Do you ever look at Westie dogs and wonder what it would be like to live with one? In this video, I’m going to share with you 12 things only Westie dog owners understand! (have fun with it!)
Hi! I’m Miruna and this is my Westie dog Sami! I make weekly videos about Westies, since… I share my life with one 😃 so make sure to subscribe to our channel and if you like this video, give it a big thumbs up! And comment below and tell me, do you have a Westie or have you ever had a Westie? Or maybe you’re planning to get one soon? Let me know in comments!
OK, so the first thing that only Westie owners understand is…
- Having a Westie is like another person living in your house. A very opinionated person! Like all Westies, Sami has a big personality and he is constantly expressing himself. For example when we are at home and he wants something, like going out in the yard, he sits down and stares at me. If after a few minutes I don’t react, he starts gently touching me with his paw :)) When I get up he leads me to where he wants, herding me, to make sure I don’t get lost on the way. Also, he talks back. Like if he wants some food off my plate (even if he knows I’m not gonna give it to him) he will just do … this!
- Expect your Westie to be stubborn. If you already have a Westie, you know what I’m talking about. Like when you’re out on a walk and your Westie just refuses to walk that way, so they sit their butt down and stare at you without breaking eye contact. If you accept their terms, they’ll lead you to where they want to go and it’s non negociable. Well… except if maybe you have a treat in your pocket, in which case they’re open to further discussion.
- Your Westie is your shadow. You’re never truly alone when you have a Westie. They will follow you around the house like a little minion. That is not to say they are needy, because Westies are very independent dogs. But they are extremely curious and have big FOMO. **So they follow you everywhere you go. Yes, including to the bathroom. Or at least I heard most Westies like to do this. Sami doesn’t have the habit to keep me company in the bathroom, because I set some really early boundaries, but he usually comes and waits by the bathroom door for me to come out. Let me know in comments if your Westie does this too!
- A Westie expects to be the center of attention. If I’m sitting at home and I call Sami from another room, most likely he won’t be bothered to come. Especially if there’s no treat involved. So all I have to do is close the door and make him think there’s something going on that he’s not a part of. Guaranteed he suddenly becomes interested and comes running, to see what’s happening without him. 3 seconds later there’s that Westie knock that I hear 10 times a day: Sami is scratching at the door because he wants in on the action.
- Westies are very curious and you can easily play on their infinite curiosity to trick them into something they wouldn’t normally do, as long as you frame it as something interesting and exciting. Like for example, if Sami isn’t in the mood for a walk, I’ll say to him “let’s go out and see the dogs!”. He immediately perks up, because being outside where other dogs are is enough to convince him. Even if, once we are outside we don’t meet any other dogs, this little trick never ceases to work. Another thing I do is sometimes I open the door and pretend to say hi to an imaginary someone. He always comes running to see who it is I’m talking to :)))
- I don’t know about other Westies, but ours loves a morning massage. In fact, I think he wouldn’t get out of bed without it! We start each day with a good stretch and lots of back rubs. A good morning massage is a Westie’s coffee :)) Can’t start the day without one.
- I don’t know if this applies to most Westies, but ours is a picky eater. Sami gets bored with any food after a while, no matter how much he loves it initially, and he can just refuse to eat for days, which makes meal time a challenge. I try to be creative and always add something he loves on top of his kibble, to get him to eat. Since he is slightly allergic to meat protein, he usually gets broccoli, sweet potato, pumpkin or fruits.
- And while we’re on the subject of allergies… you should know that Westies are quite prone to food and skin allergies. Sami has both kinds, which means I have to be careful what we feed him and he needs to take baths more often than other dogs, because of his skin issues. So far we are managing his allergies without any medication, but it’s not always an easy job. Part of our routine includes cleaning his paws, applying products and having Sami wear a cone, sometimes for 2-3 days straight, until the itching on his skin calms down.
- Another thing to expect when you have a Westie is… poop talk :)) Dog parents everywhere, you know what I mean. Once you have a puppy in your life, you and your partner will inevitably discuss their poop at some point during the day. It’s how you know if their new food is good for them, if they are sick or healthy, if they need one more walk later tonight or not etc. Lemme tell you, it’s definitely not something I thought I’d be interested in, before having a dog, but here we are.
- And since we’re talking about walks… A walk is never simple with a Westie terrier. For us, a walk is an opportunity for our puppy to get some exercise and do their business, right? For our Westie, a walk is a symphony of smells and an opportunity to explore every square inch of grass, the bottom of every rock and a compulsion to pee on every bush. say it fast. If you think you can take a normal walk with your Westie while you maybe check your emails and reply to that text, think again. They walk in zig zags, nose stuck to the ground, sniffing everything in their path and sometimes they’ll decide to stop abruptly and go back, because they missed a sniff. And don’t even think about rush them, because they might just stop walking altogether. Nobody messes with a Westie on their walk.
- Westies sleep in the weirdest positions. Sami loves sleeping belly up, which he only does when he’s in a safe space, and sometimes he twists in a way that looks like it’s gotta be painful :)) Just look at him! but turns out, he’s more than comfortable sleeping like that. One thing he also loves is napping in boxes! It doesn’t matter how many dog beds he has, his favorite napping spots are… my travel bag, any basket from IKEA, the storage box inside the closet and an Amazon cardboard box that I turned into a dog bed because he loves it.
- And saving the best for last: Coming home is one of the best things in life when you have a Westie! Well, I’m sure that’s true of any dog, and it’s not a Westie thing, but I’ve only ever had Sami, so bear with me. He is so happy when we come home, even if we’ve only been gone for an hour. He’s an explosion of joy and smiles, as he welcomes us home and showers us with kisses. He gets just as excited as he did when he was a puppy, and this is definitely one of my favorite things about him.
Let me know! Can you can relate to these things as a Westie owner? Or if you’re planning to get a Westie soon, which of these things do you look forward to the most?
