I have a  7 month old westie who is really good (a times) anyway  but she has started to sort of challenge me.......If she jumps in the pond I shout no and she gets out but then starts to kick her legs as if shes a bull LoL  she does this anytime i say no.  my husband says its defiance!  my question is  do I ignore it or do I do some thing about it and what do i do? thanks in advance

My lot do that sort of thing when they're playing - as far as I'm concerned it's high spirits! :) I imagine she's reacting happily to the praise you give her for being a good girl and obeying you by getting out of the pond (or whatever you've just told her to stop doing). :)

She's going through her teenage phase. If you've had children you'll know that when they get to a certain age, they suddenly begin to question your authority. They make a bid for power. This is why teenage boys argue so much with their fathers, it's the old stag, young stag syndrome, with the young stag trying to take over the herd. Quite often teenage girls get very argumentative with their mothers too and this is simply what's happening with your Westie, she is approaching puberty. Grit your teeth, be very firm with her. Whatever you do, don't ignore bad behaviour and, whatever you do, don't try to use treats to bribe her into good behaviour. It's extremely important at this critical time in her development that she learns that you are the boss. I'm not suggesting you bully her, and it's ok to ignore the leg kicking, that's just a canine equivalent of foot stamping, But if you tell her to do something, you must persevere until she has obeyed you. Always reward her when she does obey you, either with fuss or a little treat, or both, but only AFTER she has obeyed you. This phase usually lasts about 3 months.

It is very counter productive to say  No a lot. Dogs don't understand what it means although they may act a bit sheepish. This may even be why she is kicking her back legs, as she is not sure of you and being a terrier her spirit is coming out.

It's easier to reward what you do want - for instance, if you don't want her in the pond, spend time with her in the garden and as she goes towards it, distract her away and reward. When she at some stage makes a good choice (ie to go into pond or not, and chooses not to) huge rewards for that. See what I mean?

This won't work if she is allowed in the garden unsupervised though :P Alternatively if she likes the pond, cover it or even give her her own paddling pool in this hot weather!! :D

Help your dog to make the correct decisions, you will find it is easier in the end :)

Thanks every one for your replys , I did think it was a bit of the kevin stage but just wasn,t to sure how to go about it!   The paddling pool is a great idea as she loves the water then at least she wont stink of  stagnant pond water lol 

Dogs take about as much notice of constantly being told "no" as children who receive the same negative treatment. At best the "no" will go in one ear and out the other but a really confident pup may well answer back. Terriers can be very assertive little beggars (that's why I love 'em!) but equally they are bright and usually very quick to pick up on the benefits that come from more rewarding behaviours. And given the choice, I'd much rather calm down a lively, confident pup than have to bring a nervous one out of its shell.  

The paddling pool is a great idea as she loves the water then at least she wont stink of  stagnant pond water  lol 

LOL, go on get her one, you know you want to ... :P :D

Lindsay
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