Can anybody help my sister has a 3 year old westie who has not been trained, we cannot open the front door in fear he will runaway he does not obey any commands as sit or go and lay down and if you go to make him get off the sofa or grab his collar to get him in or go near him when he is doing things he likes, he will growl and show his teeth he has even been known to nip you.

the question is can he be trained by a professional trainer or is he too old? He is a very strong willed dog but is very much loved.

If you can help please mail me at nicola_liddiard@hotmail.com

leave a flat collar on him and attatch a long leader .only when you're around to supervise. when he gets onto the furniture just tell him OFF as you say it pick up the end furthest away from the teeth and quietly and firmly pull him off, when hes off make a big fuss of him ,give a titbit or something, he'll get straight back up probably, just keep at it,everytime you leave him there you've gone a step backover , dont allow him on the furniture at all, he needs to learn he's a dog and not the king of the castle,

I think that it would be a great idea if both you and the Westie went along to a good local training class, as really you need to be trained along with him. A good class will train you, and for pet dogs will have classes like Good Manners, where the dog will learn to, say, respond to commands to keep him safe and you in control, for example "Leave it" could stop him chasing a cat and ending up under a bus.

Every dog needs training and it's easy to get it wroing, because dogs don't think like people .... so once you understand and have the confidence, the whole relationship would improve.

Remember too that it's very necessary to be consistent; for example if you have a rule of "not on the furniture" then really you shoulnd't even cuddle him on the furniture, as he will not see sense.

Our dog is allowed on furniture, but is not allowed to jump on it when we are on it too, unless invited. We started by making the furniture totally out of bounds and then she was invited up on it at our command for a cuddle. We were absolutely clear but it could confuse some dogs. A lot depends on the relationship!!