Westies - advice please?

only_me

only_me

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I am going to see a westie pup tomorrow, and I was wondering if any of you nice HHOers could advise me on what to ask! The pup is not for me, but my aunt.

The pup is 11wks old, has had 1st vaccination and is pedigree. No papers yet but shouldn't be an issue I'm told. Both parents can Be seen & have no history of skin problems & both mum and pup have pink skin.

Is there anything else I should ask/need to know?

Many thanks :)
 
I wouldn't touch a Westie personally - skin, behaviour and diabetes problems! better with a cairn terrier- same temperment just healthier and different colour! If your heart is set on it get the best insurance possible! I'd also ask to see the vets records for both parents to ensure sellers are telling the truth
 
Well, my aunt loves the breed and has bred & shown them successfully for years. But her last dog died a few years ago and she has been looking for one since then but very hard to come by here and I think I've found her the right pup! worth going to look at anyway.

I'm going up to look at pup without aunt so just need to make sure I don't miss any questions. I know pink skin is a good sign and should mean minimal issues with skin and black skin is bad. But apart from normal puppy questions just need to know any more breed specific really.
I don't particularly like them or terriers really, more of a labrador person ;)

Thanks for info about asking for vets info about parents, I wouldn't have thought of that :)

There was a lovely glen of Imall terrier for sale but £650 is a bit much imo, for all I know they could be worth that but too much for us to spend!
 
we had a westie and his temperament was fab, had no skin conditions and lived a healthy life till we lost him at 14, my brother also had one without any problems and this one was not related to ours., so you can be lucky ....I would just make sure that the parents are friendly and not nervous so the likelihood would be that your pup would inherit their temperament..if they are nervous I would be wary..
 
Alarm bells would be ringing for me I'm afraid. I would expect pups to be spoken for by eight weeks, a pedigree pup should be accompanied by its KC papers with no excuses and both mum and dad being present would make me think that not much care had been taken in choosing a suitable match.
 
blackcob said:
Alarm bells would be ringing for me I'm afraid. I would expect pups to be spoken for by eight weeks, a pedigree pup should be accompanied by its KC papers with no excuses and both mum and dad being present would make me think that not much care had been taken in choosing a suitable match.
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Ok, thank you :) pup is the last one left, there were 6 others in litter, and the breeder said they haven't got papers yet as have 2 small kids so haven't got round to registering. Should I be wary of this?
It isn't a huge issue if pup isn't KC reg as I doubt aunt will be showing her due to age. It's more the skin issue I think :)
Also, just want to check, I always thought being able to see both parents was the sign of a good/responsible breeder & vital to do, so is the male not always present when buying pups?
 
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SusieT said:
I wouldn't touch a Westie personally - skin, behaviour and diabetes problems! better with a cairn terrier- same temperment just healthier and different colour! If your heart is set on it get the best insurance possible! I'd also ask to see the vets records for both parents to ensure sellers are telling the truth
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What a ridiculous sweeping generalised statement to make. Coming from SusieT, oh there's a surprise :rolleyes3: Our Westie has neither skin, temperament or diabetic problems. Skin can be a problem if their diet isn't up to scratch but all the Westies I know are perfectly happy, adorable dogs.

Only_me, I don't know enough about breeding etc to advise (we got ours from a rescue) but they are wonderful animals. Never had a small dog before but she is the best dog I could ever hope to have, and I would highly highly recommend the breed.
 
I too would be suspicious at the lack of papers, it is easy to KC reg nowadays, can be done online in minutes and the papers are usually sent out almost by return. As BC says, the breeder having both parents is not necessarily a good sign, as it may indicate they have just used their own dog rather than the very best match for their bitch. Most breeders will spend months researching lines to find the best dog, and will often travel many miles, and even overseas, for a suitable mating.
Westies can have skin problems I know, but I am sure there are plenty out there that are healthy, its a good idea to ask for vet records, or permission to talk to the breeders vet.
 
only_me said:
Ok, thank you :) pup is the last one left, there were 6 others in litter, and the breeder said they haven't got papers yet as have 2 small kids so haven't got round to registering. Should I be wary of this?
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It's a poor excuse and is often because they are unable to register them. This could be for many reasons - parents aren't KC registered, bitch has had too many litters, bitch is too old, either dog has breeding endorsements... not really a problem if you're only seeking a pet dog but again indicative of less than ideal breeding circumstances.

The problem with having mum and dad in the same household is that it's likely to be a mating of convenience, not one carefully considered for reasons of best health, improvement of the breed etc - any one breeder is unlikely to have the two best, most complementary dogs under one roof.
 
We had a Westie...for 18 years...he was lovely..a kind temperament and no medical problems apart from blocked anal glands when he was an old dog.
 
Westies are brill. Lost our girl last year age 14. No skin problems at all. The only vets bills was for a tumour she got at 13 and her yearly checkups. She loved football and would be on whatever team was short of a player in the park.
 
S4sugar I believe would be able to help point you in the right direction, lack of papers is a huge red flag for me, people who only want a pet dog are easily duped into thinking well Im not going to show or breed so I dont really need them. As others have said there are some really good reasons why they havnt got them.
 
Errrrrrrr................if your aunt has bred and shown westies for years as you say in your original and second posts and the dog is for her, then surely she is the one best placed to give advice even if she is not going on the viewing, although as to why that would be is a tad confusing/perplexing.
 
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I would discuss with aunt before going to see pup.sorry if you have already but it sounds like you haven't in your first post.
if they are willing to sell you a pup as a present walk away now they are not responsible breeders and do not care about the pups long term future.you could easily be lying to them responsible breeders want to know where there pups are going and to speak to owners.good breeders have a solid return if problems policy and offer a lifetime of support.

good breeders are as rare as hens teeth.

