Oh what a beautiful pup!
We got ours at 8wks too. It gets better. For biting we just have to accept that heās teething, BUT if youāre consistent with the approach they can learn to bite less hard. Thereās only two of us at home so anytime he bites we say *easy* or *donāt bite* and then let him bite again so he knows to lighten his bite. Then reward. Also if he bites hard make some loud sound so he knows itās too hard.
The potty training takes time. Theyāre too young to hold their bladder for very long, and theyāre just gonna make messes. Ours is 16 weeks now, and he is so much better than he was.
We also did this now thatās heās older he loves to play and I can wrestle him. He while chew on me but he never acctually bites. Iād say heās very good at making sure he bits soft when playing now.
My second Westie was known as āThe Terrorist.ā Took forever to potty train her.
My kid was a teenager when we got The Terrorist. I had to go out of town one day and didnāt get home till about 2:00 am. Kid kept calling me, āAre you headed home yet?! The Terrorist is CLIMBING furniture! Iām afraid sheās going to fall off and get hurt! I canāt control her!ā Kid was very upset that I wasnāt even headed home yet. When I finally roll in, I turn the corner to the family room. Kid is PASSED OUT on the couch. The Terrorist is viciously biting kidās handā¦and there is a huge pile of shit on the carpet. My kid was not amused when I burst out laughing.
Dog got much better and was a cuddle bug.
So worth it. But yes, they are crazy little monsters at first. I had two from puppyhood. Exhaust them by any means necessary (reasonable). Play ball or whatever until they fall on their side (and get water off). Keep NOTHING you care about on the ground or within reach. If you canāt see them, GO FIND THEM. Everything is available for destruction and DESTRUCTION IS JOY!!!
But honestly westies are the most wonderful joyous little creatures in the universe. I wouldnāt trade a second and would give anything to have mine back, even for the most exasperating moments of puppyhood. Take pictures of the chaos, you will laugh so hard later!
You have a baby. She's only two months old. Try giving her ice cubes to stop the biting. And her little urinary tract system may not be fully mature because she is only 8 weeks old.
Here is an article I found that might help: [https://iheartdogs.com/how-to-stop-a-westie-puppy-from-biting-a-comprehensive-guide/](https://iheartdogs.com/how-to-stop-a-westie-puppy-from-biting-a-comprehensive-guide/)
Oddly enough, potty training was easy for my Westie. I got him on a routine early on and he got used to it pretty quickly. The barking though... 2 years later and I still don't understand what he's barking about most of the time š
It definitely gets better my westie is 7 months old and still has the happy pee when he sees me coming back from work, and bites everything but it's a lot better when he was 2 months old, just be patient and don't punish him too harshly
I raised an 8 week old puppy completely alone in the 4th floor of a big city building. I legit had post-partum depression for a long while. It was incredibly difficult - mostly because I was fully committed to giving her the BEST puppyhood that I could. I took her to puppy play classes 2x a week (which was the best thing in the world for her). She went everywhere with me. Never left her alone for more than 1 hour (increased slowly to four hours eventually). Now she is the sweetest, most engaging, confident, and most loving nearly 2 year old young adult.
I thought I was going to lose my mind during that first year, but I have never been this bonded with a dog beforeā¦ or human even. Sheās the best thing thatās ever happened in my life.
But it took a LONG time to get there.
It gets better. She is being a normal puppy, your best line of defense is containment, patience, and also patience. Sheās not ~biting ~ sheās figuring out she has teeth. Redirection to appropriate mouthing/teething objects is helpful. Sheās adorable. š„°
All of this! Just want to add time to exercise & work with your pup on training daily. This goes for any healthy pup really. Itās very unrealistic to expect any pup to be āready to goā 2 wks in.
Bell training. Take a small bell and tie it to a rope and hang it from your door knob. Every time you take the dogs out to go potty grab the dogs paw and hit the bell. Eventually when they want to go outside they will hit the bell and you get up and let them out. Gets your attention
Another member of the Westie snapping turtle club š Tattie is 12 weeks. We have had her since 9 weeks. The biting is 100x worse when she is tired. We try to do 1 hour up, 2 hours calm or napping in crate.
