EastCoastWesties.com - Training Your Westie

To train your dog, first ask him if he is capable of learning while waving a treat up and down in front of his nose. If he nods, then continue.

Most Westies can learn to walk without pulling with just a buckle collar or a show lead. When on a walk, if the dog starts to pull, just give a gentle jerk on the lead (note the word gentle) and stop walking for a moment before continuing the walk, making sure not to continue while the dog is still pulling. If you happen to have an unusually stubborn dog who continues to pull after doing the above for a while, then I would reccomend a head collar. It is a special collar with a strap that goes over the muzzle, under the muzzle, and behind the neck. When the dog tries to pull on leash, lunge at something, jump up, etc, it pulls his mouth down and shut, and it pulls his head in your direction. It is an attention-getter for you every time. The dog may not like it at first but you can feed him with it, and give him treats with it on, and he will get used to it. After he stops pulling, then you can switch to a regular collar. While using the head collar, be prepared to explain it to people. Head collars fit most people's description of a muzzle, and to them that means the dog is dangerous. Explain that it is just a no-pull device and the dog can move around and open his mouth freely.

The first command a dog needs to learn is heel. Using your right hand, hold the leash handle first, plus one other point down the leash, so that the rest of the leash between your right hands and the dog hangs down in a U shape. Never have the leash tight. Say the dog’s name; say “heel!” and then take one step forwards, with a food treat in hand, right in front of the dog’s nose. Your dog will see you go and, wanting to go with you (and because of the treat), will move one of his front paws forward. As soon as you see his front paw move forwards, praise him and give the reward so he knows he has done the right thing at the right time. Say “heel!” and continue using the treat as a magnet to gently lead him where you want him. After a few min of doing this, feed him the treat , and without showing him another one, say heel and start walking. If the dog follows you, he has the concept. If he does not, it may take a few more times. If something, such as a squirrel or another dog, catches his attention and he begins to wander ahead of you, give a gentle but firm tug with the leash in the desired direction, say “heel!” in a firm tone of voice, and stand still for a moment, and, provided the dog stood still beside you, show him another treat, say heel, and continue. Remember to reward and praise him as soon as a correction is made. This erases the sting without erasing the lesson. Never let the dog sniff the ground while heeling. If he does, say “leave it!” while jerking the leash up. As soon as his nose leaves the ground, praise him. Sniffing on a walk while not heeling is fine.

Hold a treat in front of your dog’s nose, and continue lifting up until he is in sitting position, while saying “sit”. Then give him the food treat and praise him. Repeat several times and occasionally ask him to sit without the food treat, gradually increasing to more times without food, but still praising him. Soon praise will be all your dog needs for a reward, but give him the occasional food treat to keep him from becoming bored. Keep the training sessions down to 5-10 min at a time at first, gradually increasing the time to up to 30 min, as dogs, puppies especially, have short attention spans, and will become distracted and/or frustrated, and it will not want to learn the rest of the day, and you will have to start fresh tomorrow. Do one, two, or three training sessions a day, and don’t always work on the same command every time. Don’t use the dog’s name before the sit command.

To train your dog to lie down, first ask him to sit. Then hold a treat in front of his nose and lower it, gently pull his front feet forwards, and say “down” or “drop”. When he lies down, give him the food treat and praise him. Repeat several times, and then see if he will obey with only the food treat and praising, and not the leg pulling. Then gradually increase the amount of times a food treat is not offered, until he lies down on command, but still praise him, only not so much, but still offering the occasional treat to keep him from becoming bored.

It is not necessary to teach the dog to stay, because when he is sitting he is already still. Tell the dog to sit, have someone hold the dog, and then slowly walk away. Have a treat in your pocket and pull it out when you get a few yards away. Pat your thighs and say “come!”, have the dog released, then show the food treat. As he is coming towards you, move the treat up above his nose. This should result in him coming to you and them immediately sitting. This is one of the most important things you can do to prevent jumping as an adult. Feed the treat and praise the dog when he comes. Repeat, gradually decreasing the amount treats are offered and amount of praise. Praise him every time he comes.
"DROP IT"

