West Highland White Terrier - Westie Question

Females tend to have the better temperament, especially if you have children. I have a ten year old Westie and 2 Cockatiels. She has never bothered my Cockatiels, in fact she is a little scared of them. They can be walking around on the floor, and my Westie leaves them completely alone.

It depends on the individual dog. Many people who have had both males and females , in westies, prefer the males temperment. They are often more tollerant of being accidently hurt then the females (such as by small children). I think they are also easier to train. We have chickens and the dogs learn not to bother the chickens, also has to do with individual dog. Some are intense hunters and some are very laid back. Raised with the cockatiel with proper training, a more laid back westies should be good. An intense hunter personality who has not been properly introduced and trained may kill the bird, but that is true for any hunting or guarding type breed.

I have both a male and a female Westie (3 years old). The female is more aggressive (she is the Alpha dog) and is much more interested in chasing birds, squirrels and rabbits than the male, although he will participate if he sees her doing it. The only way I would recommend having a cockatiel with a Westie is if you introduce the dog to the bird when the dog is young and teach the dog not to hurt the bird, and to make sure that if the bird is ever out of the cage, you are there to supervise and watch out for it. I had a cockatiel that got out of its cage while we were out running errands and the dogs killed it. I don't blame the Westies for doing something that is instinctual, but you need to be aware that Westies were bred to hunt and they don't know the difference between a wild bird and a pet bird.