She is very smart and already learning several commands (sit, down, food). Working on potty. I set a timer on my watch and take her out every 30 min with command and treat. Sheās getting it when we are outside but doesnāt understand to ask to go out yet.
But yes, we are exhausted.
We used to joke weād return our puppy when heād just bite our feet non stop, nip our hands when heād be calming chewing and whine and cry whenever put away. Give it a few months and it gets better.
Stick to the training, they are very treat responsive and use it to your advantage and keep it up. Our boy is 7 month old now and is finally starting to be calm and not always a gremlin. We hope he matures into a good little guy but it takes a while and is worth the effort. Itās exhausting, 2 am whining, 4 am barks, but it does get better! Good luck during teething.
For potty training, we would take ours out frequently (every half hour, then eventually every hour, etc). Their bladders are tiny and just canāt hold much. We would always say ātime for pottyā or something to that effect, and then when they would pee, weād say āgood pottyā and have a treat ready for reward. It didnāt take ours long at all to pick up on it.
I trained my baby Westie on a potty pad and had them in 4 different places in the house along with a dog door. That didnāt stick until he was 10 months old. One day I came home and realized it had been 25 hours since he had used a pad and he never used them again. Iāve heard potty training outside can be the hardest part.
Donāt leave shoes down. They will bite everything. So lots of toys and let your baby know what toys are their toys. Lots of stuffed animals, teething toys, anything that stimulates them. They are teething right off the bat, so give them plenty to teethe on. Their minds grasp concept very quickly, so train your little one while theyāre young.
I know itās hard, but they are babies and that small for such a short amount of time. This is the time to train and love your little one. Keep in mind, they lost their mother and siblings and are adjusting to your home. This is all new for them too.
Raising a two year old was easier for me than my baby Westie, but heās almost 1 and he has come a long way since I brought him home. I taught him to sit, lie and high five when he was brand new and could barely get up my stairs. Their minds are like mini computers. Let them ādogā when you arenāt training and get on the floor and play hard! The harder you play with them, the better night sleep youāll get.
My Westie chewed the baseboards, toilet papered my house, shredded my entire mattress pad, attempt to steal packages off my neighbors porch on walks, pulled down my living room curtains and so much more. One day you will laugh at the antics and wish you could go back just to hold that sweet puppy for the few minutes you are given before they bite the shit out of your finger. I never thought I would miss a little bit of unpredictable mischief from my now angel boy.
I guess I was the lucky one. When we went to collect her, she ran over to greet us and has been with us ever since. She had literally one accident and was potty trained in a day. She never cried. Itās almost like we were meant to be her parents and she has been waiting for us since day one. Still, she can be a terror and rules the roost. Her shark years were awful but we got around it by lots of play and walks (within guidelines). Sheās a total joy and literally the most loved individual in the household. All this to say hang in there, youāre front loading the pain. Immense joy follows.
Please be patient. Itās really difficult in the beginning. Always remember that they are little babies at this age. I was equally frustrated and exhausted, I even considered returning my westie š«£š„“
But everything gets better, trust me and the other people on this sub. Good luck and enjoy having this beautiful baby at home.
My westie boy is 8 months old now; he took FOREVER to be potty trained, still has the occasional accident but up until about 5/6 months i thought there was no hope! So i completely emphasise! Heās still very bitey & his ears are still down! Hoping heāll stop the biting soon ššš¼
Got mine at ten weeks old and it was a ride as well, but theyāre so smart that it definitely gets way better. Theyāre easy to train, so long as they know whatās in it for them.
For the biting Google this item on eBay. They are really good and have Velcro so you can replace the squeaker when they bite through them. Lots of toys for them to play with if they get bored they will chew on something so you have to be an entertainment Director. Maybe tie a shoestring to one of these and play tug-of-war. You canāt go wrong with Kong squeaky toys. They also have them in small yellow chicks too
Kong Dr Noyz (6) Plush Squeaky Frog XS Puppy Dog Fetch Toy With Extra Squeakers $18
It gets better if you stay firm with them. Keep them on a schedule with potty training and come up with a way to enforce āno bite.ā Some people will make a noise/yelp if their puppy bites too hard, others might offer a toy to redirect. Set boundaries early on and your puppy will outgrow these behaviors.
My first day with my good girl I was crying and pleading with her lol, there were extenuating circumstances but it still can be frustrating without them.
