If it's oozing and bleeding please ring her to a vet! Sounds like skin allergies though ...this is common in Westies.

I have a 6 mo. male Westie and i just brought home another small dog from a rescue. My Westie is sooooo excited to have a friend. even though the friend is really nervous right now. it's been 5 days and the Westie has quickly learned to be soft and sweet with the new addition. I think your Westie would love a friend too!!

She would probably enjoy a playmate. My Westie has been around other dogs her whole life and she enjoys making new friends and is very social.

Our Westie was in full thick double coat by 12 months. Some do take a bit longer though. Consult the dog's breeder to see if their dogs take longer. Also check the Westie's skin ...if it looks reddish, irritated, or has browinsh flakes then it could be skin allergies are preventing the coat from growing in properly. If that's the case, consult your dog's vet.

I had gotten my westie at 8 weeks and her ears were already up. I guess it depends on the dog and yes trimming their ears up will help.

Also, make sure the fur on the ears (especially the top) isn't too long that it weighs them down. If left like this the ears will bend over permanently.

My Westie is 8 yrs old. His ears did not really stand up till he was about 10-12mo. The right ear stood up a good two months before the left did. Be patient they will.

Take allegra or something, but my brother has bad allergies and is not affected badly when he doesn't take his medicine. Westies are hypoallergenic.

I was very allergic to a cat we loved and my brother is allergic to their family dog. Solutions: first level of defense is to avoid hair or dander contacting sensitive areas like under arm, face by keeping your distance, washing after handling, even using a face mask. Limit the pet's access to areas where you will sleep, etc. Use a drop cloth for couches, etc. that you can clean easily. Get rid of rugs that you can't easily clean. Medication for severe cases.

Well mine sheds. Every two days I'm vacumming the wood floors for the white fur dust bunnies in the corners and under the tables, but he's worth it!

Westies have a coarser fur which rarely if ever causes an allergic reaction. In two and half years our Westie has never caused one in a wide range of friends including one with severe nut allergy and asthma.

I have a Westie. She is now 3 months. I opted not to indulge her barking. When she did, I ignored her or I gave her a shut-up cue. My sister just left and said she's the quietest dog she's ever spent time with. You need to be consistent, and decide from the beginning what you'll allow. She'll bark a little when playing, and when another dog is ignoring her and she wants them to play. Me when I'm getting he meal ready - thats it, for the rest - shes practically silent.

I think it depends. My westie just turned one year old. i have a small yard but walk him about a half mile a day and play fetch w/ him for 30 minutes per day. i try to keep to that routine, but occasionally do more, but I never do less. when outside working I will keep him on a long leash so he can follow me or check out things on his own. He is never allowed off his leash, even when fetching the ball (I just let the leash go and stay close enough to him to catch it if he tries to chase rabbits, etc.) I used to have a cairn (she lived 14 yrs) and always loved these terriers for their adaptability.

Crate train them while at 9 weeks old- when they start barking, do not indulge on it. Eventually they will learn that barking doesn't bring any response from you. It's not impossible to train Westies not to bark. It can be done. My Westy never barks. I was able to stop it's barking by simply not responding to their bark. It'll take awhile but Westies are smart.

someone said they are not lap dogs..Someone should tell my westie that. he loves to sit in my lap. and will do so as soon as there is room he goes for it. WONDERFUL dogs.. Need to keep them brushed to advoid the shedding problems..

All the answers here are great, as I've tried all of these. I never, ever ever leave the dogs out of the crate when gone. NEVER. I never keep them trapped inside the house either. I come home, they go out. We have a fenced yard on an acre and they tear it up. Westies ARE NOT LAP DOGS. They are earth dogs that love to dig, bark and are territorial and hunters. They are high energy dogs that need time to run it off. If you can't give that to them please don't choose a Westie. They are too wonderful a breed to be miserable, for they do become depressed and have all kinds of issues if not happy.

Yes, they bark alot. We got ours a shock collar and it works really good. He's only been shocked twice, and he knows. They have a personally of their own. Their awesome dogs.

Crate your puppy when you are gone. Buy a KONG and stuff it with the liver paste. When I was getting ready for work got the kong ready the westie went in the kennel before it was even filled. She only got the KONG in her crate.

you shoud get him ( or her) a big crate and put food,water and a blanket for it to lay on(poop on too so make sure you dont use it anymore! :p

Yes they will bark, and if it's a puppy it will also chew the heck out of wooden surfaces such as chairs, skirting boards and even low window sills. It's a counsel of perfection I know but no puppy should be left alone for long periods. Like the article says, Westies love to travel with their families. Ours doesn't even mind waiting in the car for up to 45 minutes as long as he is brought along. (Not in hot weather of course.)

Stripping my westie's coat seems to keep the shedding down. I strip his back every few months and know that it's time to do it again when I start to find stray hairs on my black work pants. But he is absolutely NO PROBLEM compared to our labrador.

I brush my dogs and keep them well groomed. They may not shed, but when I brush them, a lot of hair does come off. Just keep them trimmed. They look cute that way and are much happier. NOTE: If you keep them groomed short, please don't leave them outside for long periods in direct sun as they will burn, and they can get skin cancer. They are meant to be outside to run off their energy but they are indoor dogs. I love Westies and will never again be without one.

westies have hair not fur!

i have one! they ONLY shed when they have lose hair and they rub on a surface

They dont seem to shed much at all. At least not as much as most dogs ive owned in the past.