west Highland White Terriers

blondie7

hi all,

Just wondering does anyone know the temperment of a westie, i was once told there very wicked and cant be trusted near kids, is this true??

WIZE

Thats Bull

I have two westies and they are the most friendly dogs I know .
They are around my sisters kids alot and never had a problem . They are so cute that when I bring them for a walk kids always come up and ask to pet them and my westies love it .

All dogs can be wicked. It depends how you train them .

Its the same as saying ''If a king charles bit you does that make all king charles wicked

Allgäuerin

I own two westies as well. I was working in a kindergarden in Germany and used to bring the older one (only had him in germany, bought the other one in Ireland) with me to work. The kids loved him and he loved the kids!:D

Hellrazer

Mine was a snappy little fooker--couldnt trust him around the kids at all.

Ive only ever been bitten by 2 dogs in my entire life and both of them were terriers.Says it all really--Id trust my kids more with one of the "restricted breeds" than I would with a terrier.

Toulouse

I wouldn't think that it's because they're wicked that they can't be trusted with kids, it's because they're terriers and terriers usually have a pretty low annoyance threshold.

I know that Westie Rescue won't rehome to families with young children for this reason. They just don't take kindly to being pulled out of.

Blueprint

To be fair on the terriers though, I think the reason there are so many bad ones around is because people don't bother to socialize them properly. Like one of my neighbours have a Cairn, as far as I could tell she hardly ever left the back garden when she was young. She used to yap away all day at everything (and you could plainly hear that she was working herself into a state of hysteria over the course of the day).

Met them one day as I was bringing my guy out and the Cairn was being carried to the car - naturally I was told "oh, she's not good with other dogs at all" - no wonder, since she never got the chance to meet any!

My fellow is a Terrier crossed with (probably) Collie and has the best nature in the world.

Hellrazer

My Westie was socialised from a very young age but I think Toulouse has hit the nail on the head--they just dont have a high annoyance threshold and with young kids even though they may have never bothered going near the dog,I think them playing in the general area was enough to annoy him to the extent that when they did go even close to him he was just fed up with them.
Its whole different story with him now--My aunt has him now and when we go to visit hes completely different with the kids and not a bit snappy at all now--its like the kids are ok in small doses or something

WIZE

Hellrazer wrote: »

My Westie was socialised from a very young age but I think Toulouse has hit the nail on the head--they just dont have a high annoyance threshold and with young kids even though they may have never bothered going near the dog,I think them playing in the general area was enough to annoy him to the extent that when they did go even close to him he was just fed up with them.
Its whole different story with him now--My aunt has him now and when we go to visit hes completely different with the kids and not a bit snappy at all now--its like the kids are ok in small doses or something

Yeah buts thats the same as all dogs. what goes around , comes around .
The thing is that with any animal you have to train your dog the rights and wrongs but you have to teach your kids the rights and wrongs on how to behave around animals

Toulouse

That is true BVB but I don't think you understand what we're saying. You can teach the dog and teach the kids but someday when your back is turned and the kid annoys the dog and it snaps who's going to end up going to the pound?

There are plenty of more tolerant breeds out there, why not get one of them if you have kids instead of taking a chance with a breed that are prone to being grumpy around kids? The OP may be lucky, she may not. Best not put a Westie in that position imo.

All dogs, no matter what breed should never be left alone with a child and vice versa.

Hellrazer

Toulouse wrote: »

That is true BVB but I don't think you understand what we're saying. You can teach the dog and teach the kids but someday when your back is turned and the kid annoys the dog and it snaps who's going to end up going to the pound?

There are plenty of more tolerant breeds out there, why not get one of them if you have kids instead of taking a chance with a breed that are prone to being grumpy around kids? The OP may be lucky, she may not. Best not put a Westie in that position imo.

All dogs, no matter what breed should never be left alone with a child and vice versa.

Thats exactly what my point is--My own experience with my westie was that he was a snappy little thing.My kids well know how to behave around the dogs and they never really bothered the westie anyway but in saying that you could tell alone by the dogs manner that he was getting pissed off with them just being noisy and playful(like all kids are) and when anyone(not just the kids) went near him in this state he was snappy and angry.
On the other hand my Lab does her best to try and play with the kids--constantly bringing them over her ball for them to throw,lying down with them on the grass if theyre sitting playing and generally just wanting to be around the kids--totally different than the Westie ever was.

WIZE

Toulouse wrote: »

That is true BVB but I don't think you understand what we're saying. You can teach the dog and teach the kids but someday when your back is turned and the kid annoys the dog and it snaps who's going to end up going to the pound?

There are plenty of more tolerant breeds out there, why not get one of them if you have kids instead of taking a chance with a breed that are prone to being grumpy around kids? The OP may be lucky, she may not. Best not put a Westie in that position imo.

All dogs, no matter what breed should never be left alone with a child and vice versa.

I think I will agree to disagree as im biased as I have westies:)

blondie7

thanks for all yer reply. i havent got kids but my OH has thats y i was wondering. AAny suggestions as to a small dog i could get that would tolerate kids??

Sigma Force

Why don't you contact westie rescue and perhaps talk about your options and the pooches temprament. I only know one westie he lives in a pub so is very socialised and used to kids but doesn't like being man handled a lot by kids at the same time isn't snappy or anything.

Small dogs, include. mix breeds and rescue dogs so worth checking out rescues in your area and outside your area as well. A good rescue will be able to match you up with a dog.

Also depends on how the kids are with dogs, some toy breeds and small dogs are delicate so may not suit and some are more hardy.

Lemlin

Guineapigrescue wrote: »

Why don't you contact westie rescue and perhaps talk about your options and the pooches temprament. I only know one westie he lives in a pub so is very socialised and used to kids but doesn't like being man handled a lot by kids at the same time isn't snappy or anything.

Small dogs, include. mix breeds and rescue dogs so worth checking out rescues in your area and outside your area as well. A good rescue will be able to match you up with a dog.

Also depends on how the kids are with dogs, some toy breeds and small dogs are delicate so may not suit and some are more hardy.

I spoke to a woman from the westie rescue centre before because we were thinking of getting one and have a baby on the way. While she said they are lovely dogs, she said she would never trust rehoming one in a house with a child under 10.

She said they can be lovely dogs but pushed too far, they are known to snap. Even those with the best temperament could be pushed by a child pulling out of them.

That's why we decided against getting one.

arybvtcw0eolkf

blondie7 wrote: »

AAny suggestions as to a small dog i could get that would tolerate kids??

I'm confident in suggesting any of the bull breeds, esp. the Staffordshire Bull Terrier.

.

Hellrazer

Rylee Hissing Hornet wrote: »

I'm confident in suggesting any of the bull breeds, esp. the Staffordshire Bull Terrier.

.

Agreed--Any staffies I know are just brilliant with kids.