15 Week Old Westie Turned ‘evil’?
Filed under Care & Training Q&As
My parents have a Westie who is 15 Weeks Old and for the past 5 weeks he’s been fine. He used to always come to us when we shouted him name, he would sit when we said sat and we was in the middle of training him to lie down and he was perfectly happy to do so. And on walks he would be happy to come along and wouldn’t bark at people.
And then suddenly yesterday when we tried to take him for a walk and he refused to to walk most of the time, he was barking at people, trying to bite us and ignoring us when we told him to Sit or for him to come to us.
And it’s still happening today. What should we do? We’re not sure how this happened.
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LOL He didn’t turn evil – he hit his adolescence (put the posters up). The dog is just entering the most challenging stage of his life. He is heading for sexual maturity and looking for how far he can push things to get the highest possible ranking in the pack. This is the time to get serious about training and show him his place. If you persevere, this stage will pass and in a few months you will have the adoring obedient dog you started out with.
He’s turning into a teenager!!!
Normal. Just acting like a puppy!!!
Please consider a training class, They are so fun and worth it! It will be easier to stop this unwanted behavior before it gets out of hand than it will be to correct it after it’s gone on too long.
He’s starting to hit adolescence. And he’s teething.
Time to sign up for obedience classes.
Exactly what Bassetnut said.
Yeah, 15 weeks is prime-time for teething. Pup is probably in pain and is cranky. This is tricky, because this change gives him the chance to push the limits and see what he can get away with. Your folks and you should continue being affectionate and consistent. If obedience classes are a possibility, that would make life easier for everyone. If classes are not in the cards, there are techniques that you can use to foster cooperation. Don’t expect a lot from a young pup when they are in duress. I’m lucky that our 18week old lab is just sleeping more while teething. Animals can lash-out when hurt because they don’t understand where the pain is coming from and blame whoever is close/convenient. Please, don’t let him become an anti-social animal and keep him away from people/other social dogs!! I hate that when my friendly dog walks down the street and people end up letting me know that there dog is not friendly and they cross the street to keep their terror away from a scuffle or whatever. They need to learn to be out there in the world and cooperate… prescription=continue with the TLC, be constant with rules, and explore training techniques/enroll in puppy socialization classes! A good resource to satisfy behavior questions like this might be your local PetSmart/PetDepot… they have seminars and classes also.
Have you ever heard of the “Terrible Twos” in children? Well, sounds like your pups going through the same thing. This too shall pass. LOL. But, until it does, you will have your hand full, and will think he’s not the same dog you had three weeks or a month ago.
Just have lots of patients, do not hit nor abuse him in anyway, and retain him all over again if necessary. I think all puppies seem to grasp the idea of obeidence training early on and then it seems to go completely out of their heads when they hit this stage in their young puppy life. Don’t pull your hair out…it’s only a phase.
Good luck and I hope you all enjoy many long, happy and healthy life together.