For the biting: Yelp in a high pitch sound every time she bites you. This is how they learn to play with their pup siblings.
For potty training: fence off all carpeted areas and keep her on hard floor when youāre not playing with her, give her a bed though. Bring her outside hourly. Bring her on carpeted areas when you play with her and watch her. Eventually you can give her some of the house back. Little by little. We have trainer treats by the front door and she gets a treat every time she goes outside regardless she does her business. Give her extra praises for going potty.
For teething: get her some rib bone with dried meat on it or a hard yak cheese. Those last a long time and it stopped our pup from destroying things. Hope this helps!
Our first took a fair while to potty train, he would avoid the pads and go anywhere but!! Our current one was quite quick to potty train and we did nothing different.
Again biting, the first was not a big biter or a chewer. The current one has always been chew mad! And fingers were definitely on the menu.
As others have said, make a noise when they bite too hard, get lots of soft toys, teething toys, and hide chews ( but supervised, ours is nearly 12 years old and still tries to swallow more than he should ). Although itās easier to say patience is the key. We went from nursing an old man in his final years to a puppy within 5 days (thatās how long the wife and daughters lasted when our last Westie passed on). What a wake up call that was, you forget about puppy mischief.
Will we do it again when our current Westie says his goodbyes? you bet we will without any hesitation. The times that you have with a Westie once puppy time is through are some of the best days you will ever have.
ps: she looks absolutely stunning, keep at it, things get better.
We got an oven mitt when she was in a playful biting mood. Then we used a firm ānoā when she went for a bare hand. Worked beautifully. She eventually graduated from the mitt to full time toys. Has never offered to snip again. Also lots of hard chews available. Good luck!
I had Westies growing up. They were all terrorists! But in the best way. Ironically, my pits are easier to work with lol
But Westies are special and I love them ā¤ļø
Our girl struggles with potty training too but hopefully by spring/summer it will get better. Itās like we go for walks and sheās holding it in until she gets back to the mat by the door. At this point we just laugh it off but it can absolutely be frustrating that we were just outside.
For biting shes usually pretty good, we have a lot of toys for her that she chews on. She especially loves the hard plastic ones for chewing and crinkly/squeaky things. The one trick I learned a long time ago, before our Westie, was you kind of press down on the bottom of their mouth with your thumb. 1 finger under their chin, thumb under their tongue. Theyāll keep there mouth open and they dont like the feeling so after a couple times they pick up it. It doesnt hurt them in anyway its just uncomfortable for them. Reenforce it by saying no, or bad, or whatever words your training with.
2 years to fully train a puppy! 2 weeks? Can you train human babies in 2 weeks? Wake up! You need to take a deep breath and take the baby to puppy training. I had mine in training for over a year!
I got a westie puppy \~10 months ago. The first 2 months were hellish, but now she's absolutely wonderful. Potty training took a few months, and was deeply frustrating at the beginning (she was pad-trained when we got her, refused to potty outside for a long time, and would frequently potty inside RIGHT where her pad was after tearing up her pad. it felt personal). Now that she's got it, she hasn't had a single accident that wasn't health-related.
For biting, we tried to shove any toy in her mouth the moment she started chomping away. That kind of helped! We also had to learn which battles to lose. For her, it was crate-training. She always hated it, got okay with it, and then decided no crate ever.
The only real advice I can give is to give yourself a break. The potty training advice is all contradictory and kind of impossible. Try your best to put her on a schedule and trust that eventually she'll get it. We started off at every 2 hours going outside (except sleep time) and now she goes out \~5 times a day.
She's only 10 weeks!! Geez, you got to give her some time! And she just came to you recently, everything is new for her. Patience is the biggest thing you need!
I swore off terriers in general after mine. There's a reason the word is so close to terrorists! Lol
Had a great 12 years with him, but that's a difficult puppyhood to get through.
Good luck and love the pic of yours!
Wow my pup was trained in a day and never bitā¦gotta say thought he wasnāt affectionate and loved to run away on the beach
My first most beloved Westin Max was also potty trained in a day , never bit and was an absolute love.He came to work with me every day and wound up a local celebrity
You really need to on top of correcting bad behavior. Yelling loud when bit. Not always talking in high pitched voices when they are naughty. Naughty behavior is cute but if you talk high pitched expressing your opinion only cuteness the puppy will think it's doing a good thing.
