# Westie snapping .



## tigger west (Mar 10, 2010)

Hi, 
This is my first time on this forum. I have a female year old west highland terrier. In the last 4 weeks she has snapped/nipped/growled at my 2 year old and myself. One occasion related to food on the ground so I made allowances for that. The second and third instance were just times when she did not like being moved, by her collar and without her collar. I cant trust her without supervision especially with kids in the house. She was a nippy pup when playing and had what I call attitude when reprimamded on this. We used to put her in her kennel and close the door for a few mins. My groomer thinks she is highly strung and yappy. Should we consult a behaviour expert or is this part of the Westie's temperment? She is a very friendly dog when out and about but this side of her is really worrying. She is registered but we have her neutered. Any advice ?


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## Nonnie (Apr 15, 2009)

Your first port of call should be a vet to rule out any underlying health issues.

If that shows up nothing, then ask your vet to refer you to a behaviouist. If you have insurance this may be covered.

Most terriers are feisty, but with strict boundaries and effective and daily training, theres no reason for such behaviour to become the norm or acceptable.

Obviously never leave her alone with your children, even for a second. This goes for ALL dogs, well tempered or not.


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## billyboysmammy (Sep 12, 2009)

Nonnie said:


> Your first port of call should be a vet to rule out any underlying health issues.
> 
> If that shows up nothing, then ask your vet to refer you to a behaviouist. If you have insurance this may be covered.
> 
> ...


took the words right out of my mouth.

I too would advocate asking for a full review and blood tests with the vet to rule out anything. Certain health problems can cause behavioural changes so these need to be eliminated first.

Then ask your vet and other dog walkers for reccomendation of good behaviorists. As nonnie says if your dog is insured the fees may well be covered by the insurance company.

I would also think about enrolling her into some training sessions alongside everything else.

Have a look at your lifestyle and see if anything has changed, or could be improved upon. If she only gets walked occasionally change it to twice daily, if things have been chaotic at home then perhaps thats a reason for her attitude.

Agree to never to leave her unsupervised with your children, and teach your children the right ways to approach her and when its not acceptable etc. Minimise your risks so to speak.

Hope it helps x


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## tigger west (Mar 10, 2010)

Thank you Nonnie and Billyboysmammy.

I will take her to the vet. She has been having some skin issues which I believe are common in Westies and we are using special shampoo. She is willful certainly. She did housetrain very well so maybe we need to incorporate a few more commands which is where a behaviour expert could help. She was socialised from the beginning with the breeders small children and the mother was very placid when we went to visit the young pup at the breeders. This bad temper is a shock to us. Bit Jekyll and Hyde really.


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## Mum2Heidi (Feb 17, 2010)

Just a thought but have you changed her diet at all recently? You mention that she has some skin issues and I am assuming that is recent too and both could be connected to food intolerance.


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## leashedForLife (Nov 1, 2009)

tigger west said:


> I have a (F 1-YO Westie).
> In the last 4 weeks she has snapped/nipped/growled at my 2-YO (child) and myself. One occasion related to food on the ground...
> The second and third instance were... *times when she did not like being moved, by her collar and without her collar.*


hey, tigger! :--)

when she was a pup, was she ever punished or scolded while someone used her collar as a handle? 
dragging her to a puddle/poo, pulling her off a visitor when she jumped-up, etc?

*grabbing any dogs collar is often a signal to the dog (from past learning) that things are about to get ugly or uncomfortable - *for the dog* - who becomes defensive, as a result.* classically, the dog snaps when someone grabs the collar.  happens all the time, with vets + groomers... grab, snap.

when U say she was MOVED without her collar - how did U *move* her? 
and where was she at the time? 
(ex - she was on the sofa, 
i went to move her so that i could sit-down by pushing her bottom till she jumped-off, perforce.) 


> She was a nippy pup when playing and had what I call attitude when reprimanded (for nipping).


how was she reprimanded? (specifically)

teaching her good bite-inhibition is important - 
unfortunately, it is BEST taught to pups, as that is when they are mouthing (not nipping) all the time, and thus have lots + lots of practice. but... 
it is still possible to teach adult-dogs to use their mouths *gently*. :thumbup:

see Free Downloads | Dog Star Daily 
there are 2 FREE downloadable books in PDF-format - _before U get Ur pup_ and _after..._ 
they contain wonderful info on teaching a soft-mouth, and on other aspects of dogs, not just pups. 
highly recommended! 

--- terry


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## Nicky10 (Jan 11, 2010)

The first thing to do would be get a thyroid function test and other bloodwork to rule out any hormonal problems. If it's sudden it could be that. Then if they come back healthy find a good POSITIVE behaviourist. Terriers can be snappy and need firm handling but it can be fixed. I thought a lot of dogs would be unhappy if you were grabbing them by the collar


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## petcaredebs (Mar 10, 2010)

Hi, I'm brand new to this forum, but this seemed the perfect place to jump in. I have been the proud parent of a Westie for 14 years. I also took part in in a Westie rescue group for many years. While I'm in total agreement that the first place to start is with your veterinarian; if she gets a clean bill of health, then I would say she is exhibiting pretty normal, dominating Westie behavior. 
The first thing to know about this feisty little breed, is they like to be the "boss", no matter what! I couldn't tell if she had or had not been spayed? Spaying would be beneficial to be sure. Then, I would highly recommend you get registered with a good dog training class. But make sure you are taking part in the training with her. This breed needs to be constantly challenged and needs strong leadership. Training, agility classes, whatever you can get involved with. This is not a breed for the faint of heart. And once trained, never let up. Stay consistent with her as to what's you expect, and never back down. The minute you let a Westie get the upper-hand, it's an fight to the end to regain control. Even though my Westie, Sidney is a senior citizen now, she has never stopped trying to rule the roost! And I expect never will. A well trained and mentally challenged dog is a happy, even-tempered, well adjusted dog. But I still wouldn't turn my back on her  Westies are incredibly smart, charming, companions. But not always the best choice when you have kids.


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