Westies

West Highland Terriers – Dog Breeds

Thursday, August 25th, 2011

West Highland Terriers or “Westies” originated in the West Highlands of Scotland. These terriers were originally bred to go after small game. It is said that their breeding came about after another terrier was mistakenly shot Another breeder had a few white pups in the litter and bred those exclusively to become the West Highland White terriers of today. A Westie is very friendly and has a jaunt about his step. This breed is very hardy and needs a walk every day for exercise. Westies have a better temperament than most terriers and will not snap as much. They are recognized by the AKC and other top breeding programs as a legitimate breed.

Westies are fun loving, and fun to be with. They need a small yard to be happy. They are also good companions to be with, and all the love that you could ask for. However, the life can go right out of them if you mistreat these precious dogs. They are good companions for those that have families and well behaved children. They are a bit high strung, but are well worth it to have as friends and companions. The heart of a warrior lies within their chests.

For hunting of small game, these terriers really cannot be beat. These hunters keep at it until they have found their prey. Their determination is one of their inborn traits as a small game hunter. They are fantastic to work with and a joy on the hunting field. These terriers have a natural ability to hunt and also to play. Their good nature is what truly endears them to dog lovers. For Westie owners, they really would not have it any other way. These dogs are also champions on the field of competition and have the AKC stamp of approval. You can see a representative at the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show. You can also see these at any AKC competition.

These adorable Westies have won Best of Show, Best of Breed, and even won several AKC events. Breeders have entered these dogs into all sorts of shows. They have won major competitions in any show that they have been entered into. They are champions of field, of breed and lovable companions to any and all who take them into their homes. If you want a loyal dog breed this is the only one to have.

For more information on West Highland Terriers or Dog Breeds take a look at this Dog Training website.

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West Highland White Terriers – Fascinating Facts

Thursday, May 5th, 2011

West Highland White Terriers began their history as the undesirable white offspring of the dark-colored Cairn Terrier. With the dog’s popularity today, it is hard to believe that the early Westies were usually drowned or shot.

One breeder, though, Colonel Edward Donald Malcolm of Poltalloch, is credited with recognizing the potential of the white coat. The legend is that it made the dog more visible as it ran through brush, and prevented it from being mistaken for prey during foxhunts. He bred them for their white coats, and for many years they were known as Poltalloch Terriers.

The Westies, as they commonly called today, the Cairn, Scottish, Skye, and Dandie Dinmont, West highland Terriers are closely related breeds that arose in the rugged terrain of Scotland. They were bred to chase down small prey such as otters, foxes, badgers, and vermin. The Terrier’s features and temperament both were honed until it became a feisty little dog that would determinedly run its quarry to ground.

It has a small, compact body, with short legs, which allowed it to run and squirm through underbrush where its usual prey dwelled. The Westie’s double coat has coarse outer hairs to shed dirt and debris, and a thick, soft undercoat.

Like many hunting dogs, they are considered intelligent. They also are prone to pursue any creature that runs from it. Barking announced to the hunter that it was on the chase. Westie dogs were trained and bred to become more aggressive the harder the prey tried to escape.

The origin of the word ‘terrier’ is in the Latin word ‘terra’ – earth. It was given to them, and all terrier breeds, because once their prey is run to ground, they will dig it out. Westies today still possess the tendency to be diggers.

The modern white west highland terrier dog is a hardy, tenacious breed that is also loyal and friendly. They still retain the traits of their ancestors: a love of the chase, a moderate tendency to bark, a habit of digging, and they are prone to become a bit aggressive during very rough play. They are a little obstinate, and need firm, consistent discipline. However, they are also easy to care for, and natural guard dogs. Those taking a West Highland white Terrier as a pet will find themselves with a loyal, loving companion for the life of the dog.

(Disclaimer: Any information contained in this site relating to various medical, health and fitness conditions of Westies or other animals and their treatments is for informational purposes only and is not meant to be a substitute for the advice provided by your own veterinarian. You should not use the information contained herein for diagnosing the health of any animal. You should always consult and check with your own vet or veterinarian.)

I do hope that you have found the article of use to you.

Good health and happiness

Jeff Cuckson

Discover the FREE 5 Day Westie Secrets Mini-Course to learn about your West Highland Terrier. This course won’t be available for ever. Go NOW to: Mad About Westies

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West Highland White Terrier – Success Tips for Training

Tuesday, May 3rd, 2011

The West Highland Terrier is a friendly dog, and is considered easier to handle and train than other terriers, such as the Scottish Terrier. Still, it possesses the bold, dynamic terrier temperament, and has to be trained in a manner appropriate for the breed.

Your West Highland Terrier training begins from the moment you bring your terrier home. Westies are stubborn and clever, and considered a bit naughty. They will become demanding and ill tempered if they do not get their way, so you must teach them from the start that you are in charge. From the beginning, treat your terrier in a firm, consistent way.

Terrier puppies, like all very young dogs, should be trained in short sessions of five minutes or less. Make the training session play for both you and your terrier. Generously reward your dog with praise. They are also known to react well to food training.

Your Westie will become confused if you lash out at its misbehavior, particularly if you continue to be angry after the behavior has stopped. Your little terrier wants to please you, and by consistently rewarding the behavior you wish to promote, you will encourage it to become part of the dog’s personality.

Like the Scottish Terrier, and other terrier breeds, Westies are barkers. Barking is a dog’s natural way to communicate a variety of feelings from happiness, to anxiety, to boredom. The terrier breeds, though, are quicker to bark than other dogs.

The most natural reaction by dog owners is to yell at your terrier to stop barking. This is exactly the WRONG thing to do. Your dog hears the loud voice as a sort of human bark, and it only reinforces the behavior. The key is to remain calm, verbally and physically, and diffuse the terrier’s excited emotional state. Say ‘no bark’ in a calm but firm tone. Never forget to reward the dog when the barking stops.

West Highland Terriers are clever, active dogs, and they will sometimes bark out of boredom. Be sure to provide your dog with walks and appropriate play to stimulate their minds and bodies. You can divert their attention with a chew toy that can be stuffed with a food treat.

Other concerns common to West Highland Terrier training, as well as Scotties and other terrier breeds, are digging, chasing, and aggressive behavior. These little dogs were never bred to be pets, but rather to hunt down and kill vermin.

Never encourage your terrier’s natural behavior by engaging in aggressive play. It is difficult for your Westie to distinguish that gnawing and nipping are all right during play, but not at other times.

(Disclaimer: Any information contained in this site relating to various medical, health and fitness conditions of Westies or other animals and their treatments is for informational purposes only and is not meant to be a substitute for the advice provided by your own veterinarian. You should not use the information contained herein for diagnosing the health of any animal. You should always consult and check with your own vet or veterinarian.)

I do hope that you have found the article of use to you.

Good health and happiness

Jeff Cuckson

Discover the FREE 5 Day Westie Secrets Mini-Course to learn about your West Highland Terrier. This course won’t be available for ever. Go NOW to: Mad About Westies

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jeff_Cuckson
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Stop Your Dog’s Barking With Cintronella Collars

Tuesday, May 3rd, 2011

Amidst the electric shock and sonic collars that are often used to calm down the perpetual barking of pets, the advanced Cintronella bark collars prove to be humane and unique.

Working Principle of the citronella bark collar

Cintronella bark collars have a mechanism that allows them to use a citrus spray, that triggers at the vibrations of the dog’s barking. When the dog starts to bark, the citrus scented smell spurts right under the chin of the dog. The dog dislikes the strong citrus scent that takes him by surprize and it will stop barking once it smells it.

Types of Cintronella Bark Collars

You can choose between citronella anti bark collar that is controlled by a remote or a sound sensitive one.

Barking induces the spouting of the spray in case of the sound sensitive model whereas the remote control version can be operated remotely by the owner via a single click of a button as and when there is a necessity for it. Many dog owners prefer the remote control version to the sensor sensitive one as it gives them te power to decide when to interfere. Moreover, this type of collar can be used whenever your dog engages in disturbing behavior, such as attacking strangers.

Nevertheless, both models are extremely efficient in teaching the dog how to behave. Apart from annoying the dog, it will feel no other discomfort produced by the collar.

Why Is The Cintronella Collar So Efficient?

1. This type of collar allows you to control your dog’s behaviour without using painful methods.

2. The consumables are available in any pet store.

3. Despite having an aggressive smell, the citrus scent poses no danger to either you or your dog.

4. No person will be disturbed by the citrus smell of the collar.

Summary: This article elucidates the intricate details of the cintronella bark collars. It clarifies any basic detail related to citrus collars. The article presents the types of cintronella collars, how they work and what advantages they bring to dog owners.

citronella bark collar is a good alternative to other methods of controlling a dog’s barking. Moreover, the remote version allows the dog owner to inhibit various other annoying dog behaviors, such as chewing objects or attacking strangers. Click here to find more information on the citronella anti bark collar.

West Highland White Terrier Dog Breed Temperament, Health Issues, Grooming, and Living Conditions

Monday, May 2nd, 2011

Temperament: The West Highland White Terrier is a hardy small dog, and gets on well with children. This dog is an excellent companion and this dog travel well. The West Highland White Terrier is easy to train and they have a great deal of self assurance in their personality. This breed needs a good pack leader, or they can become irritable and snappy, guarding food, and even biting. This dog loves to bark and dig and needs firm guidelines on what is acceptable.

The West Highland White Terrier does show terrier instincts and will want to chase cats, but the fun is in the chase, and the cat should be unharmed. Small dog syndrome should be avoided as this will lead the dog to have behavioural problems. To prevent this you have to be the pack leader and have firm rules, for the dog to follow. This breed may be small but still requires walking daily and giving them play sessions will burn off the energy that they have. This dog, like most dogs loves to have a good romp off the lead in a safe area.

Health issues: The West Highland White Terrier is prone to hip problems and jawbone calcification, this is painful in puppy hood. Any puppy that has this, will need medical help, but this does pass at about 1 year. Liver disease and skin problems are also recorded. As with any dog it is very important that you make sure they are up to date on all vaccinations, de-wormings and heart worm preventatives. It is also suggested by the majority of licensed veterinarians that you take your puppy or dog in for a check up at least twice each year.

Grooming: The West Highland White Terrier is fairly easy to keep clean and tidy. All that is required is brushing regularly. The dog’s coat will need trimming every four months, with stripping twice a year.

Living conditions: This dog is fine for apartment living and is active indoors and will do fine without a garden, but daily walks are still required.

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How Long Do West Highland White Terriers or Westies Live?

Monday, May 2nd, 2011

How long do Westies live? I was out for a walk with my son Jonathan and Pepper our Westie Dog by the sea shore where we live. I met a neighbour called John who I hadn’t seen for ages. I was very surprised to see him on his own because he has a black Labrador and the 2 of them are inseparable.

Naturally I enquired about Barney and his face dropped. I knew something was terribly wrong. His reply was that he had to put Barney down because he had developed cancer and it had come on so quickly. He didn’t want his friend to suffer.

I said to John that I was so sorry. He knew that I meant it as all dog lovers do. After all it is the passing of one of your family. Non dog owners can’t understand and I feel that they are the losers of such love and loyalty.

The news hurt Jonathan because he always would play with Barney and make such a fuss of him.

It got me to thinking how long our Pepper would live to. The Westie in general should live to around 15 years if probably looked after and also if no serious health issue arise.

He is now 6 years and I still can’t believe he is that old. Maybe it’s a sign of me getting old, because my kids seemed to have grown up in the blink of an eye.

I give Pepper a big hug when I got home and he got a couple of extra treats also. Don’t want to take him for granted and will monitor his health checks with the proper grooming for the west highland terrier He always looks like a little puppy again, every time he returns from the groomers. Have to also start building up the westie photos again.

So for all dog lovers, please remember to give your pet a hug today

(Disclaimer: Any information contained in this site relating to various medical, health and fitness conditions of Westies or other animals and their treatments is for informational purposes only and is not meant to be a substitute for the advice provided by your own veterinarian. You should not use the information contained herein for diagnosing the health of any animal. You should always consult and check with your own vet or veterinarian.)

Jeff Cuckson
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Discover the FREE 5 Day Westie Secrets Mini-Course to learn about your West Highland Terrier. This course won’t be available for ever. Go NOW to: Mad About Westies
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Itchy Dog – West Highland White Terrier

Friday, April 29th, 2011

The West Highland White Terrier suffers from allergic skin disease called at or atopic dermatitis. These dogs have a faulty skin barrier and are allergic to pollens, dust mites and household spores (the things that cause asthma in people). These dogs are frustrating to treat.

As pollens and spores are difficult to keep away from the dog, the problems are recurrent. To reduce the severity of flare-ups, the itch should be treated as soon as possible. The itch and rash on these dogs develops on the thinly haired regions of the body that is not well protected. These dogs typically have itchy feet, groin, ventral abdomen (tummy) and axilla (arm pits) and the concave surface of the pinna (pointy part of ear).

Immunotherapy is the only current way of curing the problem with a 70% success rate. Allergens are determined by a blood test and a skin prick test. This procedure is expensive and most owners of West Highland White Terriers turn to other ways of managing the condition. Corticosteroids such as prednisolone are the cornerstone of management. Cyclosporine also works well but the costs involved are often inhibitive.

Recent developments in understanding this terrible condition have enabled some more effective natural treatment regimes to develop that really do work. The skin barrier is deficient in a protein called sphingosine which is part of the protective ceramides that bind the skin cells together. Barrier protection and repair can greatly help these dogs prevent flares by blocking trigger factors. The west Highland White Terrier is a very challenging itchy dog.

For a FREE “Home Diagnosis Manual to the itchy dog” and information on natural treatment that really stops your dog itching and scratching go to http://www.scratchingdoghelp.com

For more information on treating the itchy scratching dog the natural way and to find out how to stop the itch go to http://www.scratchingdoghelp.com/treating_itchy_dogs.html

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Why You Should Consider Bark Collars

Wednesday, April 27th, 2011

Most of the times, dogs bark for a justifiable reason. However, sometimes dogs over-react to situations or stimuli and become excessive in their vocalizations. Dogs are extremely attached to their owners and feel their absence; they usually become noisy when they are left alone in the house.

Because it happens when the owner is not around, it is also one of the most difficult to control. At one time, this usually led to a difficult decision: have the dog de-barked, or send the dog away. Of course, these are rushed decisions which should only be used as a last resort. Yet, if neighbors complain constantly, there’s not much the owner can do.

Fortunately for both the dog and the owner, anti-bark collars were invented for these situations. These devices were not always as efficient as they are now. They often mistook other dogs’ barking for the sound they needed to stop and started functioning even if it wasn’t the right moment. Others could not discern between a normal barking reaction and constant barking.

bark collars have improved massively since their beginnings. There are now three types available: spray, sonic, and static. All these collars use the same principle. When the dog produces sounds and vibrations within a certain range or frequencies, the collar starts functioning. The combination of vibration and barking makes the collar react only to the dog’s noise. Also having a volume and frequency requirement helps prevent the collar from being triggered by fear, pain, or other vocalizations not tied to problem barking.

Static bark collars give the dog mild shocks when it is noisy; those with citrus spray spread the substance and the ultrasonic collars produce an irritating sound that only dogs can hear. None is intended to harm the dog, but startle it, which will silence it. Some of the static collars can be adjusted and they also have an automatic shutdown system if the dog barks continuously for a longer period. Moreover, the bark collar can switch to a lower setting if the dog doesn’t produce any noise for a certain amount of time. This system is meant to encourage your dog to only bark when it has to.

However, even if you buy a bark collar, this does not mean you should not train your dog as well. It should not be left on all the time, and initial sessions with it should be monitored. If your pet only barks when you are away and there’s no possible means for you to control his training, ask for a neighbor’s help. Usually, they will be happy to help, since they are the ones that must endure the noise. Consider the friendliest neighbor you have, with whom your dog is already used.

Keeping the pet under constant supervision is meant to record whether it has a normal reaction to the collar. Dogs need much more than an anti-bark collar in order to learn how to behave. You must train them constantly, especially during their first year of life.

Instead of resorting to extreme solutions, consider purchasing bark collars instead. These devices can prove to be very efficient in educating your dog. If you want to know more details about these devices and the mechanisms they use, read more about bark collars here.

Methods to Stop Your Dog’s Insistent Barking

Monday, April 25th, 2011

Many households keep at least one dog. Unfortunately, one cannot predict his dog’s behavior when it grows up. Loud, constant barking can drive anyone crazy, and many families consider the idea of giving the pet away.

Yet, dog barking can be useful in critical situations, where the house, or a member of the family is threatened. Dogs that are experiencing anxiety for any number of reasons will bark and whine. They also signal joy or excitement, or willingness to play. There is the bark that a dog lets out when he wants the attention of his master, and there is the bark a dog will voice when he is bored.

Generally, dogs that bark a lot do it out of boredom. Seeing as they are so used to having attention showered on them, bored dogs will start to bark simply to attract more attention. Of course, it is the fault of the person who owns the dog, rather than the animal’s.

Dogs always bark at other passing dogs, so putting the dog behind the house where he will not have to see other dogs passing is a good way to get him to stop barking. Make sure to give your dog plenty of time to run around, as exercise releases a lot of the pent up enthusiasm that makes a dog bark so much.

When dogs bark a lot you shouldn’t pet them or give them attention, as they will insist in their behavior. You will actually keep on spoiling it, instead of educating it. You can start with light dog training, such as teaching it how to react at simple commands. However, do not use any aggressive means to make it shut up, like force or yelling.

Bark collars are common tools used by many around the world. Many people feel that these bark collars are inhuman and painful to the dog, but that is not the case. The bark collar comes in several versions, proper for any kind of dog. You can choose a bark collar with sonic, static or citrus mechanisms.

Every version uses methods to teach the dog the proper time to manifest itself. Though they may annoy or even mildly sting the dog, it is not painful and will be a valuable tool in helping him learn that making too much noise is bad.

When you put the collar at your dog’s neck, make sure the animal is kept somewhere far from other sources of noise, such as screaming kids or other dogs on the street, so that the noise doesn’t interfere with its barking. If the dog learns to associate the discomfort with his barking, he will learn quickly not to make so much noise with his barking.  

A great way to educate your dog is the use of a bark collar. When you put the collar on, keep the animal away from sources of loud noise. Read more about the use of a bark collar by clicking this link.

Westies Swimming

Wednesday, January 7th, 2009

westies swimming in the sea at margate with fam!!

Duration : 0:3:42

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