We used to own a Westie and we adored her! However, they do require someone that is skilled at training.
We were not and she walked allllllllllllllllll over us. LOL!! She was so beyond smart it was bizarre!!!!!! I know most people say that their dogs are smart, but she was insanely smart! Yes, this sounds good in theory, but they are also one of the most STUBBORN breeds out there! Sooooooooooo, what we had was a dog that had her own thoughts and was not about to mind us because we were push-overs and she was stubborn AND was super intelligent!!!!!!! I think it definitely takes someone with a lot of paitence and time.We never taught her to sit or shake or stay or roll over or any of her tricks that she did....she learned every one of them by the time she was 10 weeks old and it was from watching our other dogs do them. She was the only dog that I have ever owned that I can honestly say seemed more like a person than a dog. I can tell you that her allergies were VERY bad and she was on different medicines for them and she had luxating patella (the latter, I believe because her breeder was not the best).....Westies are known for allergies.
We loved our sweet smart girl so much and her feisty personality is what makes me smile when I think of her.
Tammy