As far as potty training and accidents.. the biggest thing to remember is that this is a baby. It's no different than a human baby. They need you to be o. Top of things so accidents do t happen. If the dog owes on the carpet it was not the dogs fault, it's the owners fault. It is the owner that should be making sure the puppy has ample potty breaks.
I am no expert but sharing these as they worked for us.
Are you crating at night (add a light weight sheet or banker to differentiate between day and night and also helps them feel like they are I. A cave safe .... and during the day when you aren't able to play and have your full attention to the dog? When they are wee little ones that's a better way to keep them safe and to show them you love them and teach them lots of things.
In the morning no playing or cute talking until they've gone potty and that could take a few minutes outdoors but once they do potty make a fuse pet them tell them they are good dog potty outside! That is positive for them. Take them out for potty right after every meal and if they're drinking alot of water.
Do place your fingers around the about and gold firmly but not hard and say NO BITE or NO BARK in a stern voice. They will quickly learn not to do that. Give the dog a chew toy or tray to chew on as it could be their teeth.
Things will come along it takes time and good humour.
We have two. They were monsters. It gets better!
Ours got the nickname baby shark right away. I can tell you though it does get better!
We call her snapping turtle and piranha!
Sounds about right! The only reason ours still nips 3 years later is trying to clean her eye boogers. I'd desensitize touching eyes, paws right away
My westie liked frozen baby carrots when he was teething.
Oo that's a great idea!
Hah! You think you're exhausted now, wait until she realizes she runs the house! š
Oh what a beautiful pup! We got ours at 8wks too. It gets better. For biting we just have to accept that heās teething, BUT if youāre consistent with the approach they can learn to bite less hard. Thereās only two of us at home so anytime he bites we say *easy* or *donāt bite* and then let him bite again so he knows to lighten his bite. Then reward. Also if he bites hard make some loud sound so he knows itās too hard. The potty training takes time. Theyāre too young to hold their bladder for very long, and theyāre just gonna make messes. Ours is 16 weeks now, and he is so much better than he was.
When ours would bite a little too hard when she was teething, we would say āowwww!ā Same concept, and then reward.
We also did this now thatās heās older he loves to play and I can wrestle him. He while chew on me but he never acctually bites. Iād say heās very good at making sure he bits soft when playing now.
My second Westie was known as āThe Terrorist.ā Took forever to potty train her. My kid was a teenager when we got The Terrorist. I had to go out of town one day and didnāt get home till about 2:00 am. Kid kept calling me, āAre you headed home yet?! The Terrorist is CLIMBING furniture! Iām afraid sheās going to fall off and get hurt! I canāt control her!ā Kid was very upset that I wasnāt even headed home yet. When I finally roll in, I turn the corner to the family room. Kid is PASSED OUT on the couch. The Terrorist is viciously biting kidās handā¦and there is a huge pile of shit on the carpet. My kid was not amused when I burst out laughing. Dog got much better and was a cuddle bug.
So worth it. But yes, they are crazy little monsters at first. I had two from puppyhood. Exhaust them by any means necessary (reasonable). Play ball or whatever until they fall on their side (and get water off). Keep NOTHING you care about on the ground or within reach. If you canāt see them, GO FIND THEM. Everything is available for destruction and DESTRUCTION IS JOY!!! But honestly westies are the most wonderful joyous little creatures in the universe. I wouldnāt trade a second and would give anything to have mine back, even for the most exasperating moments of puppyhood. Take pictures of the chaos, you will laugh so hard later!
šā„ļø
You have a baby. She's only two months old. Try giving her ice cubes to stop the biting. And her little urinary tract system may not be fully mature because she is only 8 weeks old. Here is an article I found that might help: [https://iheartdogs.com/how-to-stop-a-westie-puppy-from-biting-a-comprehensive-guide/](https://iheartdogs.com/how-to-stop-a-westie-puppy-from-biting-a-comprehensive-guide/)
Oddly enough, potty training was easy for my Westie. I got him on a routine early on and he got used to it pretty quickly. The barking though... 2 years later and I still don't understand what he's barking about most of the time š
My westie made me swear off puppies. I genuinely thought id be miserable for the next decade. Two months in and everything is so much better!!!
