WEST HIGHLAND WHITE TERIER THE
1. Where do you live? What do you do “outside” of dogs? 2. How many years in Westie? Showing? Judging? Breeding? 3. What, in your opinion, is the secret to a successful breeding program? 4. What do you feel is the condition of the Westie breed today? Pros and Cons? 5. What do you feel breeders need to concentrate on to improve the quality of Westie? 6. How do you feel about the influx of new judges, specialists and all breed, to our breed? Do you feel they have a grasp of the standard, do they know what compromises a good Westie? 7. The Westie is recognizable by people around the world who may not be familiar with most breeds. Is this an advantage? 8. Westies are currently ranked #42 out of all AKC breeds in popularity. Are you happy with this position? 9. What is your favorite dog show memory? 10. Is there anything else you’d like to share about the breed? Please elaborate. LINDY BARROW
selection of breedings based on both phenotype and genotype. Then only keep pups that have what you want in type. This can be hard, sometimes an entire litter does not give you one you hoped for. When you are at shows (especially when there is a good size entry) look at dogs and bitches you like—check who the parents are. Look at ones you do not like—check who parents are. See if you are finding a certain dog that is producing offspring you like. Ask other breeders for their opinions. It would be nice to think that everyone is honest about health issues in their breeding line, but this is not always the case. I person- ally will discuss if there are any possible issues in a line when some- one is breeding to one of my dogs or looking to purchase a show puppy from me. In the early days of my breeding I did have a health issues and was honest about it and no one bred to my dogs for years, even though I had removed that part from my bloodline completely. Over the years, people know know will discuss a problem and have built a reputation on this. The condition of the Westie breed today? As with any breed they go through periods where there are some weaknesses. In Westies, the front assembly was getting far to straight with a lot of short upper arms. There have been some dogs with good fronts that helped to correct this in their offspring and have helped get the breed back on track. Westies can be prone to skin problems. This can be a very seri- ous type of health issue and not all pet owners can deal with it. Breeders need to work hard to not breed dogs with skin issues (or other known health issues). As breeders we are the ambassadors of the breed it is our responsibility to do all we can to improve the quality of the Westies.
I grew up with a Westie and knew exactly what breed I wanted to persue when my life settled that I could dedicate time to a breed. Although I compete in Conformation, I sup- port the other areas of the competition and help my parent club when they have barn hunts and earthdog events. Whatever it is that you do, just enjoy spending time with your
© Celso Mollo
“As breeders we are the ambassadors of the breed IT IS OUR RESPONSIBILITY TO DO ALL WE CAN TO IMPROVE THE QUALITY OF THE WESTIES.”
dog—be it your show dogs or your pet. I live in Caledon, Ontario, Canada and part time in Positano, Italy. Although retired I am president of three small companies. This keeps me busier than when I worked full time. I am on the board of a medical organization and head up a neighbourhood group which tries to protect the environmental status of our area. My first show Westie purchased in 1998, first litter in 1999. I have been showing and breeding for 20 years. The secret to a successful breeding program: there are many things. Starting with the best bitch you can. Be honest with your- self of the flaws in your dogs and bitches and try to breed to correct them. This may take a few generations. Know your breed standard. Learn how to read a pedigree—what did the ancestors look like, what were the traits they passed on (both good and bad). Don’t just breed to a dog because it was a big winner. Pedigree’s for me were easy as I came from a thoroughbred horse family. Make your
272 • S HOW S IGHT M AGAZINE , J UNE 2019
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