Because a friend of mine wanted a Westie, I know that this breed in particular seems to be more susceptible to allergies, bladder cancer, luxating patellas, and eye problems.

In addition, each pure breed of dogs has its own particular hereditary problems; some minor, some impairing, and some possibly fatal. Some may show a very strong hereditary basis and others not much more than a tendency to "run in families." The Westie is no exception. Failure to screen for hereditary problems before breeding often results in the "doubling up" of unfavorable genes, and the results are distressing for the buyer and dog alike.

- The West Highland White Terrier Club of America
http://www.westieclubamerica.com/health/concerns.html

As you can see, there are a wide range of diseases that the Westie, in particular, is prone to. It's up to you the owner to avoid these health maladies. The best way is to screen your dog via blood tests, Optigen ( http://www.optigen.com/), OFA (http://www.offa.org/), PennHip (http://www.pennhip.org/), CERF (http://www.vmdb.org/cerf.html). It should be worthy to note that your dog must be around 2 years to have successfully screened and passed her patellas and hips. So to answer your initial question, you'll have to wait a couple years for those puppies.

If your b*tch passes all these tests, congratulations! You have a very nice healthy foundation for a successful breeding program. Now it's just time to evaluate why you want to breed. In order to "prove" your dog can help improve the breed, you'll need to enter her in either field trials or conformation shows. Or maybe she excells at an entirely different event completely. The point is that she brings something new to the table. She needs physical proof that she can help better the breed, whether it be through her fantastic conformation or her strong work ethic. Being "cute" and "sweet" simply is not enough in this overpopulated world. I truly hope this gave you something to chew on. If you're still interested in breeding, pair up with a REPUTABLE breeder and see if they would like to mentor you. Chances are you'll have to wait a couple months/years to get your hands on a good foundation b*tch, and you'll have to wait even longer to acquire the semen of a good stud dog. For starters, you can attend a local dog show and talk to the Westie breeders or visit: http://www.westieclubamerica.com/teamwestie/rrc.html

Breeding isn't a six-week venture. It's a life-long dedication to the breed.