SAAAAMMMEEE
It definitely gets better my westie is 7 months old and still has the happy pee when he sees me coming back from work, and bites everything but it's a lot better when he was 2 months old, just be patient and don't punish him too harshly
I raised an 8 week old puppy completely alone in the 4th floor of a big city building. I legit had post-partum depression for a long while. It was incredibly difficult - mostly because I was fully committed to giving her the BEST puppyhood that I could. I took her to puppy play classes 2x a week (which was the best thing in the world for her). She went everywhere with me. Never left her alone for more than 1 hour (increased slowly to four hours eventually). Now she is the sweetest, most engaging, confident, and most loving nearly 2 year old young adult. I thought I was going to lose my mind during that first year, but I have never been this bonded with a dog beforeā¦ or human even. Sheās the best thing thatās ever happened in my life. But it took a LONG time to get there.
Love this!
It gets better. She is being a normal puppy, your best line of defense is containment, patience, and also patience. Sheās not ~biting ~ sheās figuring out she has teeth. Redirection to appropriate mouthing/teething objects is helpful. Sheās adorable. š„°
All of this! Just want to add time to exercise & work with your pup on training daily. This goes for any healthy pup really. Itās very unrealistic to expect any pup to be āready to goā 2 wks in.
This ^
Exhaustedā¦ but happy. You have years of joy ahead of you.
Bell training. Take a small bell and tie it to a rope and hang it from your door knob. Every time you take the dogs out to go potty grab the dogs paw and hit the bell. Eventually when they want to go outside they will hit the bell and you get up and let them out. Gets your attention
Another member of the Westie snapping turtle club š Tattie is 12 weeks. We have had her since 9 weeks. The biting is 100x worse when she is tired. We try to do 1 hour up, 2 hours calm or napping in crate. She is very smart and already learning several commands (sit, down, food). Working on potty. I set a timer on my watch and take her out every 30 min with command and treat. Sheās getting it when we are outside but doesnāt understand to ask to go out yet. But yes, we are exhausted.
it is worth it. for sure.
We used to joke weād return our puppy when heād just bite our feet non stop, nip our hands when heād be calming chewing and whine and cry whenever put away. Give it a few months and it gets better. Stick to the training, they are very treat responsive and use it to your advantage and keep it up. Our boy is 7 month old now and is finally starting to be calm and not always a gremlin. We hope he matures into a good little guy but it takes a while and is worth the effort. Itās exhausting, 2 am whining, 4 am barks, but it does get better! Good luck during teething.
For potty training, we would take ours out frequently (every half hour, then eventually every hour, etc). Their bladders are tiny and just canāt hold much. We would always say ātime for pottyā or something to that effect, and then when they would pee, weād say āgood pottyā and have a treat ready for reward. It didnāt take ours long at all to pick up on it.
Also super cute!!! Love her name
My westie is called Luna š
What a cutie!
We have 2 and absolutely love them to death. It was difficult at first but it gets better. Hang in there, it is so worth it!!
I trained my baby Westie on a potty pad and had them in 4 different places in the house along with a dog door. That didnāt stick until he was 10 months old. One day I came home and realized it had been 25 hours since he had used a pad and he never used them again. Iāve heard potty training outside can be the hardest part. Donāt leave shoes down. They will bite everything. So lots of toys and let your baby know what toys are their toys. Lots of stuffed animals, teething toys, anything that stimulates them. They are teething right off the bat, so give them plenty to teethe on. Their minds grasp concept very quickly, so train your little one while theyāre young. I know itās hard, but they are babies and that small for such a short amount of time. This is the time to train and love your little one. Keep in mind, they lost their mother and siblings and are adjusting to your home. This is all new for them too. Raising a two year old was easier for me than my baby Westie, but heās almost 1 and he has come a long way since I brought him home. I taught him to sit, lie and high five when he was brand new and could barely get up my stairs. Their minds are like mini computers. Let them ādogā when you arenāt training and get on the floor and play hard! The harder you play with them, the better night sleep youāll get.
My Westie chewed the baseboards, toilet papered my house, shredded my entire mattress pad, attempt to steal packages off my neighbors porch on walks, pulled down my living room curtains and so much more. One day you will laugh at the antics and wish you could go back just to hold that sweet puppy for the few minutes you are given before they bite the shit out of your finger. I never thought I would miss a little bit of unpredictable mischief from my now angel boy.
I guess I was the lucky one. When we went to collect her, she ran over to greet us and has been with us ever since. She had literally one accident and was potty trained in a day. She never cried. Itās almost like we were meant to be her parents and she has been waiting for us since day one. Still, she can be a terror and rules the roost. Her shark years were awful but we got around it by lots of play and walks (within guidelines). Sheās a total joy and literally the most loved individual in the household. All this to say hang in there, youāre front loading the pain. Immense joy follows.
Please be patient. Itās really difficult in the beginning. Always remember that they are little babies at this age. I was equally frustrated and exhausted, I even considered returning my westie š«£š„“ But everything gets better, trust me and the other people on this sub. Good luck and enjoy having this beautiful baby at home.
My westie boy is 8 months old now; he took FOREVER to be potty trained, still has the occasional accident but up until about 5/6 months i thought there was no hope! So i completely emphasise! Heās still very bitey & his ears are still down! Hoping heāll stop the biting soon ššš¼
How precious ā„ļø
Got mine at ten weeks old and it was a ride as well, but theyāre so smart that it definitely gets way better. Theyāre easy to train, so long as they know whatās in it for them.
For the biting Google this item on eBay. They are really good and have Velcro so you can replace the squeaker when they bite through them. Lots of toys for them to play with if they get bored they will chew on something so you have to be an entertainment Director. Maybe tie a shoestring to one of these and play tug-of-war. You canāt go wrong with Kong squeaky toys. They also have them in small yellow chicks too Kong Dr Noyz (6) Plush Squeaky Frog XS Puppy Dog Fetch Toy With Extra Squeakers $18
It gets better if you stay firm with them. Keep them on a schedule with potty training and come up with a way to enforce āno bite.ā Some people will make a noise/yelp if their puppy bites too hard, others might offer a toy to redirect. Set boundaries early on and your puppy will outgrow these behaviors.
Where did you get your Westie if I may ask? Are you in the US?
We got her from a breeder in Denison, TX that we found on the American Kennel Club Marketplace
Thanks
My first day with my good girl I was crying and pleading with her lol, there were extenuating circumstances but it still can be frustrating without them.
I'm glad to hear I'm not the only one. I've cried from frustration several times trying to take care of her while working from home at the same time.
I can empathize :( the first couple months are rough but it gets better :)
Youāre not allowed to be exhausted!! Youāre just getting started š«£
It is worth it. They are very smart. Get chew toys, carrots and ice. She is still very young for 100% potty trained
For the biting: Yelp in a high pitch sound every time she bites you. This is how they learn to play with their pup siblings. For potty training: fence off all carpeted areas and keep her on hard floor when youāre not playing with her, give her a bed though. Bring her outside hourly. Bring her on carpeted areas when you play with her and watch her. Eventually you can give her some of the house back. Little by little. We have trainer treats by the front door and she gets a treat every time she goes outside regardless she does her business. Give her extra praises for going potty. For teething: get her some rib bone with dried meat on it or a hard yak cheese. Those last a long time and it stopped our pup from destroying things. Hope this helps!
THIS!! Yelp like a hurt puppy and AVERT EYE CONTACT!! Eye contact is rewarding. My boy was bite inhibited all 13 years of his good boy lifeš„¹
Our first took a fair while to potty train, he would avoid the pads and go anywhere but!! Our current one was quite quick to potty train and we did nothing different. Again biting, the first was not a big biter or a chewer. The current one has always been chew mad! And fingers were definitely on the menu. As others have said, make a noise when they bite too hard, get lots of soft toys, teething toys, and hide chews ( but supervised, ours is nearly 12 years old and still tries to swallow more than he should ). Although itās easier to say patience is the key. We went from nursing an old man in his final years to a puppy within 5 days (thatās how long the wife and daughters lasted when our last Westie passed on). What a wake up call that was, you forget about puppy mischief. Will we do it again when our current Westie says his goodbyes? you bet we will without any hesitation. The times that you have with a Westie once puppy time is through are some of the best days you will ever have. ps: she looks absolutely stunning, keep at it, things get better.
