Positive reinforcement is the only approach that works long-term with westies. Punishment-based methods backfire spectacularly because terriers dig in and resist when pressured – it’s literally what they were bred to do. A westie being corrected doesn’t think “I should stop doing that.” A westie being corrected thinks “this is now a battle of wills.”
The Ground Rules for Westie Training
Keep sessions to 5-10 minutes. Westies get bored fast. A 30-minute training session guarantees you’ll lose their attention by minute 8 and spend the remaining 22 minutes frustrated. Short sessions, multiple times a day if needed.
Use high-value treats. Their regular kibble won’t cut it. Westies need a reason to cooperate, and that reason needs to be better than whatever else they want to do. Small pieces of cheese, freeze-dried liver, cooked chicken (if no allergy) – something they genuinely get excited about.
Vary the rewards. A westie that knows exactly what treat is coming loses interest faster than one who might get something different each time. Rotate between 2-3 treat types and occasionally swap in a play reward or verbal praise.
End on a success. Always. If you’ve been working on a new command and it’s not clicking, ask for something easy your westie already knows, reward them for it, and stop. Ending on frustration teaches your westie that training sessions are stressful.
Accept the breed. Your westie will learn commands. They will also decide, on any given day, whether they feel like performing them. This is not a training failure. It’s a terrier.
Leash Training
This is often the first major challenge. Westies pull, stop, change direction, and generally try to set their own walking agenda.
It took me months to get Sami to walk properly on a leash. There were a lot of bad days – days when I was doing everything right and he still wasn’t looking up at me or being motivated by treats. But consistency pays off. All the time and energy I invested in his leash training allows me to take him everywhere now – long trips, restaurants, airports, boats. He’s well-behaved, and leash training was a big part of that foundation.
The approach: stop walking when the leash goes tight. Stand still. Wait for your westie to look at you or take a step back. Mark that moment and reward. Then continue. The first few walks will cover about 20 meters in 20 minutes. That’s fine. You’re building a habit, not covering distance.
Recall
Westies have a powerful prey drive. A squirrel, cat, or interesting smell can override everything you’ve taught. No amount of recall training reliably overcomes 200 years of breeding. I don’t trust Sami off leash almost anywhere.
That said, a reliable recall for non-emergency situations is still worth training. Use a consistent recall word (not their name – names get overused and diluted). Pair it with the highest-value treat you have. Practice in low-distraction environments first, then gradually add distractions. But always keep your westie leashed or in a securely fenced area. Recall training is a backup, not a replacement for a leash.
The “Stubborn” Problem
When your westie refuses to do something they know how to do, they’re not being defiant – they’re unmotivated. The question isn’t “how do I make them obey?” It’s “what would make them want to?”
Higher-value rewards. A more interesting environment. A shorter session. Sometimes simply waiting 10 seconds without repeating the command – westies are processing, and they often comply on their own timeline if you give them a moment instead of repeating the cue five times in a row (which teaches them to ignore the first four).
Consistency Across the Household
Everyone in the house needs to use the same commands, enforce the same rules, and reward the same behaviors. A westie that gets different signals from different people will exploit every inconsistency. If one person lets them on the couch and another doesn’t, your westie learns that the rules depend on who’s watching.
For more on the westie personality and how to work with it, see our westie temperament guide. For barking-specific training, see how to stop a westie barking.
Watch: Sami’s Story
More on the westie brain and why training them requires a different approach:
