Dear Miss Jane,
Help! I am in a panic. My husband and I have two Male Westies 14 weeks of age. they constantly fight and play real rough. I understand the feisty nature of these fellows but question one is: Can all their roughhousing between themselves lead to extra aggression? Or will it just be a matter of time until they get their pack order established?

My other question has to do with growling and possibly aggression. My largest male, tends to growl when picked up, especially when he has fallen asleep somewhere other than his crate. I have tried to be rather forceful in my verbal reprimands when he does growl when I am trying to make him do something he doesn't want to do but I need done, i.e. get out of the way of the door, or taking something inappropriate out of his mouth to substitute it with one of his proper chew toys.

Today he went "ballistic" on me. Growled very, very fiercely, wiggled aggressively, and bit the nonsense right out of me!!! The situation was that we are having a difficult time getting on of his ears to stand up on its own and since he had settled down on the blanket (not in his crate but one on the floor in the living room) we decided to try and re-tape his ear. He just went wild and then bit me. I had him facing away from me and was holding him under his chest and stomach with both hands. I shook him once, and very loudly and deeply said NO! He continued to growl and grumble. I once again picked him up and turned him around so that we could make eye contact and very forcefully said NO. We put him down on the floor and proceeded to put the tape on his ear. Every time he growled I loudly stated NO. I felt by then that it was a matter of dominance, that I was the boss and we needed to put the tape on that ear. The bite did break the skin, but its pain is nothing to the concerns I have if I am not able to take control of this situation so that he can be a happy, healthy, well-socialized member of our family. I have raised male Rottweillers previously so I am no total wimp or stranger to aggression.

I just need some honest advice on how to handle this fellow so that he can be part of the family. We just recently quit letting both of them get up on the couch. They had a tendency to get up on the back of the couch and act as "vultures," skulking over our shoulders. Advice on a pet show stated that letting pets be higher than you, tends to lower my status in the pack, therefore making me less dominate. So we just completely stopped them from getting on the couch.

Thank you for your time, and any advice or suggestion you can give me,
Cindy

The two males need to sort things out for themselves. No it does not lead to any additional aggression when two dogs are sorting out who is pack leader. What does lead to more aggressive tendencies is when the humans in the household intervene and don't let the dogs work things out for themselves.

When you say they are playing rough and growling ... that is typical terrier play. There is a lot of noise involved which tends to frighten owners who aren't used to it, even if the dogs get a little out of hand, stay out of it. They know what they are doing and if they are still having an issue with who is top dog, they need to get it resolved in their own way. Pack order is like a ladder, each dog is on a rung of the ladder, no two dogs are on the same rung. In dogdom everything is like ABCDE, etc. A dog is over B dog, C
dog is over D dog but never over B dog.

Your largest male sounds like he is vying for pack leadership over you! One of the simplest ways to remedy this is to flip the dog on it's back so the belly is exposed to you. You don't yell, you don't say anything but you do hold the dog down until he is completely relaxed. A back foot placed against your arm is still considered fighting so wait until he stops that too. You won't hurt him and it will instinctively get the point across that you will NOT put up with his nonsense. Biting is a big no-no too, and it's not too early to teach him the house rules. If he bites you again, clamp down with your hand hard on his muzzle, squeezing it tight and hold it only as long as it takes you to say "NO BITE". The mother dog does this with her mouth when she's had enough of being a chew toy; actually all dogs do it to one another in one way or another. Your little guy must learn that whatever you do to him, ears, nails, brushing, etc., he must tolerate it nicely, he doesn't have to like it but he should not retaliate either. When he pitches a fit, simply flip him upside down laying him on the floor or wherever, and remind him who is boss.

