Training Your Westie

If you have just brought a Westie into your home you must make a plan on how you are going to go about training your dog.

Westies like to be clean so it is important that you toilet train your little dog once old enough. We were advised to toilet train Mitzi at around 4 months old. To be honest she was a quick learner and not long after we started to train her she was crying at the back door if she needed to go out.

When training your Westie to walk I would advise getting a small body harness for your dog. This harness will avoid hurting your dogs neck if it pulls, and you will have more control over him/her when out walking. It is a personal choice so make sure you do your homework on leads / harnesses etc before you buy one.

Mitzi is great when out walking, she will either walk at your side or just a few paces in front. If we let her off the lead within a safe area she will have a good run round but she will still keep an eye on you to make sure you are still there – bless her cotton socks!

Westies loves to play with toys, so the more they have the better, it will keep them active and healthy. Mitzi loves nothing better than having a good play with her toys in the house or garden. You will be amazed at how strong these West Highland Terriers are especially when playing tug of war with a toy!

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Socialising your Westie

Just because West Highland Terrier dogs are small and cute this does not mean you have to move them away from the larger dogs when out walking.

From day one we have always allowed Mitzi to have the opportunity to meet other dogs whilst out walking. It’s only natural that your dog will be curious when it first meets another dog in the street. Don’t pull your dog away immediately. Assess the situation first and if the other dog looks calm and the handler is confident then allow your dog to sniff the other dog, it’s only animal behaviour. I’ve found that the individuals who don’t let their dogs socialise are usually nervous people themselves, and this nervousness is passed onto the dog.

Of course if you see a huge dog coming along with the white of its eyes showing and a great big jaw snapping – don’t even go near it! These types of dogs are certain to have behavioural problems so no doubt the owner of that dog will have it on a tight leash!

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