Hi, I will be collecting my little pup next week and need some advice..
Ive been doing loads of reading up in preparation for her coming but am a little confused as regards feeding and bathing.  I have asked the breeder what she has been feeding her as I think its best to keep her to the same diet initially, she has said that she needs different foods of chicken, fish etc each time she is fed as she gets bored of the same thing.  I am surprised that a pup/dog will get 'bored' with the same foods! especially as some dogs are known to eat other dogs faeces! However I do understand that they need a varied diet to ensure they get their nutrients etc, but is possible to wean her off this food fairly quickly and move her onto puppy food? And if so, which brand would be best? I will be seeing the vet literally days after her arrival and will ask loads of questions but found this site to be hugely informative! Ive read that the westie does not need bathing regularly. I was thinking along the lines of every 3 months or when they are filthy?? because they are known to have sensitive skin.  I would like to bath her within a few days of her coming as she smelt a bit doggie when I last went to see her.  Would this be a problem, or should I wait?

Many thanks

Hi i have a 4 yr old Westie and luckily shes never had any problems with her skin and ive had her on all different foods. I have found that she gets bored on canned meat. So i switched her to dried food and she loves that, shes been on it for a year and has never turned her nose up at it once. I feed her on Wagg complete dried food. I get her groomed every 2-3 months. Shes going this Friday as her head looks like a lions hahah, very scraggy at the moment. Hope this has been  a help. Although i know your Westie may not be trouble free as regards to skin problems etc and the best advice you will get is from your vet. Good luck with your new puppy x

Hi there,

When they are puppies and step in the poo etc just give their feet a wash.  They do not require overly regular bathing like any other dog.  I little tub of johnstons baby powered can freshen them up.

When you say doggie, she is a doggie so she is going to smell a bit like one :-) did you mean doggie or dodgy :-)

Bathing then doesn't cause problems if problems are there they are there.  Only thing you have to be careful with is ensuring that all the shampoo is properly out their coat. They are double coated so keep rinsing longer even after you think it is all out.  If you don't get it out this is the things that can cause iritation.

Food, Personally I am not a lovely of the high protein complete food but some of the better ones in my opinion are burns and JWB.  Tripe and a terrier mix is equally good and they seem to do well on this.

I always tell people westie hunting that you have to remember they are terriers, they love digging getting into all sorts of trouble and will not sit on your lap for love nor money till they cross that 12 month line , that is their breed and nature to be adventurous.

Good Luck with your puppy.

Hi
Although we have no experience of Westies I'm sure the basics are the same. Our Bichon came from the breeder on Pedigree chum canned food and we swapped him to Burns. As for bathing, as previously said by "minniedog" its a good idea to get her used to the groomers. As well as trimming and bathing they also will trim her nails, clean ears and anal glands. We took our Barney from about 14 weeks just for a visit to get him used to going so it was not too traumatic.
Good luck and hope you have many happy years.
Deb