What Dog Is Better For Kids, A West-highland White Terrier Or A Yorkshire Terriers?

Comments

1. moof says:

   August 23, 2009 at 1:09 pm

   Well, that depends on you and your family.
   Yorkies are very fragile, so you must have a relatively peaceful household. (At their ages, your kids should be old enough to be gentle with a toy breed dog, right?) Yorkies are energetic and can be considered hyper or frantic by some, although they don’t really need outdoors exercise. They’re very alert and loyal and make very good watch dogs, although most people aren’t intimidated by yapping. Yorkies tend to be quite bossy, so you must not make the mistake of babying them or they will learn to manipulate you! If you’re going to purchase a puppy, you must purchase from a high quality breeder. Due to their popularity, backyard breeders are mass-producing Yorkies that are overflowing with health and behavioral issues (like neurosis, separation anxiety, timidity). Yorkies make great little lap dogs, they love being with their family.
   Westies are very sturdy for their size. Your kids can actually take the Westie outside to play like a “normal” dog. However, it isn’t unusual for overexcited Westies to be nippy, so the kids shouldn’t go crazy, you know? They’re very intelligent, but their independent nature can also mean that training can be pretty difficult. They also require regular stimulation to keep them from being destructive out of boredom. And due to their independence, they aren’t usually lap dogs; they can be, but don’t be surprised if your Westie prefers the floor on the other side of the room. Westies are energetic and were designed to dig, so expect a lot of holes in your yard. Westies also unusually have high prey drives, which may result in some dead squirrels in your yard.. Anyway, Westies are much, much truer to the “terrier” character than the Yorkie. They’re independent, prey-driven, digging, smart, energetic..
2. PureFluf says:

   August 23, 2009 at 2:35 pm

   It is in my opinion and experience that yorkies tend to not like being handled much, especially by any other than the head of the house. Though the 16 year old might be calm enough, the 13 and 11 year olds (same age as two of my siblings) will want to play with the dog. I would choose the westie.
3. Bozema says:

   August 23, 2009 at 6:46 pm

   Your kids are older and as long as they understand that Yorkies are small and fragile, either breed would be OK. Westies are more active and require more exercise. Yorkies are smaller companion dogs and require less exercise. It depends on what you want in a dog.
4. greenika says:

   August 23, 2009 at 11:31 pm

   i have 3 kids, 5 year old, 10 year old and 15 year old. I have a 5 month old Yorkie and she is such a loving little girl and she is very good with my kids. I do not have a tea cup Yorkie, i have a full size pup. The smaller they are the easier it is to step on them.
5. Jaclyn says:

   August 24, 2009 at 2:51 am

   Technically speaking, I don’t think that Yorkies are Terriers, but personally (especially because your kids are older and could handle a Terrier) I’d go with teh Westie. They’re hardy, sturdy, playful, and in my opinion, less snobbish.
6. iluvcoco says:

   August 24, 2009 at 6:17 am

   they are both fine for kids. when i was three i had a german shepherd. i think those are both just fine. just ask them to pick which one they like better. but west highland white terriers are playful so you might want to get that one over a yorkie though.