Dear Miss Jane,
I read your story about how you traveled with your dog, Windsor. I am planning to take my Westie on an airplane in two weeks. You stated you used the Sherpa bag. I purchased the large size, but it seems too large to fit under the seat. Could you please tell me what size you used? I would appreciate if you would e-mail your response at your earliest convenience.

Thank you,
LJDonati

Windsor was quite an oversized Westie, standing 13 inches at the withers (shoulders) and weighing 23 pounds but she fit just fine in a Large Sherpa bag, I know of some Sheltie people who fly their dogs in the Sherpa bag too. As far as the amount of under-seat space in the plane, if you are flying economy there is no problem, the seats in economy are much more thinly padded so there is more room under them. Windsor flew first class her first time out and even the overly padded seats still provided enough room to slide a Sherpa bag underneath. If the Sherpa bag were solidly built, say out of plastic, no it wouldn't fit, but since it is flexible, there is no worry about it fitting under a plane seat. Hope you have a wonderful flight

~Jane

Dear Miss Jane,
I am the extremely proud parent of a 7 1/2 month old Westie named Chloe. I have never owned a Westie before and would very much like to care for her properly. I have received conflicting information on how often she should get a bath. I know that Westies can sometimes develop skin problems and since her skin is great now, I would kinda like to keep it that way. What is your opinion?

I have also read that cornstartch or grooming chalk can be rubbed into the coat and then brushed out and this is supposed to remove dirt and odors without bathing. Is that true and if so, where can I get the grooming chalk. The pet stores in my area have no idea what I'm talking about.

Chloe has a beautiful coat, but I have not been doing the hand stripping. Should I be? Is this the best thing for the dog? I have called all the groomers in my area and none of them offer this. Is there a video that you know of that teaches how to do it properly? I also read that a stripping knife or flea comb can be used for this. Her coat is soft and silky and I understand it is supposed to feel harsh.

Thank you in advance for any guidance you can provide.

Most sincerely,
Heidi R. Nickell

Hello Heidi,
Thanks so much for writing. In Westiedom, their are two schools of thought on grooming, the die-hard purists, like myself, believe that Westies should not be bathed often as it tends to soften the unique and proper harshness of this fine terrier's coat, and should be stripped twice a year with weekly plucking to keep the coat "rolled". Others who believe stripping hurts the dog or who want a white, fluffy dog believe that bathing weekly is okay and clippering is the best way to keep the coat tidy.

Finding a groomer who handstrips is very difficult but not impossible. The reason so many groomers don't do it is because it is time consuming, anywhere from a 2-6 hour job, and grooming shops need to "turn over" more dogs quickly in order to make keep the doors open. Keep calling around though, you may locate someone who will be happy to do the job for you.

Stripping the coat is the only way to keep a terrier's coat in proper balance. Westies don't shed like most dogs and need to have the coat stripped out at least twice a year to allow for the new hair to come in, otherwise the old hair and the new hair try to share the same follicle, which leads to itching, which is why so many non-stripped Westies have skin problems. Using clippers on a Westie just cuts off the ends of the hair. Bathing strips the skin of the natural water-proof protectant oils which also leads to irritation. The Westie's coat should be coarse to the touch. Some Westies are born with a soft coat but if you start stripping them when they are young, you can get a bit of harshness back. Coat types are genetic and even though there isn't but one true Westie coat, some develop waviness or fluffiness, while the rest have straighter, coarser hair.

If you must bathe a Westie, I would suggest only once or twice a YEAR. With a proper coat, and with dry bathing, you can get out almost 100% of anything the dog gets into, even mud. I live in the south so we have lots of red clay, but I just let it dry on the coat and then brush it right out. A coarse Westie coat won't let dirt hold on. A soft coat will.

Look for corn starch in the cooking section of the grocery store, where baking soda, flour, oils, etc, would be. For grooming chalk, you can order it from wholesale pet catalogues or purchase some at a dog show. Some grooming shops sell it too.

Here is an idea for locating someone to help teach you handstripping: call around to as many vets offices as you can and ask if they have any clients who show terriers, the coated types, like Westies, Scotties, Cairns, Norfolk/Norwich, Wire Fox, Lakeland, Airedales, and such. Those dogs must be handstripped for the show ring, and if you can locate a person who shows, that person might be willing to teach you or to do the job for you for a fee. You can also go to the American Kennel Club website at www.akc.org and get some information there.

Alternatively you can go to www.infodog.com for the website of the Moss-Bow superintendent which can lead you to information for dog shows in your area. Attend a show, buy a catalogue, locate the terrier ring, then after they are through showing, approach some terrier people and ask if they could demonstrate the stripping technique. Don't give up on Chloe's coat, she may have a fluffy coat now, but with practice and very rare baths, you could bring in a more proper coat, I know, I did it with one of mine.

If you don't already own it, I suggest the book Westies From Head to Tail by Ruth Faherty, it's THE book to have when you own a Westie.

