Westiepoo

Characteristics

Health & Longevity

Average Life Span: 12-15 years
The Westiepoo is a hybrid breed of the Poodle and the West Highland White Terrier. As with any mixed breed, it is important that you look at the health conditions present in both parents to determine what your puppy may inherit.

Some of the most common health concerns include Addison’s Disease, Cushing’s Disease, patellar luxation, epilepsy, Legg-Perth’s Disease, bloat, Von Willebrand’s Disease, and pulmonary fibrosis.

Addison’s Disease can be found in Westiepoos and occurs when there is a lack of corticosteroids in the blood stream. The lack comes from an improperly functioning adrenal gland and can cause your puppy’s body not to function correctly.

Cushing’s Disease is a disease that usually affects older dogs, but can lead to problems with your dog’s blood pressure, muscle weakness, and even hair loss. The disease is marked by a tumor that grows on the pituitary gland.

Patellar luxation occurs commonly in active dogs and is no stranger to your Westiepoo. This condition happens when the knee of your puppy’s leg is dislocated. This can be painful and may result in lameness in the hind leg that is affected.

The Westiepoo can suffer from epilepsy, and it usually shows up by the time the puppy reaches age two. Seizures can be mild or violent and are often controlled with medication or a change in any environmental factors that may be causing the problem.

Legg-Perth’s Disease can affect the hind legs of your Westiepoo. This disease occurs when the head of the femur bone degenerates. This can lead to joint and bone inflammation, which is painful.

Bloat is a fatal condition that must be treated immediately for any hope of survival. This condition occurs when too much air is swallowed. The stomach will expand and place pressure on surrounding organs.

Your Westiepoo may have inherited Von Willebrand’s Disease which occurs when the platelets in the body are unable to clot due to a lack of protein.

Pulmonary fibrosis is another disease that is inherited, and it occurs within the lungs and leads to scarring.

The Westiepoo’s life expectancy is 12 to 15 years.

Temperament & Train-ability

The Westiepoo is often labeled as a friendly, energetic, and sweet dog who makes a great companion and will show you a lot of love. This breed is known to jump up in your lap and lay there while you watch TV. You should know that your little Westiepoo loves to be pet and craves attention from the ones that he or she holds dearest.

This breed is smart and often curious, which can lead to trouble, especially when your puppy starts to explore new areas of your home or get into things he or she should not.

The Westiepoo is a wonderful breed that gets along well with seniors, couples, and single adults. While the Westiepoo typically gets along with children, he or she should really only be around older kids, as younger ones make the breed nervous.

While running up to the grocery store may not prove to be an issue, if you leave your Westiepoo alone for too long, he or she will become destructive and tear up items within your home. This breed can live in apartments and adapts well to them.

Your puppy will not be too kind to strangers, so a proper introduction is required. You should also make note that this breed does tend to get irritated easily and may react without thinking when annoyed.

The Westiepoo is fairly active and does require a walk or two during the day and evening, but is not overly active to where it would be a problem.

Training is moderately easy and is not considered much more challenging than any other breed. This breed is intelligent and wants to please his or her owner, which means that he or she will pick up on commands quickly.

You should avoid scolding or yelling at your Westiepoo as he or she will not respond well to it. When it comes to training, make sure you remain firm and practice every day.

Grooming

Your Westiepoo does not require a lot of grooming, but some is necessary. You should brush your puppy’s coat at least two to three times per week to help keep it nice and soft.

You only need to bathe your puppy when he or she really needs it. When you do give him or her a bath, make sure that you use a mild or sensitive skin soap.

You should check your puppy’s ears once a week and clean out any buildup of dirt or wax with a cotton ball. Your Westiepoo’s nails also need to be trimmed monthly or as often as needed to prevent them from becoming too long.

Diet

Your Westiepoo should receive 1.5 cups to 2.5 cups of dry food per day. Ideally, this will be split into two separate meals. When choosing food for your puppy, make sure you choose a high-quality brand that meets your puppy’s nutritional needs and matches up with their energy level.

As you look around for the best food, choose a brand that uses natural and wholesome ingredients as opposed to chemicals and by-products.

Wet food can be given to your Westiepoo on occasion, but you should not rely on it solely as nutrition. Wet food can cause obesity in small breeds and lead to dental problems such as bad breath and tooth decay. Also, wet food does not hold much nutritional value.
 

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Cost

A Westiepoo puppy will cost you anywhere from $200 to $900 depending on the breeder you choose to work with and the sex of the puppy you choose.

In addition to the cost of the puppy, you should expect to pay anywhere from $300 to $600 annually for vet checkups and vaccinations.

Also, you need to factor in the costs for pet supplies, pet food, and any emergency visits that you may need to make to the vet You should estimate these costs at an additional $500 or so per year.

Paws ‘N’ Pups Ranking

Paws ‘N’ Pups ranks every breed out of 4 with 1 being easiest to integrate into your life and 4 being the toughest – The lower the ranking the better.

Ranking takes into account a few basic factors including cost, skill level needed, high vs low maintenance and how critical regular training is to success. The Westiepoo is a playful and energetic dog that is ideal for apartment life. This breed will make an excellent companion for the elderly, but should not be left alone with young children as he or she is easily annoyed and irritated. This breed ranks a 2.

 

Poodle

West Highland White Terrier

Shiffon

Yorkie-Poo