# New westie pup owner, please help?!



## hannah.slattery (Mar 24, 2008)

we got a west highland terrier puppy four days ago, and we are completely new to dogs. he is our first pet (excluding our goldfsh), and prior to getting him we researched as much as possible, got all the right reccomended stuff - but naturally, nothing actually prepares you for the real thing! we have begun the crate training method, which seems to be working pretty well - he hasnt had any accidents in the house at all. what we are curious about, and perhaps a bit confused and frustrated with, is how much Barney should be barking. He seems so be very vocal when we leave the room, but is this natural? also, he can be very 'boisterous', and we are worried that we are not giving him enough exercise / play time. we currently reward him after successful toilet visits with a little play. also, with the crate training method, we have him in our living room, which is where we spend most of our time - is this a bad idea? should he not be in such a 'public' room? sorry 4 so many q's,please help if you can!


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## lilburnthomson (Nov 27, 2007)

Hi, Im just enjoying the ups and downs of owning an eight week old puppy so Im learning too. Our dog gets very over excited and barks/bites when this happens. We find that he is best returned to his crate for a short period if a toy wont distract him or us ignoring him doesnt stop the behaviour. However, I think you might find that they need a quiet place sometimes rather than a busy room. Our vet has told us to ignore crying etc when he is bedded down or ready for quiet/sleep during the day. It seems that the only way is to ignore the noise (difficult I know as it sounds heart rending) but this has worked very quickly for us - basically, if they cry and this gets your attention, then the pup will continue to try this. If we come into the room and the puppy is crying we ignore him until he has stopped, giving it a few minutes of quiet before we take him out of his crate, give him affection etc. Not even eye contact is important as otherwise they still have gained your attention by unwanted behaviour. I hope that helps, we just have to remember that they are a puppy and of course, they have a lot of energy which a good old session of play helps with, every time they have slept basically. Ours has positive mad minutes when he just runs and runs. Were looking forward to being able to take him out for long walks, but a few weeks yet. Good luck with your puppy. 

By the way, we are taking him to puppy parties too, via our vet so he can learn from other pups who teach each other about unwanted behaviour and biting etc, better than we ever can. Again this is on the advice of our vet who has been very helpful. Perhaps you can find out whether your vet does these or can direct you elsewhere. Im looking forward to it, first puppy party Ive ever been to!


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## ejacks (Apr 28, 2009)

Every puppy is different, but i think you're on the right track. I think you should have him in a room where he has no distractions. He needs to learn to exist on his own. I put mine in his crate in the kitchen, but i left the crate gate open so he had the run of the kitchen on his own. (I toilet trained him on training pads in the corner of the kitchen, but after a few weeks he automatically scratched the door to the garden go pee, as that's where I would take him) Give him plenty of toys and always be calm assertive with him, and be consistent with discipline. Not sure how old he is, but exercise is good - but no longer than 30-45 mins walk as they get too tired when they're very young, but you can up the time as the weeks go on. Just watch their tiredness, and be careful of their legs etc. 

As the other reply says, ignore them when you first walk into a room, and reward for quiet behaviour. 

Always act like the pack leader. Insist on them sitting for their food, treats, walks etc.. and soon they will learn who the boss is. Make them earn everything until they understand, and then you can be more relaxed with them. Make sure all family members act consistently around them as they get confused. 

i was lucky because my puppy never barked, and he still rarely barks.. he's pretty good. 

My westie gets exercise, discipline and then affection, although now he's trained, he mostly gets exercise and affection!

Good luck.


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## ejacks (Apr 28, 2009)

Please feel free to ask more questions.. My Westie is 9 months now, so I've been through it all! I would say it took until he was about 5 months for it all to kick in. And now he's perfect. 
Good luck


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## ad_1980 (Jan 28, 2009)

hi welcome to the forum. Please post pics of your new puppy 

As for advice we are all here, we've all been there so understand what you are going through when it comes to raising them.

As you're a new puppy owner can i suggest you buy Gwen Baileys The Perfect Puppy book. Its a great book especially for inexperienced dog/puppy owners. You can buy it off Amazon for £8 something pounds.


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## PoisonGirl (Oct 24, 2008)

Hi, sounds like you're going about it the right way 

Ignore him completely when he barks, and praise him loads when he stops.

I would maybe put the crate in a less public room- that way, he learns to be on his own while you are in, and is not disturbed when he goes to sleep.


My older dog was in the room with us all the time when she was wee and it made her nervouse when we left.
When we got our pup and moved house there was room to keep the dogs in the dining room. They are left there in their crates at several points throughout the day, as well as at night. They both 'settle' on command and will only disturb if the door goes, so it's a good idea to get the pup used to being in a different room 

Looking forward to some pics 

xx


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## chelleANDlottie (Mar 3, 2009)

hi 
im a new westie owner too!
how old is your little love? 
they are just so much fun and very noisy at time too!!
chelle


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## cassie01 (Jul 11, 2008)

hi i look after my aunts three westies weekdays as she has not been well and cant play with them and take them out as much as she would like. westies are great dogs fun, friendly and cute. all my aunts are vocal (usualy when they want something or see a squirrell) and love attention. the youngest (2) is a nutcase, she has loads of energy and is also very boisterous. i can wrestle with her and throw her around like my rottie where as the oldest (7) is much more lady like and polite. the 5 year old is sort of inbetween bouncyness wise. 

sounds like your doing a good job so far training wise and yes its fine to keep him in the living room with everyone else as long as he gets some alone time too. its best to slowly increase the amount of time you spend away from him. so when you do leave him for long periods it wont upset him. if you are really worried about him getting too clingy baby gates are great for keeping him out the room but he can still see and hear you and wont feel left out.

as for the barking when you leave the room thats normal puppy anxiety and if you ignore him he should soon get over it once he understands that you are coming back, but try not to make too much of a fuss about leaving as dogs will pick up on this as a sign you are leaving and will get worked up before you have even left. i have always give my dogs a treat before i leave so they are distracted when i go and associate me leaving with a nice tasty treat. then you leaving becomes a good thing.


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## mollyismyworld (May 2, 2009)

Hi,

I have a 2 year old westie called Molly. My mum had a westie for 9 years, but he passed away 4 yrs ago, just as my parents were moving to Cyprus.
After 2 years of missing my mum and her dog(s), we got Molly from a couple in Notts, from a litter we met a few times. As I work from home, she has been with me pretty much 24/7 since 8 wks old, so i never leave her in the house alone. She loves the car, and walks by my side everywhere we go.
The other comments are totally correct about 'quiet times' etc, as otherwise, u will have to never leave your dog, as I don't. We take Molly everywhere, to dog hotels, camping, pubs, but we are lucky that my fiance's mum and dad love her ( and she loves them) so when we need to go anywhere, she stays with them.
I love the fact that Molly is with me all the time, but if you need more time without your dog, you need to train them immediately, or they definitely do become clingy and, like Molly, possessive ( altho' not aggressively so).
On the flip side, Molly is so used to attention that she kisses everyone she meets and loves other dogs and cats. We have a cat who Molly misses if she can't find him, and she sleeps in our bed, as I love her little cuddles and she won't sleep without company.
Each to their own, I know, but Molly really is my world, and i can't imagine life without her.
My mum also has another 2 yr old westie in Cyprus now called Olly...he's adorable!
Good luck with ur lovely puppy. XX


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