West Highland White Terrier care on Cape Ann

The AKC describes a game terrier with a very strong will, bred like all terriers to work alone, which can make training a challenge. It also says that by nature a Westie will run after anything that moves, so the breed does best in a fenced area or on a leash. VCA's breed guide adds that Westies tend to go off hunting and may not come when called, that many like to dig, and that some bark a lot, which it suggests discouraging from an early age.

On Cape Ann the chase triggers are everywhere: squirrels in Ravenswood Park, rabbits at the edge of the trails on Dogtown Common, gulls on an off-season beach. Keep the leash on in open country and save off-leash running for the fenced Gloucester Dog Park at Stage Fort Park, which has a separate small-dog area. The AKC says Westies take to patient, consistent lessons kept upbeat and interesting, and VCA recommends reward-based training with food or games.

Mud season on Cape Ann runs through March and April, when the thaw turns trails and road edges to slop, and a low-slung white dog wears the evidence up to its elbows. The AKC warns that because the Westie has a hard coat, bathing too often can do more harm than good. So the everyday answer is a rinse: lukewarm water over the legs and belly, a towel, and a comb through to the skin once the coat is dry.

When the white has gone gray for good, a $55 bath with blow-dry and brush-out at Dogtown brings it back, and whitening, an $8 add-on, brightens a coat that has dulled or yellowed. Full service with the breed trim is $75. Book the bath for the end of mud season rather than every muddy week, and book the next one at pick-up to take $5 off. Our mud season page has more on the bath schedule.

Whether a Westie suits a group is decided at the free evaluation, on weekdays between 6:30 and 9:30 AM: a temperament test and a few supervised hours with other dogs. We watch how your terrier plays, how it handles being chased and how it stops. At 15 to 20 pounds on the AKC's figures, a Westie plays with small dogs in a group of 7 to 10 matched by size and temperament. A Westie's full day costs $42; a half day, $33.

The AKC says Westies excel at obedience, rally and agility, so an Academy day at $89, with a training session and fitness work, gives a busy terrier a job. A bath can share the day and send your dog home white. The Pup Van covers Rockport, Gloucester, Essex and Manchester-by-the-Sea at $10 each way, and FIRST15 takes 15 percent off the first daycare visit.