Westies are clever and eager to please — but they are also terriers, with opinions. These gentle, positive techniques work with that character rather than against it.
Know what you are working with
A Westie learns quickly. What they do not do is comply simply because you asked. The breed was built to work independently underground, out of sight of the handler, making its own decisions. That independence shows up as a dog who understands the cue perfectly and is weighing up whether it is worth it.
The approach that works is not more pressure. It is making the right answer clearly worth their while, every time, until it becomes habit.
Start earlier than you think
Training begins the day they arrive, not at six months. Everything a puppy practises — including jumping up and getting attention for it — is being learned. Short sessions of two or three minutes, several times a day, fit a puppy’s attention span far better than one long session. End every session while they are still enjoying it.
The first five things to teach
1. Their name
Say the name once, and the moment they look at you, mark it and reward. Never use the name as a reprimand — it should always predict something good.
2. Sit
Hold a treat at nose height and move it slowly back over their head. The bottom goes down as the nose goes up. Mark and reward the instant it touches the floor. Add the word only once the movement is reliable.
3. Recall
The most important cue you will ever teach. Start indoors, two people, calling the puppy back and forth with enormous enthusiasm and excellent treats. Only add distance and distraction once it is solid. Never call your Westie to do something they dislike — go and fetch them for the bath instead.
4. Leave it
For a terrier this is a safety cue. Place a treat under your palm on the floor; the moment they stop trying to get at it, mark and reward from your other hand. Build up to items on the ground outdoors.
5. Settle
Reward calm. Whenever your puppy lies down quietly of their own accord, drop a treat between their paws without any fuss. Calm is a behaviour, not an absence of one.
Lead walking with a terrier nose
Pulling is not defiance; the world is interesting and pulling has historically worked. Change the maths: stop dead when the lead tightens, move again when it slackens. Reward heavily for walking at your side, especially in the first thirty seconds of a walk.
Use a well-fitted harness rather than pressure on the throat, and accept that part of every walk should be sniffing time.
Barking, digging and the terrier repertoire
These are hardwired behaviours that need an acceptable outlet and a clear boundary. For barking, work out the trigger first. Alert barking at the window is best managed by reducing the view and rewarding the dog for coming to you instead. Boredom barking is an exercise and enrichment problem in disguise. Never reward barking with attention — including telling them off, which is still attention.
For digging, give them a legitimate place to do it and make it more rewarding than the flowerbed.
What not to do
Avoid harsh corrections, shouting, and aversive equipment. Terriers tend to respond to confrontation by becoming more determined, not less. There is nothing soft about positive reinforcement; it is the method with the best evidence behind it and the fewest side effects.
Also avoid inconsistency. If jumping up is greeted warmly by one person and told off by another, your puppy learns to try it and see.
When to get help
If you see growling over food or toys, fearfulness that is not improving, or reactivity to other dogs, speak to a qualified, force-free trainer early. These things are far easier to resolve at five months than at two years.