Westie Puppies
We wanted to share some tips for transitioning your Bramyn Westie Puppy home! This article has been designed to ensure that each of our puppies have a smooth transition into their new home. Our puppies stay with us for a minimum ten weeks before transitioning into their new homes when they have reached age appropriate developmental milestones.
Prior to Arrival
Ensure that you have puppy-proofed your home by securing items you do not wish your puppy to chew on as they teethe. We recommend securing items within their reach on the floor such as shoes and electrical cords.
We also recommend planning and preparing a designated area for your Westie puppy and suggest an area such as the kitchen or a washroom. Alternatively you may also wish to prepare a playpen for your puppy as a designated area. Designating an area for your puppy keeps them safe from other pets and allows them to easily locate the necessities of life including food and water.
For many of us who enjoy shopping, preparing for your puppy’s arrival is an exciting opportunity to spend time browsing through pet stores and searching for items that fit your style and fulfil useful functions. We also recognize that this type of shopping doesn’t bring the same about of joy to everyone, and some of us find it to be stressful. This is why we prepared a list of recommend items which we suggest having on hand prior to your Westie puppy’s arrival:
Glass, ceramic or pottery dishes
Familiar formula of food, and a can of 100% pure pumpkin
Soft washable dog bed
Safe toys and chew treats
Collar and 6’ lead
Training aids (Door bells and clickers)
Brushes and a comb
Playpen or baby gates
We will explain in greater detail the function of each of these items and reason for some specific recommendations.
The First Day
When your Westie puppy arrives it will need time to relax and adjust. We recommend encouraging your puppy to relief their bowel and bladder as soon as you receive them, and then bringing them directly home to explore an area you have designated for them.
A designated area should be easy to clean in the event your puppy has an accident while potty training, access to food and water, a comfortable bed, and an area where your puppy may use to urgently relief their bowl or bladder if they are unable to do so outside.
Your Westie puppy will be familiar with using a ceramic dishes for their food and water. We recommend providing them with a similar material for dishes either ceramic, glass or pottery. In our experience steel bowls may rust and plastic dishes increase the risk of bacterial growth.
We will provide you with some food that your puppy is already eating and this prevents disrupting their gastrointestinal tract during the transition period. If you choose to change your puppy’s diet, please wait until after a few days have passed since their transition. After a few days you may wish to blend 1:1 ratio of your puppy’s current food with the new food. Once the blended food runs out your puppy should be ready to eat the new food.
Having some canned pumpkin (100% pure) on hand is also beneficial if your puppy experiences any gastrointestinal changes such as loose stools while transitioning onto a new diet. We recommend feeding approximately 1 Tablespoon with a meal.
Our Westie puppies are given free choice of food which is replenished twice daily, one in the morning and again in the evening.
Water should be available to your puppy at all times and changed daily to ensure that it remains clean and fresh. Our Westies are given spring water which has been naturally mineralized. In our experience water which is high in iron or has been chemically treated may cause discoloration on the face of white dogs.
Puppies should also have access to a soft washable bed which can easily be cleaned if it accidentally becomes soiled, and an area where they may relief their bowel and bladder during housebreaking should the need urgently arise.
All of our Westie puppies have been started on litterbox training should they need to relief themselves and we recommend providing a similar option during the housebreaking stage. Puppies learn very quickly that the preferred location for potty training is outside, especially when this behavior is rewarded. It takes time however for your puppy’s bowels and bladder to fully develop and they may benefit from having a designated area which is easily located to relief themselves in an urgent situation. Our clients find this is beneficial especially overnight or when they are at work and unable to take their puppy outside. Our litterboxes are a box of accessible height which we line with absorbent material such as paper or wood shavings/pellets. We clean and disinfect the area between uses and eventually bring the litterbox closer to a doorway.
Finally, we also recommend providing safe chew treats and toys to your puppy which will be especially beneficial during the teething stage. Safe chews include natural chews which do not include dyes, stuffing, rawhide or materials which may be easy to tear. Unfortunately there is no regulation for pet toys and in our experience many are of poor quality and possibly dangerous should they pose a choking risk. Toys which have become damaged should be discarded.
Your Westie puppy is going to be eager to meet everyone in their new home including other pets. We kindly ask however that you exercise caution with allowing your puppy to contact any other pets until they have completed their puppy booster vaccinations.
The First Night
Your puppy may cry or whine for the first night, please do not be alarmed as this is normal. Your Westie puppy will settle and eventually fall asleep. We recommend turning the lights off in your puppy’s designated area and ignoring them as difficult as it is to hear the sad sounds. Your puppy has been accustom to sleeping with their littermates with the lights off for bedtime. Most puppies will fall asleep after a few minutes to an hour. It takes some time for your puppy to adjust to a new routine. With patience and persistence your puppy will learn what your expectations are for them and eagerly look for opportunities to please you.
