I work in the animal/pet industry and even I can’t figure this out. I’ve had my male Westie since he was 8 weeks old. He’s now 3 years old and lately has gone psychotic. A neighbor complained about his barking at my Moms, so we had to bring him to our condo with us. We have a 4.5 year child whom he has directed his aggression at. My son is very hyperactive and has been known to shove a brush in the dogs face or brush his hair backwards. He never reacted badly, and lately he has begun to loudly snarl, growl, or snap at my child. Our cat was looking at him from inside and he was out on the patio and my husband said he reacted in this same way to the cat. He’s also extremely food aggressive. I’ve talked to trainers who have recommended taking his food away when he’s food aggressive and spraying him with water as punishment. He is still snapping. I am afraid that he is going to bite one of us and my husband says that if he keeps snapping he will have him put down. I really don’t want to have to take him to the rescue or get rid of him like others who give up.. But he’s becoming a liability to us. What can we do? When my son is up, we have to keep him kenneled or outside on the patio away from people.
neutered, utd on shots, well taken care of. This began after he moved with us.
How much exercise does he get?
Westies are a terrier and were initially bred as game dogs (hunters), without proper daily mental and physical exercise and training, dogs will try to find an outlet for their built up energy. For most terriers the outlet is through hunting people and other animals, this can then turn into aggression.
Take your dog for a long and fast walk/run every morning, you could also use a bike or rollerblades to drain more of his energy faster and to get him to focus more on following you then on his surroundings.
For his food aggression instead of taking his food away, fed him after his walk, keep him leashed and make him sit, once he is sitting calmly you let him eat. When he is halfway through his meal grab the lead and stand beside him, if he growls pull the lead up and use your legs to make him move away from the food and make him sit back down until he is calm. After a while once you are able to stand beside him when he is eating, you should then consider handing feeding him every so often and also get your son to start hand feeding him.
You also need to set up some rules for not only your dog but your son as well. Such as leave the dog alone when he is eating, drinking or sleeping, and in return your dog should not be allowed to approach your son unless you say so. When he starts to approach your son, make a clear sharp sound and use your body to silently to block then guide the dog back to where he was originally.
You should also only let you son run around outside and make inside a calm place as your dog will be reacting to your sons high energy. Teach your son that the best way to interact with a dog is through games (fetch, chase and hide’n'seek), training (help your son teach your dog obedience and tricks) and walking/running.
You could also look into joining and agility, competitive obedience or tracking club with your dog and son. This would help mentally stimulate your dog, help you gain better control over his instincts and will get you son to bond better with the dog.
