West Highland Terrier Training

It is important to begin West Highland Terrier training as early as possible because it needs to be taught not to dig, not to snap at other animals, not to dominate and not to chase animals and little children.

West Highland Terrier Training Cannot be Ignored with the Westie

The ancestors of these dogs were aggressive hunters, who helped tracking and shooting of small game, such as hares, foxes and vermin. The aggression and hunting skills of these dogs are buried deep in their genes. Often you will see these dogs play catch with people’s ankles, or the house cat or any other animal. They often consider small children as their siblings and can playfully bite them. They are also territorial and would often use your furniture to mark their territory.

Consider all the above, coupled with the fact that these dogs are not pushovers. They are strong – even for their diminutive size – and they have a very bad bite. As long as you train it when it is a puppy, you can exercise reasonable control over it. If you allow it to grow without any obedience training, you will definitely end up sorry.

Crate

West Highland Terrier training is best done with the help of the crate. This dog would mostly love its crate from the very beginning. Maybe, this is why these dogs do not feel comfortable to sleep unless they are protected (covered) all three sides other than the front. The crate being just the right place for this purpose, it will become their hot favorite in no time. In order to reinforce the feeling, you should always ensure that whenever it sleeps, it is put inside the crate.

You can assign a trainer for your West Highland Terrier or you could train it yourself. The only thing you should keep in mind while doing it is that these dogs will not respond to harshness; rather they will become more stubborn and uncontrollable than ever. If you want to train this breed, you will need to be patient, highly tolerant of mistakes and fast to praise any forward developments.

The crate need not be its ‘home’ forever, unless you plan to leave it alone for a long time without any company. This dog learns fast and once it masters obedience training it may be left to roam freely within the house. The West Highland Terrier loves nothing more than your company and it would suffer greatly if kept in solitude.

West Highland Terrier training has two main branches; obedience training and potty training. You will have to ensure your dog masters both!