The All-Westie Obedience Class of 1998
by Jane Fink
Graduation!
Photo courtesy of J. Fink
From L-R, Back Row: Ken Thomas & Cassie, Linda Parris & Cobi, Garland Simon & Monty, Marcia Benson
& Elliott and Miss Jane herself on the far right (in purple)
Front Row: Susan Brown & Bonnie, Bethany Talmadge & Lily, Richard Goldstein & Hudson and Lea McLees
& Casper
Every year, around autumn, I teach an obedience class for the West Highland White Terrier
Club of Greater Atlanta. No small feat, not because the class is made up entirely of Westies, but because my drive
to teach the class is a five hour round-trip adventure, since I reside not in Georgia but in South Carolina. I
don't mind in the least, as I look forward to seeing so many Westies and their wonderful owners. My time and the
class fees are donated to the Club for various works such as Westie Rescue and providing pet food for the recipients
of Meals on Wheels.
This year, I had the pleasure of teaching nine Westies. Our first day of class began with all the Westies trying
to get to know each other. Most were friendly, some were timid, and one or two decided to spar. After a bit of
sniffing about and establishing who was whom, the lesson began. The Westies learned how to SIT (the first time
told) and to walk with control on lead. Walking on lead is not something a Westie interprets as a command; he sees
it as a weight-pull contest. Yes, the owner follows obediently wherever the Westie decides to take him or her.
I brought along my Westie, Piper, to be a demonstration dog, to show that a Westie CAN and happily WILL obey obedience
commands.
Throughout the six week class, the Westies also learned to lie down on command, stay, come when called and to pay
attention to the owner. They were taught two very important safety commands - WAIT, which was taught at a door
so the dogs learned to wait and not just blindly run out an open door, and LEAVE IT, which means "Take your
attention away from it." The LEAVE IT command is most helpful when something falls to the floor. They also
learned OFF, which means don't jump on people.
I enjoy playing games with dogs and like to include a couple of fun things in my classes, so this time we played
Hide-and-Seek and fun tunnel. Hide and Seek builds on the desire for the dog to locate the owner and is great fun
to watch. While I kept the dog's attention, the owner went into a small room to hide. The owner would call the
dog repeatedly until the dog located the owner. As each dog "discovered" its owner, he or she became
absolutely delirious with joy. You would think the owner had been lost for months!
Fun tunnel is just a child's play tunnel but is great for building confidence in the Westies. While I held the
dog at one end, the owner went to the other end and knelt down, coaxing the dog through. At first, most fight the
idea of being sent into the tunnel, but after they've gone through once and realize they survived, they suddenly
think it's not a bad idea after all and want to go through again and again.
At the sixth week, which was also graduation, I gave the AKC Canine Good Citizen test. This is a ten-step pass/fail
exam which tests the dog's obedience and good manners. All the dogs passed, including a visiting Scottish Terrier
named Duart. Mortarboards were made and donated by Marcia and Denny Benson of Scotty's
Gifts Catalogue, who own Duart and Westie, Elliott.
This year's graduates who can proudly add CGC after their names include Bethany Talmadge and Lily, Lea McLees and
Casper, Garland Simon and Monty, Marcia Benson and Elliott, Susan Brown and Bonnie, Linda Parris and Cobi, Ken
Thomas and Cassie, Richard Goldstein and Hudson, Hessie Brawley and Lola (Hessie and Lola missed the last class)
and Denny Benson and Duart the Scottie.
Teaching Westies is so easy and rewarding. If you would like to contact me regarding classes or training, please
feel free to e-mail me at KLFAJF@aol.com - Jane Fink
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