~Jane

Dear Miss Jane,
We have two, 2-yr old male westies. One seems to vomit rather easily, though the vet has found nothing wrong with him. Recently, he vomited seven times during one night. We took him to emergency vet who ran blood tests for pancreatitis which he did not have. The next night, both dogs vomited, though all other signs appear normal - very energetic, etc. The vet put them on bland diet, but last night they both vomited again. We haven't changed food and they don't have access to things that would make them ill. We are going back to the vet again in two days for a recheck. Do you have any ideas as to why these little guys are up-chucking, one in particular? Is pancreatitis common with westies? Any info would be appreciated.

Thank you,
Sylvia S.

Hello Sylvia,
Well, since everything is checking out alright medically, then there could be a number of other factors causing it. First of all, pancreatitis does not seem to run in Westies like it does in other breeds, namely Schnauzers. I do have a Westie with pancreatitis but her problem was brought on by the consumpion of 32 pieces of chocolate back in 1990, a terrible Christmas blunder.

It is still allergy season in many parts of the United States, and presuming you live in the U.S., you might consider this as a cause. During allergy season, the amount of mucus an allergic Westie produces is enough to make it sick. They can't blow their noses to elimate the excess like we can so they tend to rub their noses on surfaces like carpet or grass. Packed sinuses also cause this type of nose rubbing and the dog can go off it's food because the upper gums are swollen causing the teeth to hurt. Daily doses of Benedryl, one gel cap once or twice a day, depending on the severity continued through allergy season can help alleviate the discomfort and end the vomiting.

Certain ingredients in dog food can also cause an allergic reaction like vomiting. Wheat, corn and rice can be allergens, though rice is low on the list. Colours, dyes, additives, preservatives can cause stomach upset. Rawhide is another culprit. If you are giving rawhide bones for chewing, I would stop and offer a safer alternative like a Booda rope or Gumabone.

These are just a few thoughts that you can think about and consult with your vet on.

I hope you find the cause quickly.
~Jane

Dear Miss Jane,
I just adopted a 2-3 year old male from a local shelter. Nothing was known about this dog but he seems to be healthy. I saw a few small light skin breaks on his head which could be from another animal bite. He seemed very friendly when I first picked him up and then for awhile when I brought him home. He was so filthy I had to give him a bath. He was fine in the sink, then when I went to dry him with a towel he stared to growl. I did what I could and then left him alone. He wouldn't let me put his collar back on until later that night. I haven't tried to comb him as I figure I would give him some time to get used to me. In all other times he is friendly, gives a few kisses now and then. He loves to go for a walk and could easily go at full gait for an hour. When we get back home he looks bored, and just stares at me. I've tried toys and he is not interested. He jumps up to join me on the couch and after he is there for awhile I try to pet him and I get the growling again, this time it is not stopping, He's just about to snap and I call out NO!, How should I handle this situation?

Thanks for your help,
Carol and new little "Duncan"

Hello Carol,
I woud imagine that by now, you might have made some "peace" with Duncan. In my experience with rescues and adopting my own adult Westies from various situations, the best thing NOT to do is to coddle and try to make amends for whatever may have happened in their past. The best TO DO is immediately establish your authority and go about setting a routine. Those two things help a dog settle in quickly. I'm not saying don't pay attention to him ... on the contrary, you want to play with him, brush him, talk to him, show affection but you need to be careful with raising his status until he is sure who is boss...and that is YOU. Raising a dog's status occurs in many ways, by allowing them on the furniture next to us, or worse, in the bed, by giving in to a growl or snap, and by backing off when they exhibit those responses.

Bringing a dog in from an unknown situation is tricky. One of the first things some dogs do is growl or show teeth to warn you, it is the wall of protection they put up. The worse thing to do is to pet them and coddle them because you feel sorry for them. By petting and coddling a threatening dog you are telling him that you respect HIM as leader. That can lead to serious trouble. Instead, you don't back away when threatened, ideally I would advise the Alpha Roll, where the dog is rolled on to his back, belly exposed, this tests their willingness to accept authority. It tells him in no uncertain terms that you WILL NOT tolerate those threatening advances. A growl is a warning, which indicates that if you do not back off, a bite will likely follow.

Once he knows who is boss (YOU) and is accustomed to the routine of the household, Duncan will be just fine. I should know, I adopted Kelsey nine years ago and she bit me three times the first week I had her! I didn't yell at her, I didn't hit her, I simply flipped her on her back until she quit fighting and relaxed. Then I let her up and told her good girl. One of those bite incidences occured when I put her in bed with me the first night I had her. I shared my bed with a dominant dog who thought she was boss and she ended up "attacking" me in the middle of the night. For quite a while after that, Kelsey lost her bed privilages until she was dead certain that it was ME who was boss and not her.

I wish you much success and many happy years with Duncan.

~Jane

Copyright © 2001 Jane Fink and Westie World.