Raising a dog's status occurs in many ways, it's not just when they are "above" us it is also when we allow them to have the privilege of participating in the some of the things reserved for the top dogs (humans) in the household; such as being on the furniture or sleeping in the bed. Dogs who are happy with their lower status can participate with no problem, the problem occurs when the more dominant dogs have their status raised inch by inch until suddenly the dog no longer sees his position below yours. Until the pups learn without a doubt who is boss (all humans in the family), I would keep them off the furniture.

The next step I would recommend is to get them both enrolled in an obedience class, preferably a puppy class, but if you can't find a puppy class, then by four and a half to five months of age, get them in a beginner class. It is never too early to start teaching them manners, the mama dog does it beginning around the fourth week of life, and the humans need to carry it on. Obedience does wonders for both the dog and the owner's self esteem. It teaches the dog to have some self control and it teaches owners how to gain control of their dog's behaviour.

Additionally I would encourage you to consider having the dogs neutered when they are about five to six months old. Neutering ceases the urge to mate and mark territory and it also stops the male dominance fighting, this is very serious fighting, that is guaranteed to occur having two intact terriers.

Please keep me posted on your progress.
~Jane

Dear Miss Jane,
How much do Westies cost?

Rory9rm@xxx.xxx

Hello,
Westies vary in price as much as they do in quality. Depending on your geographic location and the breeder, you could expect to pay as little as $300 or as much as $1200 for a Westie. I highly suggest that you don't base your decision to buy a Westie on price alone. A back yard breeder, someone who simply has a male and female and breeds them, has not done research on their two dogs and ruled out inherent, genetic problems that could cost you a fortune in vet bills later.

A breeder who has been in Westies for a number of years, more likely a show breeder, has done research on the lineage and has carefully planned each breeding of their Westies. Each show breeding often produces some nice pet-quality Westie puppies. You might pay more initially but you can be guaranteed of the health of the dog and you will have the support of the breeder if something does happen. Back yard breeders and puppy mill breeders will not stand behind the quality of their pups. And if something does happen with the puppy, you are on your own.

~Jane

Dear Miss Jane,
I have been thinking of putting my dog on RMB (editor's note: Raw Meat Bones). I have bought the book, The Ultimate Diet by Schultze. I am really torn on what to do. My husband thinks I will kill my Westie by going on the diet. My westie has allergies and she is on D/D now. The diet sounds like it would be a good diet. There is so much contoversary on feeding of RMB that I am very confused on what to do. I Would like your honest oppinion on what you think of the diet. I belong to Onelist Barf and Arf.

Thank You Much
Nancy

Hello Nancy,
What good timing you have ... actually, just a few months ago I would have been hesitant about giving you advice about the Bones and Raw Food (BARF) diet. But on March 19th, after much research and reading, I started my dogs (three Westies and a Sheltie) on the road to what I truly believe is better nutrition for life. I switched them directly from kibble to BARF and never looked back. Kymythy Schultze's book, The Ultimate Diet, is a must read, as you already know, but so is Dr. Ian Billinghurst's book, Give Your Dog a Bone and Juliette de Bairacli Levy's book The Complete Herbal Book for the Dog and Cat, which has a great section on raw feeding.

I realize there is a lot of controversy about the diet and many people will assume to tell you that you will kill your dog, but you have to get beyond that, and decide if you can feed raw with total conviction. I can and won't go back. After all, consider how our ancestors fed dogs for thousands of years as there were no shops to buy kibble from back then. I am convinced that real food, food that is ALIVE, is far superior to feeding a pellet of kibble. I like the control I get with determining what goes into my dog. The bones are not so easy for some people to overcome but remember, dogs have the teeth and gut to handle bones. It can be difficult to reprogram ourselves ... after all, we've always been told never give bones to our dogs. But just remember, bones should never, ever be cooked in any manner, not even for just seconds in a microwave. Cooking dries them out and they become brittle and deadly. Give it a go, I think you'll be glad you did, and I know your Westie will.

For more specific information about ARF/BARF and Westies ... visit the website
ARF4Westies

~Jane

Copyright © 2001 Jane Fink and Westie World.