This is one of the most important things to teach your dog, and thankfully, one of the easiest. You will use it every day to get him to drop toxic or valuable objects or to get him to release a favorite toy when playtime is over. To train this command you need to figure out what treat your dog adores above all others. You're basically going to be offering to trade whatever he's holding for the treat, so it has to be a treat that's really worth it. Dogs usually love cheese, hotdogs, liver, or peanut butter treats. Offer a trade. Play with your dog with a toy--don't use one of his favorites--and get him to take it from you. When he has the toy in his mouth, put one of the treats right in front of his mouth and nose. If you've picked the right treat, he will open his mouth to take the treat, and the toy will fall out. Do this a few times till you've both got the hang of it. Now, offer the trade, and the instant the dog opens his mouth, say "Drop it." Timing is important: you must say it precisely as the mouth starts to open. Repeat, repeat, repeat. Give the dog many chances over the course of several days to trade the toy for the treat while you say the command. With repetition, the dog will learn to associate mouth-opening with "Drop it" .Test the command: When you feel confident, try the command without the treat in front of the dog's nose. If If you've trained enough, the dog should drop the toy. Now give the treat--this time, after the toy has dropped. Stop paying every time. Once your dog obeys the command reliably, don't give the treat afterwards every time. Do it every other time, then on a random schedule, then when you don't have a treat in your hand and have to take it off the counter. This will teach your dog to obey the command when you don't have a treat in your hand right now. Try the command when the dog is holding more and more desirable objects. You may need to go back to the start for a while to get him to drop a bone or his favorite toy.

SPEAK
I believe it is important to teach your dog a "Quiet" command. To do this, you must teach a "Speak" command first.

Find something your dog wants (treats, food, or toy). Entice the dog with the object, increasing the dog's desire for it. Hold it above the dog's head and ask the dog to "Speak." In the beginning, an exasperated exhale, squeak, grumble or noise should be considered good behavior. Reward that exhale or other vocalization with petting, praise, and treats. Repeat until the dog shows enthusiasm and barks. When the dog barks, give a big reward (treats or play session)
If there are occasions where your dog barks regularly, use these situations in your training by asking the dog to speak. For example, if your dog barks when the doorbell rings, say "Speak" and then ring the doorbell. When the dog barks, reward by giving praise and a treat. Repeat until you can phase out the doorbell or other stimuli. Behaviors like "Speak" are easier to train because it's something your dog already does naturally.

Then ask to the dog to be "Quiet." When your dog barks, quickly tug the leash and say "No!" "Quiet, good!" Very quickly give 3 treats in a row and praise. The dog learns quiet has a high value reward.

Repeat steps 2-4 until the dog doesn't need a leash correction. Do this 4-6 times in a row. Take a play break.

Some dogs will do whatever their owners want them to, just to have a little playtime. Find the reward that best motivates your dog to learn and stick with it. Work with your dog daily in 5 to 15 minute sessions. Keep training fun, and end sessions on a high note with reward for a job well done. If you feel yourself getting frustrated or tired, quit and try again later. Most Westies don’t have a retrieving instinct, but most can still be taught to fetch.

To teach your dog to fetch, start with the object he loves most. With your dog on a long leash, give your dog the command "sit." Take the object and toss it a small distance from the dog. Give the command, "fetch," and let your dog runafter the toy. Once he has it in his mouth, gently draw him back to you by means of the lead. Show him a tasty food treat and give him the command, "release." It is very important that your dog give the object to you willingly. This is not a tug-of-war. Retrieving breeds will learn this trick quickly, and may play for hours. Other dogs may not be so enthusiastic about surrendering their favorite toy, so make sure you reward success exuberantly, lavishing your dog with praise and treats.

Once your dog reliably brings the object back to you, remove the leash and have him fetch the object on his own. For a more advanced "fetch," teach your dog the names of different objects. Once he understands the concept of "fetch," work with one object at a time and call it by name until he can identify the object by name. For example, if you want your dog to get the morning newspaper, start by throwing a paper. Give the command "fetch paper." Your dog should bring you only the paper to receive his reward. As your dog learns the names of different objects, give him some mental exercise by laying out 3 or 4 different objects and asking for them by name. See how smart your dog is.

Continue to practice this over and over. Always use a happy singsong voice and lots of positive reinforcement. Eventually, your dog will understand.

