Westie Puppies Blog

Knowing the standard by heart is the best way for one to tell a genuine Westie from one that is not. This also gives the owner some ownership of the breed and responsibility in upholding the standard. But knowing fun facts, myths and even trivial things can enrich one’s appreciation for the West Highland White Terrier!

The Westie was known as the Roseneath Terrier which came from the Duke of Argyll’s abode in Scotland called Dumbartonshire. The name Poltalloch Terrier was also associated with the Westie as well. The name West Highland Terrier was official used in May 31, 1909 soon after it was registered under the name Roseneath in 1908, AKC. The White coat of the Westie is also functional for it makes them easy to spot during game in the field. Get to know more about the Westie and share the interest with others! There are many Westies that would love to be in a family!

Westie’s are known for their 2 inch, white coats and their endless amount of energy. They constantly crave attention and enjoy being around people. Standing at 10 to 11 inches and weighing 15 to 22 pounds, these dogs enjoy running through the yard and digging as they are very curious. They have almond shaped eyes, dark noses and small pointy ears.  If one is interested in owning a canine that is exhibits strength and being active, then studying the breed standard is imperative for spotting scam breeders that don’t follow quality. Here are some red flags to be aware of when buying a Westie: Read the rest of this entry »

A tiny and cute Westie is camera conscious. Looks like he knows there’s a camera focusing on him.

A beautiful Westie puppy playing at the bed! Such a cute little thing!

Westies belong to a small group of dog so they have a quite small stomach. They should receive two batches of food in a day. They should be fed in the morning and evening. Aside from this, you need to give them treats in between. Make sure that the dog has a good supply of fresh water.

The food should consist of meat, fruits, vegetables and rice. The diet should be filled with protein and vitamin rich food. Avoid giving bones and too many vitamins. Westies can be hungry all the time but this is not the reason to overfeed them as they will become overweight. This would be a threat to their life. Ideally, they should have firm and strong muscles. If you feed them too much while they are in their puppy stage, there tendency is to get big.

The West Highland white terrier, fondly known as the Westie, is a dog of exhibiting self-confidence and feels that he is the life of any party. The dog was originally bred for chasing and hunting down vermin but nowadays they are fierce competitors in agility and obedience competitions as well as search and rescue dogs by some units. Having a distinctive white coat of wavy and medium length, they are also used as mascots for different products.

Westies have double coats: a top coat of 2 inches in length and a short undercoat. It is pretty simple to groom a Westie, just brush regularly will do. Trimming may be done to the owner’s wishes and stripping may be done twice a year. Hairs on the feet are often trimmed because they can pick up dirt and hair on the face is plucked to give it a pleasant shape. To keep its shine, just wipe the coat down with a damp cloth.

We all know that dogs are highly effective at sniffing out drugs. But a little West Highland Terrier called Holly has this week excelled herself by tipping off police about a massive cannabis factory. According to the BBC, Holly started appearing stoned about a month ago when strange smells started wafting into her Reading home.

Soon Holly started sleeping longer and laying in her den until mid-morning.
“I had a job getting her up in the morning, it was almost as though she was drugged, probably stoned,” Holly’s owner Valerie Bailey told the BBC. After a few weeks, Mrs Bailey started feeling woozy too and called the Police.

When officers investigated the house next door they found a huge drugs factory containing 200 cannabis plants worth £50,000. Mrs Bailey didn’t have too much to worry about, however. It is rare that dogs get addicted to narcotics of any kind. Cats on the other hand are well known for developing a dangerous taste for addictive substances like catnip. Yet another reason why dogs are the superior species…

For more odd and interesting scientific facts about man’s best friend you should read “Play It Again Tom: Curious Truths About Cats And Dogs” by Augustus Brown.

Dogs have become such an important part of our society, that the need for them to fit in well with other human beings and not pose a threat or a disturbance is critical to their long term acceptance by our neighbors and others around us. Not all people are dog lovers and to make sure that they’re not inconvenienced by our pets, training is essential. Training dogs is a specialized skill since the key difficulty lies in how to communicate efficiently with them.

Dog training is a repetition of the basic principle of reward and punishment in various forms and combinations. Communication of these signals is the key to proper training. One very important thing to remember is consistency of signals. The reliability of the training depends on how well a dog is able to be sure of what your signals mean.

An important factor is the emotional state of the dog. A dog that is frightened, anxious, or insecure doesn’t train well and this reflects the importance of factors like proper socialization of puppies.

A lot of studies have shown that proper puppy socialization goes a long way towards ensuring a good temperament and receptivity towards training. Lots of handling, petting and generally being around humans in their everyday life goes a long way towards making a dog well behaved and easy to train.

Training Westie puppies should not begin too early however, as there is evidence to show that before a certain age, the brains of puppies are not significantly developed enough to process complex learning.

Professional dog trainers are best when it comes to training your Westie as they will ensure that the proper habits are set for life, including how to behave around strangers. For the safety of your Westie, it is your duty as an owner to ensure that he or she is well trained.

Struggling with house training?

Leerburg’s 165 pages Housetraining eBook addressing the following issues might help:

1 Why Accept the Crate First?
2 Why is not Peeing or Pooping in the House the Second Thing to Learn?
3 Why is Pack Structure Important?
4 Why is Being Calm in the House Part of House Training?
5 The Benefits of Crate Training
6 Kinds of Crates
7 Puppies and Dog Crates
8 Owner’s Attitude About Crates
9 Getting the Dog into the Crate
10 Size, Locations, and How Many Crates?
11 How Long in the Crate?
12 Teach Pee Break Vs. Play
13 When Accidents Happen
14 Feeding in the Crate
15 Exercise and House Training
16 How to Take a Dog Out of the Crate
17 When to Stop Using the Leash
18 Teaching Puppy To Ring a Bell on the Door
19 When to Stop Using the Crate
20 The Umbilical Cord Method
21 A Four Week Training Program to House Train Your Adult Dog
22 Marking In Your House
23 When to leave an adult dog home alone and loose in the house
24 Difference Between Walks and Elimination Periods Outside
25 Dog Doors are a BAD Idea!
26 Obedience Training goes along with House Training in Adult Dogs
27 Old Wives Tails on House Training Dogs
28 Using Crates as Punishment
29 Crate Aggression in Adult Dogs
30 Hard to Train Dogs
31 Emails on House Training Problems

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A little white bundle of joy….

I found a really cute poem about a Terrier. Although it doesn’t say it is a Westie, the Terrier personality, that the Westie possesses shines through in this poem!

Terrier:

I am a little terrier dog
As feisty as can be.
So don’t you come in to my yard
And don’t you mess with me!

I know my rights, I have my ways,
I’m always on the go
(Not like some dogs I could mention
Who are lazy, fat and slow).

Devoted to my owners
And of that there is no doubt,
But strangers? I may let them in -
But I won’t let them out!

I’m a cocky little terrier dog
As you can plainly see,
But if you want a loving friend,
then that is really me!

Liz Heslop