A BELLA VISTA WESTIE

 

At Bella Vista, we are very serious about the breeding and the raising of our puppies.  Each time a litter is planned, thought and consideration are given to how the puppies will better the breed.  While we strive for correct conformation, all of our Westies must be companions first.  This means they must have the temperament that allows them to go everywhere and to do everything. Health concerns are also an important consideration since a dog must be healthy to have an active lifestyle which is a must for our dogs.  Each time we breed a litter, we are looking to keep a puppy.  The puppy may live in our home or may be placed with a caretaker to be used in our breeding program.

Bella Vista Westies are born in our bedroom and raised in our home.  Puppies are socialized to multiple breeds of dogs and to a wide variety of people.  Currently, we own a Yorkshire Terrier, a Portuguese Water Dog and a Sealyham Terrier in addition to the Westies.  Our dogs compete in a wide variety of dog sports that include:  agility, obedience, rally obedience, tracking, earthdog, freestyle, and conformation.
Although we own a boarding kennel, our Westies & all of our dogs live in our house—sitting on the sofa, taking turns sleeping in bed and patrolling the yard for vermin.  Bella Vista Westies have a strong natural hunting instinct.  They excel at earthdog and need fence or a leash to keep them out of trouble since if it is a choice between chasing a squirrel or rabbit or listening to a human, the squirrel/rabbit will win—every time!

We begin crate training the puppies at age 6 weeks.  The first stage is to have the puppies sleep in the crate with one or more of their litter mates.  Eventually, the puppies are separated and place in their individual crates.  In the beginning of this process, the puppies are all crated in the same room.  By the time the puppies are ready to leave our home and move into their new families, the puppies are use to sleeping alone in their crates.  Our dogs see their crates as their special space.  We strongly encourage the use of a crate for house training and travel.  

 

At age 7 weeks, the puppies are temperament tested.  The testing is done by an individual that has not had any contact with the puppies prior to the evaluation to remove any possible bias.  The puppies are tested for noise sensitivity, social attraction, touch sensitivity and social dominance.  This evaluation helps us to place each puppy into an appropriate home.
At age 8 ˝  to 9 weeks, our puppies receive their first health screening by a licensed veterinarian.  This includes testing for parasites and the administration of the first vaccine.  The protocol we follow for vaccinations has been developed by the Dr. Jean Dodd and accepted at 27 schools of Veterinary Medicine.  We share this detailed information with all individuals who purchase a puppy.  It is our goal to keep our puppies healthy and to avoid any possible auto-immune disorders related to the over administration of vaccines.  Once the puppies have had their first vaccine at age 8 ˝ to 9 weeks, they are taken to dog training classes, dog shows and other public locations.  We make sure the puppies are handled by as many people as possible and are exposed to many different indoor and outdoor environments.
While we are always excited to place a puppy into a show or a performance home, we understand that not everyone is interested in dog sports—although we are not sure why!  If you think you might be interested in learning more about any dog sport, please let us know.  If you live in the area, we would be happy to mentor you and your Westie.  If you live outside of our area, we can help connect you to other Westie owners.

Bella Vista West Highland White Terriers History

Bella Vista was established in 1984 with the breeding our first litter of West Highland White Terriers.  As of August 31, 2009 these limited breedings have produced Westies that have earned:

  • 11 AKC Championships (3 owner-handler finished)

  • 1 United Kennel Club Championship

  • 1 Canadian Kennel Club Championship

  • 3 AKC Versatile Companion Dog Level 1 Titles

  • 1 AKC Versatile Companion Dog Level 2 Title

  • 16 Versatile Dog Awards from the West Highland White Terrier Club of America

  • 4 Versatile Dog Excellent Awards from the West Highland White Terrier Club of America

  • 2 Master of Versatility Dog Award from the West Highland White Terrier Club of America

  • And Multiple Titles in Performance and Companion Dog Activities including Earthdog, Agility, Tracking, Freestyle, Obedience & Rally Obedience.

Services we offer:

  • Occasional puppies are available for sale. (Please see Puppy Update)

  • Limited Stud Services area available to approved females.

  • Training in obedience, agility, rally obedience & other dog sports

  • Boarding and Grooming for all breeds