Fourche Terrier: Westie Yorkie Mix

The small Fourche Terrier is a hybrid designer dog and a cross between the Yorkshire Terrier and the West Highland White Terrier.

These small, but playful dogs are extremely intelligent and show a lot of loyalty.

Despite their small size and delicate appearance, they are protective of their human families and are known to be good watchdogs. The Fourche Terrier is a wonderful companion for all people.

This adorable mixed breed combines the best traits from both parent breeds and puts it in this amazing little doggy package.

Westie Yorkie Mix History

During the 1990s, it was extremely popular to take two purebred breeds and mix them together to create what we know as a mixed breed.

People learned if you mix two purebred breeds together, you get the best traits of both breeds in one package. There isn’t any other information regarding this mixed breed in the terms of history.

I will explain the history of the parents of this mix that way, you get a better understanding of the mix.

West Highland White Terrier

This dog breed originated in Scotland, where it was used for many jobs but mostly hunting small game. The Westie would hunt foxes, rabbits, badgers, rats, and other small animals.

The West Highland White Terrier breed changed over the years to an all-white dog breed due to a terrible accident by one of Colonel Malcolm of Poltallochs dogs. He mistakes it for a fox and shot it, obviously killing the dog.

From then on, he decided that he would only own West Highland White Terries that way, he would know the difference between the dog and a fox during hunting.

Eventually, in the early 1900s, this fantastic dog breed made its way to the United States.

Yorkshire Terrier

The Yorkshire Terrier has a very similar history to the West Highland White Terrier as it was also used to hunt smaller animals such as rats and mice.

The purebred breed grew in popularity very fast, and people started to use them just as house and lapdogs instead of hunting dogs.

Noblewomen became very fond of the dog breed and started taking it shows, and that is how the Yorkshire Terrier went from hunting dog to show dog.

This breed made its way to the United States in the late 1800s, where it is still an extremely popular mixed breed.

Fourche Terrier Appearance

They have small proportionate bodies and despite the size they are very muscular and sturdy dogs, especially in the front limbs.

The Fourche Terrier typically has large rounded eyes. They are usually set wider and are of a dark color, but there have been a few cases where a Fourche Terrier has had blue eyes.

Their facial hair is long, and all Fourche Terriers have a mustache and long beard. Their muzzles are short and compact, and their ears typically resemble those of their Terrier parents, larger and pointed.

Westie Yorkie Mix Coat

They are shaggy dogs, taking after their parents, and if left unclipped, they take on the appearance of a miniature Sheepdog.

Its coat is full and thick and comes in a variety of colors, including white, cream, black, tan, brindle, brown, or rust. It can often have a patchy colored coat with it patches of color being typically found on its chest, long beard, and feet.

Even though the Fourche Terrier has a medium to long coat, it is easy to maintain due to its low-shedding status.

What Colors Do They Come In?

There are not very many color options when it comes to the Westie Yorkie mix. Some of the color options are:

• Black
• White
• Brindle
• Brown
• Gray
• Gold
• Tan
• Chocolate

Your new puppy could take on more than one color giving it an almost spotted look. The mix will have the traditional black nose with brown eyes.

Fourche Terrier Size

The Fourche Terrier is a small dog just like its parents. At shoulder level, it can measure up to 11 inches in height.

Their average weight is low, but they have sometimes been known to reach a weight of 25 pounds.

A male will typically weigh between 13 to 15 pounds, and a female will weigh between 12 to 14 pounds.

Westie Yorkie Mix Health Issues

The Fourche Terrier is a healthy dog, but it can sometimes display signs of skin problems. A typical dog skin condition that your Fourche Terrier may develop is Pruritus.

This causes the dog to itch and scratch themselves. If left untreated, it can become infected. Depending on your dog will depend on how much your Fourche Terrier suffers from Pruritus.

It could be a change of the seasons that triggers it, or it could be just a general skin condition they suffer from that needs ongoing care.

Life Expectancy of a Westie Yorkie Mix

If the Fourche Terrier lives a healthy life, this small dog’s average life expectancy is between 12-15 years.

Just give your adorable dog lots of love, healthy dog food, and plenty of exercise to give it a happy and healthy life.

