One question we are often asked by prospective owners who are considering getting a Westie (whether through rescue or from a breeder) is: Are Westies good with children???
I always advise people to: First train your children, and then train your dog!!!
That is probably very good advise for all breeds, but perhaps more so with a terrier!
Like any terrier, Westies can have a high 'prey drive'. Westies were originally bred to hunt down small prey, chase into its den, and then aggressively or even viscously fight the prey until it was caught in the dog's jaws. Because small children's high, squealing voices sound like the squeals of fleeing prey, Westies’ prey drive may be triggered by these sounds. To compound the confusion the dog will see children running from them in the same way the see prey running to escape and may give chase.
Regardless of the breed, whether a dog gets along with children rests primarily upon the parents of the children. Any dog may lose patience with a child who will not leave it alone when eating or sleeping. Dogs, just as people, need to know that they have a place they can go to rest or get away from the action where no one, including children, will bother them.
Most Westies can live successfully in a home with older children, if the children are prepared for the experience. Our rescue has chosen the age of 8 as a good benchmark for adoptions...in other words, we do no adopt out to families who have children under the age of 8.
Children should be guided by their parents on how to humanely treat any animal and should be supervised at all times by an adult during their interaction with the Westie. If the adult in charge has taught the children proper respect for the Westie’s rights, Westies and children can be a happy combination. Please remember that no child should be the primary caretaker of any dog. This must be an adult’s responsibility.
Given reasonable supervision, I believe Westies are excellent dogs to have with older children. They are active and cheerful and will want to be in the middle of whatever activity is going on.
Remember, when you get a Westie you have made a commitment to love and care for this Westie for his or her entire lifetime. It is now your job to make sure that you find a way to live up to this commitment and that you do it in a way that makes all members of your family happy, including your sweet Westie.
Westie-fully yours,
Corrie Yeoman
Westies in Need