How Often Do Westies Need Walking?

If you are a dog owner and a dog lover, I’m pretty sure you have thought about how often you should be walking your westie, ensuring him the best care he can get. Westies are energetic dogs who love playing and chasing stuff, but also, they can be pretty lazy and stubborn sometimes, and you have to make sure you don’t train yours to be a couch potato.

When you are house-training your westie puppy, you should take your puppy for a bathroom break at least every 2 hours. An adult westie needs around three walks a day, and your senior dog will be happy even with two walks a day. However, you always have to consider the overall health and age of your westie and, of course, his personality. 

How Often Do You Walk A Puppy Westie?

Well, I had to do some research here and refresh my memory. Our dog is 16 years old, so it has been a long time since I walked a puppy. I mentioned before; you should walk your puppy at least every two hours, also, immediately after waking up, and then after eating or drinking water, and after playing. If you want to use some numbers: Puppies up to 14 weeks old can go out 10 x a day, 14 – 22 weeks old 8 x a day, and 22 – 32 weeks old 6 x a day. These numbers are a guide and most likely minimal. Also, be prepared that this is just a part of a house-training a puppy.

When I say “walk a puppy”, what I mean by that, in this case, is a bathroom break. You don’t want to exhaust or injure your puppy because this can cause some serious damage to its growth. Slowly and over time, when your puppy is older, you will be able to go for longer walks, but this must be done gradually. 

Make sure that when you are considering getting a dog, you have enough time to take care of it. We don’t call them furry babies for nothing; it’s a huge responsibility for hopefully a very long time! 

When Should You Start Leash Training?

As we know, it can be amusing and adorable to watch videos of puppies misbehaving, pulling and chewing on the leash. Still, you don’t want to support this behavior in your dog as it will be a pain later, especially with westie.

Westies are lively and very curious terriers with a strong will and great self-esteem I can be jealous of, so trust me, it is better to start training early. They train easily (so they say, but our westie is stubborn as hell) as long as the training is not boring or too harsh for them, and there is a positive reinforcement involved. 

Commonly, people start leash training their puppies at 10-12 weeks old. However, you can let your puppy wear a collar for a few hours a day from 8 weeks old to get used to it.

How Often Do You Walk Adult Westie?

A proper amount of exercise for your westie is not beneficial only for his health but also for behavior. An adult dog has a lot of energy that should be directed to exercise; otherwise, you might be dealing with problems like digging holes, excessive barking, etc. 

So how do you know how often is often enough? Well, again, it is individual. But if your westie is causing trouble as mentioned above, you might want to take a closer look at his training and a daily dose of exercise. Even though westies do not need excessive walking and exercise like some other breeds, you still have to ensure the optimal number of outings.

I am going to use an example from our life. For as long as I can remember, Tasha (my westie bestie), as an adult dog, used to go out three times a day – in the morning, after school, and in the evening. How long were those walks? It always depended on different factors like the weather, her health, or sometimes me being late or being in a hurry, but usually 30 minutes.

Walks plus playing some games indoors were enough for us to keep her in good health, but this doesn’t mean that your westie is the same. Trust me; they are all such individuals. You might have a 5 years old westie who has to be persuaded to go out three times a day (with some treats), or maybe you have 10 years old who enjoys four short walks a day. Generally, you should walk a healthy adult westie 3-4 times a day for at least 15 minutes.

What you should do from an early on is to create a schedule that is manageable and suitable for your lifestyle and the one where your westie doesn’t suffer from loneliness or obesity (in other words – lack of your time). 

Anyhow, any changes you are planning to do in the daily life of your dog, do them gradually. If you notice a sudden change in the behavior of your furry friend who usually loves strolling around and now refuses to go for a walk, or you suspect some health issues, you should always call a veterinarian for advice.

Can Westies Be Let Alone Outside?

Honestly, my short answer is, no. I would never let my dog outside without supervision. I am not sure if you’ve read anything about the history of the West Highland White Terrier, but it is an earth dog that was bred for rodent hunting. So, it is deep in their roots to chase anything that moves, and even if your westie is well-behaved, I would not risk it.

There are other reasons why you should not leave your dog alone outside. The first one is other dogs or other animals – there might be an attack or a fight. Another reason is that he/she can eat something potentially dangerous. Another reason is that your high-esteem and intelligent westie might be up to no good and dig some holes in the garden. And the list can go on and on. 

I would summarize it like this; better safe than sorry. We always go out with a harness with a tag and on the leash. Also, my westie has a microchip.

Do Westies Get Along With Other Dogs?

It is an individual thing, but generally, the westies are doing well with other dogs – some more than others (same as with people). However, some westies are aggressive towards other dogs. The cause of the problem can be that a westie didn’t meet other dogs very often from an early age, so he is very dominant and thinks he is the only dog in the world. You have to socialize a West Highland White Terrier with other dogs to prevent aggressive behavior.

Sometimes, we know that two female dogs can’t stand each other or that two intact male dogs dislike each other. Beware of this because you are responsible for your dog, and you should know his temperament, but always be cautious when introducing new furry friends, whether this is in a dog park or when you are approaching a strange dog outside.

Some westies don’t even notice and can’t be bothered with other dogs, and some will make you laugh at how boldly and eagerly they play with dogs triple their size. In my case, it is hilarious to watch how selective my dog is of her friends outside.

How Often Do You Walk Senior Westie?

As I mentioned before, I used to walk my dog 3 times a day for approximately 30 minutes. It was our routine when she was an adult, but since she is a senior (don’t tell her or I will be dealing with westitude) with some health issues now, we normally do two walks a day. Again, the length of one walk depends on how she is doing that exact day and how the weather is. 

Some days, I take her out, and people who are walking their dogs (those who don’t know her) do not believe that she is 16 years old because she is literally running around sniffing everything. Or sometimes, when Tasha meets with a dog she likes, she goes crazy like a puppy and wants to play, and I have to calm her down because I am afraid she will have a heart attack or something. 

On other days, my dog does not want to get up and does not want to walk, so we really just go on a bathroom break and go home. If you have an old dog, you know that taking care of him is getting more difficult with age. But at this point, if your dog companion was with you his whole life, you are willing to do anything for his well-being 🙂

I wish you many happy walks.