- make sure you teach your puppy to walk on a collar and leash properly (training classes are a good thing!) because if you get lazy and put your Westie on a harness, his hair will get matted and you won't be able to keep him with any hair, the groomer will have to shave him to get the mats off.
- choose a high quality food. Westies are prone to allergies that can make their skin nasty and their hair fall out. DO NOT USE anything from Petsmart, Petco, grocery stores, or the vet. Purina, Alpo, Pedigree, Science Diet, Eukanuba, Iams... all BAD foods!!! Good foods can be found at quality local pet stores or pet food stores and include: Artemis, Wellness, Solid Gold, Fromm, Merrick, California Natural, Verus, Timberwolf Organics, Chicken Soup, Canidae, Innova Evo (this is a GREAT choice for allergy-prone dogs, it has no grains whatsoever!).
-get a soft pin wire slicker brush and a metal fine-tooth comb for grooming. Westies need to be brushed out thoroughly every other day. Make sure you get the belly, under the arms, the face, and take off the collar and brush out the neck. You should have your Westie groomed professionally every 6-8 weeks. Your groomer will give your dog a bath, trim his hair either in the classic 'Westie clip' or any style you prefer, trim the nails, clean the ears, and can do other little things like toothbrushing he might need. If you buy a shampoo to use at home, you can choose either a whitening shampoo or an oatmeal shampoo. Never use flea shampoo unless the dog HAS fleas- shampoos don't prevent fleas from coming back, and they dry out the skin and coat horribly.
-make sure you have potty training supplies: potty pads, training spray, and enzyme based clean-up spray. Research crate training and make sure you use only positive reinforcement for your pup!
-go easy on the treats with puppies, they need good healthful puppy food and fresh water to make sure they get all the vitamins they need. If you want to give them something special, buy canned puppy food in the same brand you buy the dry puppy food in, and mix wet food into his breakfast or dinner for him. Stay away from large edible treats like greenies, rawhide, pig ears, milkbones, etc. If you insist on treats, get something like natural lamb jerky or dehydrated beef liver- something small, natural, and mainly protein, no cookies.
-don't forget food and water bowls! Make sure they're shallow enough for your puppy to eat comfortably.
-crate for crate-training- it should be just big enough that your adult dog can sit down, stand up, and turn in a circle. Don't get it any bigger or else he'll potty on one side and lay in the other, and the goal is to make sure he DOESN'T potty in the crate so you can teach him to go outside.
Be sure to get a hard bone or something for her to chew on! In fact, get a bunch! Puppies chew like mad, and if not prepared, they could tear up the whole house! I also recommend getting a kennel for her, and some baby gates to block her in a room, so she doesn't have run of the whole house and you can keep an eye on her. Try getting puppy pads too, when you have to house-train her.
Ear mites can cause black wax. (it is a defense mechanism). He could have picked up some . They are difficult to see so I would get the ears checked before the mites escalate into a painful problem \A good remedy to rid the dog of ear mites is an application of mineral oil once a day for 5 days , stop for 7 days and apply again for another 5 days. The mineral oil goes deep down into the canal. The dog shakes his head and the wax comes to the surface bringing the mites with it. Clean off the surface wax every day. (a vet I had who taught at Guelph Vet College told me to do this when mine had a problem)
Another thing you might need is puppy pads...is he potty trained yet? My yorkie pup is almost there, he uses it outside, but if he has to go, he uses his puppy pad. You may also want to call your vet if he hasn't had all his shots and make an appt for him to go in. Good luck with your puppy, they are a blast!
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- make sure you teach your puppy to walk on a collar and leash properly (training classes are a good thing!) because if you get lazy and put your Westie on a harness, his hair will get matted and you won't be able to keep him with any hair, the groomer will have to shave him to get the mats off.
- choose a high quality food. Westies are prone to allergies that can make their skin nasty and their hair fall out. DO NOT USE anything from Petsmart, Petco, grocery stores, or the vet. Purina, Alpo, Pedigree, Science Diet, Eukanuba, Iams... all BAD foods!!! Good foods can be found at quality local pet stores or pet food stores and include: Artemis, Wellness, Solid Gold, Fromm, Merrick, California Natural, Verus, Timberwolf Organics, Chicken Soup, Canidae, Innova Evo (this is a GREAT choice for allergy-prone dogs, it has no grains whatsoever!).
-get a soft pin wire slicker brush and a metal fine-tooth comb for grooming. Westies need to be brushed out thoroughly every other day. Make sure you get the belly, under the arms, the face, and take off the collar and brush out the neck. You should have your Westie groomed professionally every 6-8 weeks. Your groomer will give your dog a bath, trim his hair either in the classic 'Westie clip' or any style you prefer, trim the nails, clean the ears, and can do other little things like toothbrushing he might need. If you buy a shampoo to use at home, you can choose either a whitening shampoo or an oatmeal shampoo. Never use flea shampoo unless the dog HAS fleas- shampoos don't prevent fleas from coming back, and they dry out the skin and coat horribly.
-make sure you have potty training supplies: potty pads, training spray, and enzyme based clean-up spray. Research crate training and make sure you use only positive reinforcement for your pup!
-go easy on the treats with puppies, they need good healthful puppy food and fresh water to make sure they get all the vitamins they need. If you want to give them something special, buy canned puppy food in the same brand you buy the dry puppy food in, and mix wet food into his breakfast or dinner for him. Stay away from large edible treats like greenies, rawhide, pig ears, milkbones, etc. If you insist on treats, get something like natural lamb jerky or dehydrated beef liver- something small, natural, and mainly protein, no cookies.
-don't forget food and water bowls! Make sure they're shallow enough for your puppy to eat comfortably.
-crate for crate-training- it should be just big enough that your adult dog can sit down, stand up, and turn in a circle. Don't get it any bigger or else he'll potty on one side and lay in the other, and the goal is to make sure he DOESN'T potty in the crate so you can teach him to go outside.
Be sure to get a hard bone or something for her to chew on! In fact, get a bunch! Puppies chew like mad, and if not prepared, they could tear up the whole house! I also recommend getting a kennel for her, and some baby gates to block her in a room, so she doesn't have run of the whole house and you can keep an eye on her. Try getting puppy pads too, when you have to house-train her.
You definitely need a crate for a terrier. You'll also might want to get a book about Westies, and/or training.
Ear mites can cause black wax. (it is a defense mechanism). He could have picked up some . They are difficult to see so I would get the ears checked before the mites escalate into a painful problem \A good remedy to rid the dog of ear mites is an application of mineral oil once a day for 5 days , stop for 7 days and apply again for another 5 days. The mineral oil goes deep down into the canal. The dog shakes his head and the wax comes to the surface bringing the mites with it. Clean off the surface wax every day. (a vet I had who taught at Guelph Vet College told me to do this when mine had a problem)
Another thing you might need is puppy pads...is he potty trained yet? My yorkie pup is almost there, he uses it outside, but if he has to go, he uses his puppy pad. You may also want to call your vet if he hasn't had all his shots and make an appt for him to go in. Good luck with your puppy, they are a blast!
A Kennel!!!
food bowl. pet bed. brush. flea medication.