Fourche Terrier Temperament

The Fourche Terrier makes for a great family dog due to its extremely loving and affectionate nature. This dog likes to have human contact and is known to follow its human owners around the house.

It is a loyal dog that will instinctively protect its family members, especially children. It loves children and a lot of playtime; therefore it is an excellent dog to keep if you have young children.

This dog can be stubborn at times, and if it does not feel like doing something, it will stubbornly refuse, for example, going on a walk. It loves to play outdoors, but equally, this dog likes lounging around indoors too.

Westie Yorkie Mix Grooming

The Fourche Terrier’s coat needs maintenance due to its shagginess and length. It is recommended to brush your dog’s coat with a metal brush daily to keep it tangle-free and shiny looking.

If it becomes matted, the dog will be more prone to skin breakouts and even dog eczema.

It needs to be groomed and clipped every 8-10 weeks to keep it looking neat. Its hair can grow long if you let it.

It is especially important to trim its fringe, so your Fourche Terrier’s sight is not impaired.

Fourche Terrier Exercise

This dog does have energy, but not as much as other small hybrid dogs. One leisurely walk a day will suffice.

If you cannot walk it one day for some reason, running around the yard and playing with the kids will suffice.

Just try to get outside and give your dog at least 30 minutes of exercise. This will not only keep your little dog healthy, but it will also combat boredom and bad behavior associated with when your dog gets bored.

Playing frisbee will be a great activity for you and your dog to do outside. This is a smart dog breed with natural hunting instincts, so it should run right to the frisbee wanting to get it.

Westie Yorkie Mix Feeding

The Westie Yorkie mix needs to have between one cup or one and a half cups of high-quality dog food each day. The food requirement will all be based on the weight of the dog.

Some Fourche Terries are smaller than other so it would need to eat less. Remember to break the daily food amount into multiple small meals throughout the day.

An amazing product you could use to help you with this is an automatic dog feeder. You can proportion out 1/4 cups of food multiple times throughout the day for your dog to eat.

It will dispense the food automatically even if you are not home. Remember to purchase a small dog breed food as the kibble size will be smaller for your dog’s teeth.

Be aware not to overfeed your tiny dog as they can put on weight much faster than a large dog breed.

Fourche Terrier Training

The Fourche Terrier is a little more difficult to train due to its playful and stubborn nature. It will often mistake training sessions for playtime.

To train your Fourche Terrier, you need to have consistent firm training. It is recommended to take your Fourche Terrier to a reputable dog trainer and have it trained from an early age to break any potential bad habits.

Fourche Terrier Suitability and Living Conditions

The Fourche Terrier is able to live in an apartment due to its size and low to moderate energy levels. This is a dog recommend for families with small children as it does not show any aggressive tendencies.

The Fourche Terrier does best in mild temperatures and has trouble withstanding extreme weather, especially heat. This is an indoor dog, and it should not be kept outdoors.

Westie Yorkie Mix Puppies

You may have trouble finding a Westie Yorkie mix breeder because this is a newer and more rare designer dog breed. When you do find a few breeders make sure you interview them both.

Asking the general questions about the care of the dogs, their health records, and see if you are close enough to visit the dogs and breeder. These are very important things to bring up to establish trust with the breeder that will be giving you your new puppy.

You can expect to pay between $600 and $1,200 for a new Fourche Terrier puppy. If that still seems like too much, you can always search for this mix in a rescue, but it will be much harder to acquire one.

Westie Yorkie Mix Litter Size

A female West Highland White Terrier can have between three and five puppies in a single litter. A female Yorkshire Terrier can have between one to four puppies in a litter.

Based on this information, it can vary dramatically from litter to litter, just how many puppies the female dog will have.

I would say depending on the size of the female dog could yield between three or four puppies.

Close relatives of the Fourche Terrier

These other dog breeds and mixes below are very similar to the Fouche Terrier; not just with looks but also temperament.

• West Highland White Terrier
• Yorkshire Terrier
• Skye Terrier
• Schnauzer Yorkie Mix
• Morkie
• Wheaten Terrier
• Boston Terrier Yorkie Mix