A small dog with a terrier-sized routine
A West Highland White Terrier may be small, but its week is not a miniature version of a lapdog's. A Westie is a sturdy, self-confident earth dog with a harsh white double coat and skin that deserves watching, so the checklist should combine proper daily exercise and mental work with scheduled coat and skin sessions. Daily anchors stay simple: measured meals, water, morning and evening outings with sniffing and digging opportunities in an allowed spot, and a short training game that gives that bright terrier brain something legal to solve.
Coat care that keeps the white coat harsh
Schedule two or three brush-outs a week for a Westie's double coat, lifting dirt and loose hair and keeping the coat's harsh texture rather than letting it soften and mat underneath. Note the grooming method your dog is on — hand-stripping or clipping — as a standing line, with the next appointment or stripping session dated on the list, because coat texture and skin comfort both depend on that choice being consistent. Add a weekly bath judgement: Westies get grubby enthusiastically, but over-bathing a dog with sensitive skin does no favours, so the checklist asks whether a bath is needed rather than assuming one.
Skin watching as a named task
West Highland White Terriers are well known for itchy, reactive skin, so give skin its own weekly slot instead of folding it into grooming and forgetting it. Part the coat at the belly, armpits, paws and tail base and look for redness, flaking, hot spots or thinning, then write one honest line about what you found. Track scratching through the week in the notes — a dog scratching at night or chewing its paws is data. If the skin breaks, the itching is relentless, ears smell sour or patches spread, that is the vet threshold for this breed, and your weekly skin lines will show the progression clearly.
Teeth, weight and terrier exercise
Small terrier mouths crowd teeth, so schedule dental care several times a week on the checklist and a weekly gum check alongside nails and ears. Weigh monthly and feel ribs weekly: a compact dog gains a visible belly quickly, and extra weight strains an active little frame. Plan exercise as a real walk plus play rather than garden access alone — a Westie will happily patrol a garden and call it work, but fitness and behaviour both improve when the checklist insists on leaving the street. Note prey-drive moments on walks; a written record of what triggers lunging helps the whole household handle the lead consistently.
One list the whole household follows
Keep the Westie's week on one visible list, assign the coat, skin and dental slots by name, and review it weekly: is the scratching better or worse, is the next groom booked, did the long walk actually happen? Small adjustments made weekly prevent the slow drift that turns a routine into a memory. KinsLe's Care Teams keeps a Westie's care that tidy, letting each brushing, skin check and walk sit with a specific person and show its completion time to everyone else.