Westie vs Pug: Deciding on a Home Companion

Your home can feel empty without a furry companion to keep it warm. You can have a wonderful home, the best job, and an awesome group of friends yet still feel something missing in your life.

It goes without saying that one of the best housemates you can ever have is a dog. Dogs, in particular, are fiercely loyal and protective. In many instances, you can trust them even more than a fellow human.

In a choice between a Westie vs pug, which is the better pet for your household?

Choosing a Home Companion

With your family away, and friends busy living their lives, a home companion can make all the difference in the world. Two top candidates for Pet of the Year are a West Highland white terrier and a pug.

These two breeds are amazing to have as home companions, but which one has the edge? Take a look at the list of each breed’s awesome qualities so you can decide for yourself.

The ideal criteria for choosing a furry home companion should include, but not be limited to:

  • Color
  • Coat
  • Grooming
  • Shedding
  • Trainability

Westie vs Pug

Before welcoming a dog into your home, you must see the potential for a mutually beneficial relationship. Consider your present circumstance, the kind of life you live, and your capacity to offer happiness to a pet.

If these, and other crucial factors, cannot be addressed properly, then it would be best to reconsider your venture. The aforementioned criteria for choosing a home companion should, at the very least, correspond to your needs.

The breed you end up deciding on must be of the right color, temperament, shedding level, coating quality, and more. When all these categories fall into place then you will have found yourself the perfect match.

1. Colors

Naturally, you would want your dog’s colors to be pleasing to the eyes, especially yours.

Westie

Westies are known for looking so effortlessly natural and pure. Their white-colored coat aids in achieving this sort of look, which just gives you peace and comfort after a hectic day.

Pug

A pug’s coat is typically a fawn black color, which could be just as appealing as the Westie’s all-white appearance, depending on who you ask.

2. Coat

The dog’s coat has several functions, but since you’re only after a home companion, your concern would mainly be how the coat feels under your palms and between your fingers.

Westie

A West Highland white terrier has a dense white coat that doesn’t shed too much. This denser fur also makes it an ideal hunting dog.

Pug

A pug, on the other hand, has finer hairs. This makes it ideal for indoor environments and constant petting.

3. Grooming

Grooming is an issue for a lot of dog owners because they may not have time to do it on their own, regardless if they get a Westie or a pug.

If you find yourself not having the time to groom your dog regularly, then make sure to pick one that requires less of this activity.

Westie

As far as grooming is concerned, Westies need a lot of it. The dense white fur coating their bodies can easily get tangled and dirty. Its white color doesn’t do it any favors when playing outdoors either; it makes any smudge or stain stand out easily.

Pug

Much unlike a Westie, a pug doesn’t require much grooming. It typically isn’t the kind of pet that you keep outdoors, so it gives them less chance of being in contact with mud, dirt, or dust. Furthermore, its coat is so fine that any type of dirt will easily slide off it.

4. Shedding

Obviously, the level of shedding is going to affect the level of cleaning you will be doing around the house. If the amount of shedding doesn’t really matter to you, then you are more than welcome to skip this section. Then again, we urge you not to.

Shedding can affect your health and the overall well-being of those around you, so we encourage you to find out what your breed of choice has in store for you in this department.

Westie

Does the West Highland white terrier even shed at all? This is what most Westie owners often ask themselves on account of rarely ever seeing their pets shed their coat. Generally, a Westie undergoes zero to minimal shedding.

Pug

Finally, the pug ends up on the losing side for a change, and in such an important category, too. Again, shedding can impact your health, home hygiene, and other important elements. Pugs just so happen to shed a lot. So, yes, we’ll let you stew on that for a while.

5. Trainability

How easy or difficult a pet dog is to train is definitely going to matter. After all, you don’t want a pooch who doesn’t respond to any of your commands. More importantly, you don’t want a pet chewing on any of your precious belongings.

Westie

This is another win for the Westies, as they earn a point for their breed in terms of trainability. Being the relatively intelligent dogs that they are, Westies can easily pick up on simple commands given by their master or pack leader.

Pug

Pugs aren’t known for being the brightest breed, which is why you may have a hard time training them. Nonetheless, they also don’t fall under the category of “impossible to train,” which is the reason why you shouldn’t give up on them either.

Takeaway

In a battle between a Westie vs pug, who do you think would win? The race for the best home companion has been a tight one, with the pug just narrowly edging the West Highland white terrier by landing three out of the five categories.

However, since the shedding factor is such a heavy one in determining the winner, we have declared this contest a tie. Plus, there’s a matter of other characteristics that could influence your decision, such as affection level, sensitivity, playfulness, temperament, social needs, health issues, biting potential, the impulse to roam, and much more.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *