Westie Training

When you buy a Westie, it´s a very happy day for all. For the homecoming to work out well it would be good to treat him in the most loving way possible and it would be a good idea to spend a little time to accustom the dog to their new home.

One of the main challenges in acquiring a Westie is the subject of internal training. If you can wait and acquire some basic knowledge and a good positive attitude it will be much easier than most of the people think.

The first day

As soon as you get the dog home, take him out. With the excitement of the trip, the family faces, places and sounds he will have the need to go out after all and if he can have his first bath outside rather than inside, so much the better. And not just for hygienic purposes, but for their inner well-being.

The first day at home will be a great opportunity to begin to learn certain health behaviors.

- Take your westy to the toilet area of the dog and put him on the grass.

- Wait while he sniffs around – do not touch the dog yet, we will not let him associate  this place as a toilet and games. He  must know that this part of the patio is to go to the toilet only.

- When he starts doing his needs, use a short phrase or word  that links his needs to the bathroom. It is better that the phrase is short and easily recognizable – such as “pee” or “toilet time” and use the same voice every time, it will make him memorize faster.

- When finished, pat him and let him feel like he has done something very good.

When you take him into the house, start your training plan immediately.

As for Westie Puppy training, crate training is generally the most accepted and is the most efficient at home for puppies to learn in a short space of time.

What is crate training?

Crate training is essentially the use of a small indoor kennel (the crate) to confine your puppy when he is not under their supervision.

How it works

Crate training is based on all dogs inherent aversion of soiling the area where they sleep. Because you’re restricting your puppy´s movement to his little room where he  sleeps,  instinctively he will “hold on” until he leaves the box .

It is therefore important that the box is the right size: if too large, he will be able to use one corner as sleeping and the other as a toilet!

How to choose a crate?

As a general guide, it is more profitable for you to choose a crate that is large enough to grow into. It must be large enough for an adult dog to stand up comfortably without crouching, turn around and spread out – but not too big (you don´t want him to choose one part as her bed and the other as a toilet!)

Because the adult dog is considerably taller than the puppy, you will be most likely to use a barrier to shrink the inside of the box. A wire  or board will do very well.

Alternatively, you can use a cheap box (or even make one yourself) and replace it with a larger model as your puppy grows older.

Using the training box

Westie Puppy Crate Training works like this: your puppy is in the box at all times unless you are sleeping, eating, or out with him,or playing (active supervision.)

You must be consistent, otherwise it won´t work: You can not let your puppy walk around the house unless you give him your full attention.

If you allow him to walk around the house before he is fully trained, he will be encouraged to do his things inside – And remember, each time he does this, it is easier to do it again (and again .. . and again …)

A typical morning in crate training:

7am: Wake up. Puppy is going out with you for a bathroom break.
7.25: Breakfast time.
7.45: Back outside for another toilet break (accompanied by you, of course.)
7.50 to 8.45: Play time! Puppy is out of the box actively played with, cuddled, etc.
8.45: Outside another bathroom break.
8.50-11: Puppy goes back in the box for a nap
11 am: Puppy will go with you for a bathroom break.
11.05-12.30: Playtime! Puppy is out of the box. is played with and petted.
12:30: Lunch time.
12.45: Puppy will go with you for a bathroom break.
1 to 3.30: Puppy goes back in the box for a nap.

… And so on throughout the day.

The Training of the box in general, usually lasts one or two months (depending on the breed of your dog and how long you spend with him in the training process.) As the puppy gets older, you can begin to reverse the amount of time spent in the box – but beware of doing it too soon!

Other crate training rules

- Your dog will not be very happy to go to the box at first. He wants to be out, he wants you to wash him with all your affection and attention, and wants to hang out with you (of course), but it really is for their own sake – in a very short time, he will come to accept the crate as his haven where he can go to relax and sleep a couple of hours without being disturbed. It is important to persevere: do not respond to any whining or crying.

- The best place for the box is the center of the house, usually the living-room or kitchen, anywhere where people tend to gather. Just because he is in the box does not mean he can not feel part of the family, it is important not to feel isolated or excluded.

- The box should be a welcoming and attractive place to go. Put a couple of thick blankets or towels on the floor, and place some toys and chew or two inside too. The door should be open at all times (unless he is there, of course, in which case it should be tightly closed.)

Some toilet facts about puppies that will be useful

- Puppies bladders and bowels are so small and weak, they have only a small window of opportunity between the knowledge they need to go, and having that need to become an immediate reality. Because of this, it is imperative to take off as soon as he wakes up (he will let you know what he needs by kicking out the door and whining), and within ten minutes of eating or playing.

- Behaviors that indicate he  needs to leave are smelling the ground and circling. As soon as it starts, take him out immediately . Better an unnecessary trip to the yards than a wet patch (or cell) on the carpet!

- The maximum amount of time a puppy can be in a box is calculated by the following equation: her age in months plus one. So a puppy three months old can be in a box to a maximum of four hours. However, it is likely to be physically very uncomfortable for him (not to mention hard on her emotionally and psychologically: it is difficult to be tight in there with nothing to do), so you really should go out with him at least once every two hours during the day. If he  is sleeping, of course, allow him to sleep until he wakes up naturally.

For more information on Dog House training click here…

Tags: puppy, training, westie, westy

This entry was posted by sklin on Sunday, January 3rd, 2010 at 3:35 pm and is filed under Westie Puppy Training. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.