Westies

I wanted to take a little time to go over some things about our pups. Our pups are very well taken care of, they stay inside our home and cared after on a daily basis. Most of the time they are NEVER alone. They all are registered through UNITED REGISTRY. The Sire "Butch" has dual registration, with United and AKC. The Dam "Abby" is registered only through United.
I think the difference between us and alot of other breeders is that they are all in it for the money and their hearts are just not in it. We take a step beyond to make sure that our dogs are well groomed, healthy, and very well taken care of. On the date of sale, all puppies have already been to the vet and checked out and have their first rounds of shots. If there is any sickness or anything the buyer will know up front. We made a small list of "Do's and Don't". Most is common sense but we want to share with you our outlook as well as others.

Do keep plenty of toys for the pups. Keep them in and around their crate (pet taxi) "if you decide crate training is for you" or around their bedding. They love to chew on toys. This will keep them from getting bored and or chewing on furniture. We learned that one the hard way after a curio cabinet was ruined. LOL. They do like to sleep alot as pups.

All you need is a small pet taxi, like what they sale at Wal-Mart and both dry and can dog food. We mix the food together to soften up the dry dog food for the pups. No more than half a cup two different times a day. The dry food is the Natural Life Puppy Lamb and Rice Formula. It is small pellets and easy for them to eat. The can is Pedigree Puppy, any kind as far as flavors. But as they get older like 4 months we stop giving them the can dog food and just go with the dry. (OH and MAKE SURE they have PLENTY of WATER) I was told that the dry dog food is better on their digestive system. We do NOT leave their food and water in their pet taxi. The more they eat and drink the more often they will need to use the bathroom. As they get older you can leave the food and water out all the time. Our dogs now don't eat a whole lot, but they do make several trips to the food and water dish. It is best NOT to feed them table scraps or from your plate. Some foods can cause digestive problems.

Once I wake up, or return home from work I put a leash on the dogs and take them outside. Most every time they use the bathroom. I just make sure I give them a little extra time out there just in case they need to go more than once while outside. And reward them as soon as you return in the house with a small treat.. For the pups I would usually break them into smaller pieces. Praise them alot, make sure they know they have done something good. They are just like small children and love the attention.

If you let them sleep in your bed MAKE sure you take them out before you do and make sure they have not drank alot of fluids prior to doing so. As they are young it is hard for them to hold their bladder, as they get older it becomes more easy for them. Our dogs don't have any problem sleeping in the bed and holding their bladder all night long.

If you decide to get their hair groomed I suggest getting the "Westie" cut. Any good groomer knows what that is. During the summer I have taken dog clippers and shaved both Butch and Abby to make it cooler on them. Then during the winter months I go with the "Westie" cut. The pups will shed their baby fur, but as adults they do NOT shed.

The shampoo I use they sell at Wal-Mart, called "Hartz Living Groomers Whitener Shampoo". Its blue in color and makes their coat soft and bright white. Its specially good for around their feet and around their mouth where their hair tends to darken.

Nail Grooming: I got a small pair of nail trimmers at any pet store. You just have to MAKE SURE you do NOT cut into the bloodline in the nails. It is possible they will bleed out and could be very seriously injured. If a professional groomer does your dogs hair, they will most times do the nails as well. In case an accident does happen while cutting their nails I've been told you can take a match and put it on the nail for one second to melt the nail and stop the bleeding. I would suggest taking them to an animal hospital. When I trim their nails I just barely go down past the point in order to make sure there are no accidents. But you never know when one could happen.

Training: As far as getting them to sit and lay down you can put them in the sitting position and say "sit" and the same thing for laying down position. Also tell them to "go lay down" and take them to their beds, this worked very easily for me and didn't take no time at all before they were learning. When they do something good remember to praise them ALOT. They love the attention and they will do things that will make you happy and proud of them. I've owned plenty of dogs in my life and Westies are by far the smartest animals I've owned. It has been very easy to train them and a very pleasant experience all around.

You can look up online and find books that can help you do training too. There are tons of books that are just on Westies. I wish you all the best of luck and I appreciate the fact that you have chosen a Westie as a part of the family. I hope this part of the site is useful in some ways. If I can help in any way, or you have ANY questions please don't hesitate to email me.
Thank you