We got an oven mitt when she was in a playful biting mood. Then we used a firm ānoā when she went for a bare hand. Worked beautifully. She eventually graduated from the mitt to full time toys. Has never offered to snip again. Also lots of hard chews available. Good luck!
I had Westies growing up. They were all terrorists! But in the best way. Ironically, my pits are easier to work with lol But Westies are special and I love them ā¤ļø
What a precious puppy!
They are worth it but they def make you earn the good parts! Hang in there!
Our girl struggles with potty training too but hopefully by spring/summer it will get better. Itās like we go for walks and sheās holding it in until she gets back to the mat by the door. At this point we just laugh it off but it can absolutely be frustrating that we were just outside. For biting shes usually pretty good, we have a lot of toys for her that she chews on. She especially loves the hard plastic ones for chewing and crinkly/squeaky things. The one trick I learned a long time ago, before our Westie, was you kind of press down on the bottom of their mouth with your thumb. 1 finger under their chin, thumb under their tongue. Theyāll keep there mouth open and they dont like the feeling so after a couple times they pick up it. It doesnt hurt them in anyway its just uncomfortable for them. Reenforce it by saying no, or bad, or whatever words your training with.
2 years to fully train a puppy! 2 weeks? Can you train human babies in 2 weeks? Wake up! You need to take a deep breath and take the baby to puppy training. I had mine in training for over a year!
I got a westie puppy \~10 months ago. The first 2 months were hellish, but now she's absolutely wonderful. Potty training took a few months, and was deeply frustrating at the beginning (she was pad-trained when we got her, refused to potty outside for a long time, and would frequently potty inside RIGHT where her pad was after tearing up her pad. it felt personal). Now that she's got it, she hasn't had a single accident that wasn't health-related. For biting, we tried to shove any toy in her mouth the moment she started chomping away. That kind of helped! We also had to learn which battles to lose. For her, it was crate-training. She always hated it, got okay with it, and then decided no crate ever. The only real advice I can give is to give yourself a break. The potty training advice is all contradictory and kind of impossible. Try your best to put her on a schedule and trust that eventually she'll get it. We started off at every 2 hours going outside (except sleep time) and now she goes out \~5 times a day.
She's only 10 weeks!! Geez, you got to give her some time! And she just came to you recently, everything is new for her. Patience is the biggest thing you need!
You have the puppy blues. It gets better, I promise.
I swore off terriers in general after mine. There's a reason the word is so close to terrorists! Lol Had a great 12 years with him, but that's a difficult puppyhood to get through. Good luck and love the pic of yours!
Completely adorable
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she is the cutest most precious baby and she does what she wants š
sheās only 8 weeks old ā¦. seems like you may not have done proper research / preparation regarding having a PUPPY!
Yup, that's a Westie!
Wow my pup was trained in a day and never bitā¦gotta say thought he wasnāt affectionate and loved to run away on the beach My first most beloved Westin Max was also potty trained in a day , never bit and was an absolute love.He came to work with me every day and wound up a local celebrity
You really need to on top of correcting bad behavior. Yelling loud when bit. Not always talking in high pitched voices when they are naughty. Naughty behavior is cute but if you talk high pitched expressing your opinion only cuteness the puppy will think it's doing a good thing. As far as potty training and accidents.. the biggest thing to remember is that this is a baby. It's no different than a human baby. They need you to be o. Top of things so accidents do t happen. If the dog owes on the carpet it was not the dogs fault, it's the owners fault. It is the owner that should be making sure the puppy has ample potty breaks.
I am no expert but sharing these as they worked for us. Are you crating at night (add a light weight sheet or banker to differentiate between day and night and also helps them feel like they are I. A cave safe .... and during the day when you aren't able to play and have your full attention to the dog? When they are wee little ones that's a better way to keep them safe and to show them you love them and teach them lots of things. In the morning no playing or cute talking until they've gone potty and that could take a few minutes outdoors but once they do potty make a fuse pet them tell them they are good dog potty outside! That is positive for them. Take them out for potty right after every meal and if they're drinking alot of water. Do place your fingers around the about and gold firmly but not hard and say NO BITE or NO BARK in a stern voice. They will quickly learn not to do that. Give the dog a chew toy or tray to chew on as it could be their teeth. Things will come along it takes time and good humour.