West Highland terrier

EmmaJane

Hello, I'm looking to provide a great home for a West Highland terrier, does anyone have any advice? I love animals, but don't really know where to look. Am located in Dublin til mid Janruary then moving to the county-side in Clare.
Any info appreciated

Ruu_Old

Hi, welcome to boards.ie. I just moved your post to the Animals and Pets forum, you should get better advice here. Have fun.

BanzaiBk

Hi, welcome to boards.

My family has 3 Westies and a Cairn terrier and they are great, lovable and intelligent little dogs. They are very energetic and love lots of frequent exercise and playtime. 2 of them suffer with a little dry skin here and there so we try to not over-bathe them and brush out their coats thoroughly instead.
Unfortunatly they are inquisitve little beggars and will dig/search through your garden or when out on a walk until they are destroyed, so the fluffy white coat doesn't stay clean for too long if they can help it:p

Some people have commented to me that their Westies can be a little bad tempered (growling, barking randomly etc) but I have never had that issue, I would put that down to bad exercise more than anything. We crate trained (toilet trained) our dogs and found that to be the easiest for both us and the puppy. It took a short time and there has rarely been accidents.

On any given day the dogs are rarely left alone for more than 4 hours at a time (all of us working different times, school, etc) and they can be a little bit over-excited to see someone come home after they have been left alone (it's very sweet though:)!) Walk-wise they are usually all up for a 2-3 or so mile walk a day with 1-2 big walks at the weekend. A friend walks her little fella 1 and a half miles a day and he seems fine with that though.

Good luck!

Toulouse

Have you considered a rescue dog? Most of Westie Rescues dogs come from private homes who no longer want them.

Research the breed, decide if it's really what you want and give Maureen Byrne a ring on 086 8200010 (before 6.30pm Mon- Fri) and have a chat to her.

glineli

Hi

I am living in Clare, got a 6 month old west, Gerry.

He is great. He spends maybe 6 hours on his own every day due to work, damn you work!!! He is very used to it. Even at weekends he likes to do his own thing during the day, sleep, dig up the garden, sleep some more!!!

We bring him for walks every evening, maybe 30 to 40 minutes, depending on what he wante to smell!!! Weekend we go to coole park, do the long walks there, 90 minutes or so. he loves it, rolling in the leaves, meeting other dogs!!

We got ours off a lovely lady in Wexford. Gerry slept in the utility room for the first 3 nights, no crying at all. Night 4 he went out in his kennel, no problem. During the cold or stormy nights he sleeps in the utlity room, but he goes out during the day.

He is in a daily pattern now, loves it. Goes mental at 5 when herself comes home. He is barking a bit more in the evenings, seems to have found his voice but its not excessive at the moment.

Great little guy, would love to get a little female, would be great company but maybe not yet.

kerrysgold

I have a 7 yr old female westie, she can be grumpy but when she is in a good mood she is an adorable little thing, she even ''smiles''! Her favourite things to do are watching the tv (and barking at things she doesn't like lol) and she *adores* going out for drives in the car :P

I got her when she was 3 from some eejits in tipperary who said they were going to dump her if we didn't take her. probably emotional blackmail but wasn't worth taking the chance!

If you would like to consider adopting a homeless westie you should contact Maureen, she is on the petsireland boards and her username on there is Booley. She always has lovely westies looking for good homes. http://petsireland.invisionzone.com

EmmaJane

Thanks for the pointers everyone, just wondering if anyone can give me specific info on where to get a Westie? Will ring the above mentioned Maureen tomorrow, but any other contacts would be great, cheers

glineli

Hi

I probably have the number of the lady in wexford we got gerry off at home. I will have a look later.

Otherwise, you are probably checking www.irishdogs.ie/Find a Dog.htm.

Toulouse

If you are going to go down the breeder route then make sure you find a reputable one.

http://www.irishdogs.ie/Breeders/Choosing%20Breeders.htm

MacBaldy

me and my gf are looking for west highland terror, we dont want to go to any puppy farms, be looking for good breeder

andreac

Hi there,
Contact the breed club for recommendations for good breeders.

All Ireland West Highland White Terrier Association
Mr. G. Fitzpatrick
Simonstown, Navan, Co. Meath.
(046-9022259)

MacBaldy

cheers thanks will do

the_syco

BanzaiBk wrote: »

Some people have commented to me that their Westies can be a little bad tempered (growling, barking randomly etc)

Have a westie, and she just see shadows out the back garden, and goes mental.

=-=

Bit of advice: get one of those sturdy gray garden gloves, that you'd use for tough work, and use it as a play toy. Westies are "ratters", and goes at the glove like it's a rat. The glove can usually last a few months. If you find her sitting down and whining, it's usually because she has flung it up on a high point by accident

Whispered

MacBaldy wrote: »

me and my gf are looking for west highland terror, we dont want to go to any puppy farms, be looking for good breeder

Aw come on, they're not that bad. :P:D

Fair play to you for going down the reputable breeder route. Best of luck finding your dog.

MacBaldy

:Di will be doing hope to have one after my hols in august

boomerang

How about a rescued Westie? Maureen Byrne runs Westie Rescue and always has Westies seeking homes. Sometimes they come into rescue through no fault of their own - change of family circumstances, etc. It's no reflection on the dog if it ends up in a pound or in rescue. Maureen is a certified dog behaviourist so her back-up and advice is excellent.

The dog will be neutered, vaccinated, groomed, deflead and dewormed - so you'll be expected to make a donation of approx €100 - €150 to cover some of these costs and help Maureen continue her work.

That's cheaper than buying a Westie puppy, and that's before you factor in what it will cost you to vax, neuter the pup etc. And your donation helps more Westies. It's win-win!

Westie Rescue website