Personally westies are one of the breeds I am not keen on.generally I find it a surprise when they are sweethearts and have a lot of negative associations with the breed.they are very prone to skin issues as well as diabetes as outlined above.so backing susie up on that one!there are exceptions but as a breed they have been overbred esp in puppy farms and are showing signs of it.

Lack of kc papers is a massive red flag and the fact the stud is also a pet in the same house suggests they are backyard breeding as opposed to breeding to improve the breed itself.

If you are going meet both parents and examine closely and interact with them.watch out for telltale red paws(skin issues hallmark in westies)observe temperaments,nervous is as bad as aggression to some extent..check ages(over 8 and under 18 moths should not have been bred) and ask about health issues.how many litters has mum had(3 is all allowed by kc for bitches health) observe puppy bold and playful?check for signs of ill health.check for hernias on the belly,check if 2 balls present if a boy.
ask about food.good breeders will be sending pup to new home on same food.
check vaccines and microchip.should have been given by vet(signature and stamp on card)and have had a health check.if not microchipped walk away non microchipped pups cannot be registered so they have been lying about that.

Sorry about spelling and poor paragraphs my phones a disaster
 
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Aru said:
If you are going meet both parents and examine closely and interact with them.watch out for telltale red paws(skin issues hallmark in westies)observe temperaments,nervous is as bad as aggression to some extent..check ages(over 8 and under 18 moths should not have been bred) and ask about health issues.how many litters has mum had(3 is all allowed by kc for bitches health) observe puppy bold and playful?check for signs of ill health.check for hernias on the belly,check if 2 balls present if a boy.
ask about food.good breeders will be sending pup to new home on same food.
check vaccines and microchip.should have been given by vet(signature and stamp on card)and have had a health check.if not microchipped walk away non microchipped pups cannot be registered so they have been lying about that
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Thank you, the above is great information and helpful :)
I'm not entirely sure they are microchipped, but it's not hugely common for dogs to be chipped here anyway (Ireland).

My aunt cannot make it to the viewing - what's so strange about that? It is the only time I can go and because westie pups are hard to find here we need to go asap. I know the basic questions to ask about any puppy and some other breeds but I was actually asking about specific westie things to look out for. apologies if that wasn't clear in the original post.

I have other reasons for not asking my aunt's advice and thought why not ask on here as there could be someone who has experience of Westie. I am going for first viewing and if puppy is suitable then she will be present for a second viewing. In order for me to deem suitable then I need to know some key westie specific things to look out for! we don't want to get her hopes up either, as the pup could turn out to be unsuitable. And as she is not able to go tomorrow but I can, it is perfect timing.

Thanks to those who gave helpful advice :)
 
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Crappily bred, dodgy papered or unpapered westies are not hard to find but can be very costly in the long run and no decent breeder will sell a puppy to a third party or as a gift so this pup is one to avoid. Most decent pups are booked well before time to leave, usually as soon as the breeder has decided which of the litter they are keeping. The places to look are the breed clubs, the kennel club or go to a show and not someone turning out a litter to make a quick buck. KC registrations now take days & cost £15 a pup so no excuse for pups not to have papers by eight weeks. No papers usually means they can't be registered. Let your aunt find her own puppy as if she did show westies a crap specimen will frustrate her or why not ask the breed rescue if they have one to suit.
 
Im in ireland as well.
Irish pups cannot be kc registered without being chipped.So this pup cannot be registered at all if they had one vaccine by 11 weeks and not being chipped as it means the other puppies in the litter are not chipped and are already sold.which means they are already lying about registration and god knows what else... id ring and ask before going down to see a pup personally.its a very quick way to rule out the shysters.

Westies are still very common here.both on donedeal and from reputable breeders.contact the breed club and chat people at shows.there are good well reared pups to be had if you look for them.i would not advise donedeal btw just using it as an example.champdogs has is slightly better reputation but still not ideal

Fingers crossed this is just me being jaded and seeing a possible puppy farmer/byb situation though. its always hard to tell online versus when you are chatting to someone in reality and things can come across very bluntly in writing!
good luck at the viewing

Oh and chipping will be compulsary for ALL puppies here in ireland come september not just kc pups.by 2016 all dogs will be expected to be chipped as well.times are changing quickly here when it comes to dogs and controlling their movements.
 
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We have a female westie, with the loveliest temperament - hates the postman but her bark is definitely worse than her bite! Very food orientated so was easy to train. She's very much a madam however and doesn't believe in going outside in rain/snow/wind, unless she's on a lead and you suffer the foul weather with her - which living in Scotland means I spend half my life standing shivering in the rain 😂 she's 9 this year, comes to the yard regularly with me and has no fear! (At all!!) she is cat/dog/child/horse proof and obedient off lead (most of the time!) we got a cat when she was 7 and they are totally inseperable.

However, she does have skin problems and several allergies (dust mites, fleas, wheat among others) but these are controlled by diet and antihistamines 😊 she's also a typical terrier, very opinionated about everything.

She's the most loving and loyal dog I know and other than the fact she's kept me up half the night coughing, I can't fault her! I was ill a few weeks ago and she didn't leave my side! I wouldn't go for any other breed now - and if your aunts had them previously, I'm sure she wouldn't either!
 
Meant to add - we didn't get papers for her (tho breeder offered to get them) but we weren't worried as only wanted her as a family pet 😊
And I take back what I said about keeping me up - she's now cuddled up to me looking very sorry for herself 😂 x
 
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