The answer to the above question is yes, but I think you’d have to be doing something insane like running it on a treadmill for six hours or making it run along beside you on a forty mile bike trip.
Westies have enormous energy and they recover from exertion really quickly. They often look like they are totally bagged, but they usually aren’t.
Anyway, there is usually a built-in failsafe and that is your fatigue level. One of the great things about owning a dog is that if your dog is being exercised, you are usually being exercised as well. You will probably poop out before your westie does. In my own case, Willow is getting me in shape, not the other way around. We bang off between five and ten kilometres a day, rain or shine. Believe me, at 62 years of age that’s more ground every day than I used to cover in a month before I retired. For me this has been one of the major blessings of the west highland terrier experience.
I had a perfect example of westie stamina last week. As I’ve mentioned previously, we are having a heat-wave in Maple Ridge. One day, we set out on our walk and had completed around 4 km. I was totally drained. Willow was trucking along beside me and she was the picture of exhaustion. Her tongue was hung ‘way out and she was panting like a little steam engine.
When we came to a nice park with trees and lots of shade I figured we both needed a break and collapsed in the shade of a big cedar. Instead of flopping beside me, Willow spent most of our ten minute break tearing around in circles at top speed. Of course, when we got home she went to sleep for about three hours. A perfect example of Westie stamina.
I used to think that West Highland Terriers couldn’t run for long distances. After all, they do have stubby little legs. Then I watched an episode of The Dog Whisperer on TV and any fears I had about the running abilities of short-legged dogs were put to rest forever. Cesar was exercising an overweight Dachshund and in true Dog Whisperer fashion he was on rollerblades. That fat little dachshund kept right up with him and wouldn’t quit. He seemed to prefer a fast run to a slow walk. A dachshund has a longer back and way shorter legs than a Westie. That’s when I realized I didn’t have to worry about exhausting my little West Highland White.
If anything, a lack of exercise will do more damage and is a bigger cause of problems, than too much. This is true for all dogs and its especially true of the terrier breeds like the Westie. Cesar says success with a dog comes from exercise, discipline and affection in that order. My own experience with my little Westie has borne this out.
So, exercise that little pooch as much as you want. Don’t be scared. I guarantee, your Westie will love you. And you’ll drop from exhaustion long before he will.
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