Training

West Highland White Terriers have been praised for their adaptability and intelligence, which has allowed the breed to flourish in Obedience competitions. What is more, Westies are becoming a more popular choice for therapy and service animals as they are keenly aware of their owners and devote themselves to pleasing others.

Westies keen senses and winning personalities also allow them to excel in Conformation, Agility and Tracking competitions. We recommend attending local training classes with your puppy, or Westie of any age to challenge yourselves and enjoy some wholesome socialization.

West Highland White Terriers have what is affectionately referred to as “Westitude” which is an exuberance of confidence far beyond the stature of this diminutive dog. This personality type is one which thrives on praise and as such our personal preference for training Westies involves a combination of food and verbal praise for desired behaviors. We also recommend using collars rather than harnesses when possible, and teaching your Westie to walk on your left side. Harnesses encourage some less than desirable behaviors including pulling, while collars when used correctly do not apply pressure to the puppy’s neck and encourages them to walk beside rather than in front of you.

Westies do not look for fights, however they are not cowards and will stand their grounds as a matter of moral right. Their self-confidence may be mistakenly observed as a challenge by other large breeds of dogs, and as such it is important that your Westie learns to come when called and stay by your side if you sense danger.

Housetraining your Westie puppy requires consistency and the occasional bell. We travel with our Westies and often find ourselves in hotel rooms, as such all of our Highlanders have adapted ways of letting us know when they need to go outside for some business without using their voices. We recommend placing a string of bells at entranceways and ringing the bell before you take your Westie outside followed by a reward. In a short amount of time your Westie puppy will start to associate the bell as the best way to communicate their needs for going outside. Puppies require frequent potty breaks as their bladders and bowels have not yet fully developed.

All of our puppies are started on litterbox training and our adult dogs are 100% housetrained. Why is this important? A health and clean environment is essential to a puppy’s early development as they learn how to take care of themselves. Our puppies observe their mothers going outside when nature calls, and this encourages them to do the same when the urge arises. Developmentally puppies won’t be able to hold their bowels and bladder all night or for extended periods of time during the day, having a safe and clean area to relieve themselves makes transition into new environments easier and housebreaking a breeze as they mature! Generally, puppies need to use their litterbox every few hours, after meals and after they wake up. As they mature a puppy can eventually start to control their bowels and bladder for longer periods of time. Each puppy matures at a different rate and will reach these milestones at their own pace, however most of our Westies are housetrained by 5-6 months of age.

West Highland White Terriers enjoy some healthy competition as well, and in our experience they thrive both alone and in multi-dog households! We recommend carrying your Westie’s favorite treats with you and spontaneously rewarding behavior which you desire. Puppies yield to mature dogs already in a household and enjoy learning desired behaviors from them as well. For example, if a mature dog sits and is rewarded for this, it won’t take long before a puppy will mimic this behavior hoping for their reward as well.