their perception of how much effort they are willing to expend. Each child presents different behaviors that may create some of the issues. It is up to you to adapt it to the new environment and cope with it.
Jeff Cuckson has sinced written about articles on various topics from Terrier Dogs, Dogs and Computers and The Internet. Jeff Cuckson is owner of crazyaboutwesties.com a membership site devoted to Westies. For your 14 day Free Trial to this site Jeff recommends you visit :