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.

did you get him from a rescue? if so ask if they know background. Was he kept in kennel before you got him? Is he neutered?

I dont think he is too old to be trained, but it will be a lot of hard work on trainers part, it would need total commitment and consistency at all times.

Will he let you groom him or bath him? how untrained is he? toilet trained? lead trained? Is there anything he will do?

Mail me privately if you would like to know how I would go about it myself. Its too long to put here. I am not a trainer, just an owner of four shih tzu who live in the home and usually do as they are asked to.

Carole shanjo@ntlworld.com

Hi guest

Your sister really needs to learn howto train her dog, because if he is "trained" by someone else he still will not understand what rules are appropriate to his own home and life.

Find a trainer who uses motivational methods try APBT and go along to classes (watch first to see if you like the trainer and methods) with the Westie.

Get your sister to read some good dog books too - not so much about training, but about understanding the dog, such as "Why Does my Dog?" by John Fisher from crosskeysbooks.com

Leigh Note: Go into 'edit' and have a look at the link Lindsay ;-)

HI thanks Leigh, will i ever get it LOL!!!