Home
>
Pet
>
How to Play Safely with Your Westie Puppies

How to Play Safely with Your Westie Puppies

Just like children, westie puppies learn through play. Playing games with your west highland white terrier pups creates an opportunity to train them to obey your commands, gives them valuable exercise, and helps to build their strength, coordination, and agility. It is also fun for everyone.

Before you start playing games, there are some rules you should know, and safety precautions you should take. Your pups need to really run, not just walk on a leash, but be sure any area you play in has a fence. If they are city dogs, try finding a fenced-in tennis court for play. As a last resort, keep the puppy on an extra-long line. You do not want them to wander free until you are certain they will return on your command.

Never encourage your west highland pups to jump. The young bones are fragile, and not able to bear the stress of jumping until the growth plates are fused. Games like Frisbee, or serious agility training, are for older dogs, although there is still much you can do with your westie puppies by having them working at ground level. If you are eager to start these kinds of games, at about one year of age you can take your westies to their veterinarian for an x-ray, to see if the growth plates are completely fused.

Westie pups first learn to play in the litter by roughhousing with their littermates, but at six to eight weeks, the mother westie begins to discourage this behavior. You should discourage it as well, by never roughhousing in ways that allow them to bite, nip, or claw at your hands. A nip from a puppy may seem harmless, but if a full-grown westie nips, you have a behavior problem. It also teaches them that they can dominate you through aggression. If they do manage to get a nip in during play, discourage it in the same way dogs do, by imitating a 'yelp' sound.

Always remain in control with your pets. You want to teach them you are the 'alpha-dog.' Towards this end, never reward them by chasing after them when they run away from you. Instead, 'hide' from your pups, making them come after you. Tug of War games are good, but never allow the dogs to take the tug toy from you. You should be in control of it at all times, deciding when to end the game by taking it from the dog with a 'give' command. Never allow your west highland terrier puppies to grab a ball or other toy from your hands.

(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
webmaster@madaboutwesties.com

Want To Know How To Have The Healthiest,
Happiest and Most Well Behaved Westie You
Have Ever Dreamed Of! Then Visit NOW!
webmaster@madaboutwesties.com

bathroom cleaning service Northbrook ..

In The News:

Learn how to act against cybercriminals in 2026 with essential security steps like two-factor authentication, software updates and credit freezing.

Choose between OpenAI releasing Sora text-to-video model, the AI race heating up, or Waymo driverless cars launching in cities across the country

Learn how to set up Google Maps and Apple Maps on your phone to automatically remember where you parked. Step-by-step instructions for enabling location services and parking detection.

Phishing scammers use rnicrosoft.com domain to impersonate Microsoft by replacing "m" with "rn" in typosquatting attacks that steal login credentials.

OpenAI announces new teen safety rules for ChatGPT users under 18, blocking romantic roleplay and requiring extra caution on body image topics.

A 2025 data breach at fintech company 700Credit exposes personal information of more than 5.8 million people through compromised third-party integration partner.

Retailers lose $76.5 billion annually to return fraud as nearly 10% of U.S. retail returns involve fraudulent activity, with $850 billion in returns expected in 2025.

ShinyHunters claims responsibility for stealing 94GB of Pornhub user data affecting over 200 million records and demands Bitcoin ransom.

ChatGPT 2025 now connects to Apple Music, Canva, Expedia, TripAdvisor and OpenTable through built-in apps that help users create playlists, design graphics and more.

Apple releases emergency patches for two zero-day vulnerabilities actively exploited in attacks. iPhone and iPad users urged to update immediately.

DoorDash launches Zesty, an AI-powered social app that recommends restaurants through conversational search, now testing in San Francisco and New York.

Cybersecurity firm Infoblox reveals that over 90 percent of parked domains now redirect visitors to scams and malware, making simple typos extremely dangerous.

The Fox News AI Newsletter covers the latest artificial intelligence technology advancements, including the challenges and opportunities AI presents now and for the future.

GPT-5.2 is now live for all ChatGPT users with improved coding, writing and image interpretation, with Kurt Knutsson offering his review.

New iPhone replacement scam uses pressure tactics and fake carrier calls to steal devices from buyers. Criminals claim shipping errors and demand urgent returns.

Amazon Ring's new facial recognition feature sparks privacy controversy as Electronic Frontier Foundation critics argue the AI upgrade expands surveillance risks.

New Android banking trojan Sturnus steals credentials, reads encrypted messages and controls devices.

Denmark's 3D-printed student village proves automation builds 36 apartments faster than traditional methods. Skovsporet project shows housing future.

Discover Android's new Sound Notifications feature that alerts you to smoke alarms, doorbells, and baby cries even when wearing headphones.

New SantaStealer malware reportedly threatens holiday shoppers with password theft. This Christmas-themed info-stealer targets browsers and crypto wallets.

The Christmas season brings a surge in Netflix phishing scams targeting shoppers with fake emails. Stacey P received convincing scam but verified account first.

San Francisco Giants invite Jamie Grohsong to throw ceremonial first pitch at Oracle Park after he learned to play baseball with a bionic hand following an injury.

FBI warns cybercriminals are stealing family photos from social media to create fake proof of life images in virtual kidnapping scams targeting victims.

Instagram's new 'Your Algorithm' tool lets you control your Reels feed in real time. The app now gives you power to customize what videos you see.

Major Marquis fintech breach exposes 400,000-plus Americans' data through unpatched SonicWall vulnerability, with Texas hardest hit at 354,000 affected.

How to Play Safely with Your Westie Puppies

Pet