Growling and barking

[Brian]

I have just got a Westie puppy, and along with the usual
problems, my dog has growled, snapped and barked on a
few occasions. How can I stop this? Is this standard for
the breed while it settles in? Is it a bad omen for the future!

Thanks

[westieworld]

Hi Brian

Welcome to the Forum.

Apart from being very, very firm with your puppy when he tries to establish himself as boss (which is what he is doing, believe it or not), he is after all just a puppy. He will have a youthful exuberance, and I would be worried if he didn't.

However, I cannot emphasise enough how important it is that YOU gain the upper hand in your relationship before your dog reaches adulthood (which leaves you a decent amount of time to try to correct this), as it will set his character for the rest of his life. It's one of the reasons so many dogs end up being rehomed, I'm afraid. If this necessitates professional help from a behaviourist, then so be it, I would say - your dog is worth it.

Who can say if anything is typical of any breed? Some breeds are more likely to try this 'superiority' test, and Westies do appear to be one of the breeds.

If you would like to contact me through the 'send Admin an email' link above, I may be able to recommend something more definite.

Best wishes

Lee.