To teach your dog to play dead, first give the DOWN command. Notice the side to which he is leaning. From this position, give the command of PLAY DEAD and gently push him over until he is lying on that side. Offer a click and a belly rub until he is comfortable in this position. Repeat the exercise until your pet rolls onto his side on his own. Follow with a small food treat.

Continue to practice this over and over. Always use a happy singsong voice and lots of positive reinforcement. Eventually, your dog will understand and fall to the ground with a thump.

Start by having your dog sit. Say, "Shake hands," and take his paw with your hand. Hold his paw and praise him. Let go of his paw. Do this a few times every day. After a while, say, "Shake hands," but don't take his paw. See if he raises his paw by himself. If not, keep showing him what to do by saying, "Shake hands," and taking his paw with your hand. Your dog is not slow; he is just learning!

Have your dog sit, facing you. Hold his favorite treat just above his head and tell him, "Say please." Your dog will probably lift his front feet off the ground to reach the treat. As soon as the feet are lifted, even a little bit, give him the treat.
This is a hard trick for most dogs. Wait a little longer each time before giving the treat, but be careful not to let your dog fall over on his back. You are helping your dog develop his balance. Be kind and only do this a couple of times.

Here's an easy one: Every time your dog licks your face, say, "Give me a kiss.” Click!

“Give me a kiss." If he isn't a licker, put a little peanut butter on your cheek and say, "Give me a kiss." When he licks it off say, "Give me a kiss," again. Tricks like this work because you put words with something your dog does. Pretty soon your dog hears "Give me a kiss," and thinks about licking your face. Then you give him a hug; rub his ears and give praise.

Start by having your dog lie down on his belly. You can stand over him or kneel beside him. Using a treat, hold it by his nose, and then move it around and behind him, so that he lies on his side and then rolls over. Tell him what a great dog he is with a lot of praise!

With your dog in a stand position, take a treat and hold it near the floor, under his nose. As your dog reaches down to get it (he may try to lie down), slip your hand under his belly to hold his rear end up. Hold him in that position and say, "Take a bow." Keep the treat right by his nose, but don't feed him. Stay there for just a second, release him, and then feed the treat. If you feed your dog the treat while he is in the bowing position, in the future he won't bow until he sees the treat in your hand. If he learns that the treat comes later, he'll be willing to perform for you without it right there all the time.

Your dog should know how to shake hands before learning this trick. Face your dog and hold out your hand as if you are going to shake. When your dog lifts her paw to shake, don't grab it, just pull back your hand, and say "Wave". Then give your dog a treat. At first your dog may not lift her paw very high. But once she realizes that you're going to give her a treat if she holds it up there, she'll get it. You may have to tease her a little with your hand so she thinks you are going to shake with her. Waving your hand a little may help to get her paw into a waving motion as well.

Put a treat in one hand, show your dog, and then close both of your hands, making two fists. Hold your fists in front of you, about six inches apart and say "Which one?" Your dog will try to pry at your fists with his mouth to find the treat, but don't open your hands. Wait until he tries to use his paw (he will if you wait long enough), let him touch the correct hand and then give him the treat. If you have tried this several times, but your dog still won't use his paws to touch your hand, let him use his mouth to point out the correct hand. It'll be just as good and your audience will love the trick just as much.

NOTE: If your dog is a show dog, you may not want to teach your dog to sit or lie down. He may sit or lie down in the show ring because it gets him attention at home. Sitting or lying down in the show ring will get him disqualified. However, if you still want to teach your show dog to sit and lie down on command, you will have to teach a "stack" command. Just use a treat and your hands to get your dog to stand up in show pose, with his front paws directly under his shoulders straight up, his hindlegs slightly stretched back, back straight, weight evenly distributed among all four paws, head up, neck arched, and tail up. once he is in the correct position, Say "Stack", and give him a treat. Even if you do not want to teach your show dog to sit or lie down, it is a lot easier during a show to have a dog that self stacks on command, rather than hand arranging him. Don't limit your dog to just common commands, you can use a treat to lure your dog into just about any position and put a command with it. Once your dog knows a command, use it often. Training and practicing commands is good mental excersise for your dog. Your dog is a lot safer if he at least knows the basic commands such as sit, drop it, come, and obeys them without thinking. Someday it could save him from running in front of a moving car, ingesting toxic chemicals, or some other dangerous situation.