Terriers - The Basic Temperament of the Beast

By Dawn Martin

Summer 2002, NEWS

Offered in the hopes of inspiring breeders to read and learn all they can about inherited temperament is the following quote from Clarence Pfaffenberger’s book The New Knowledge of Dog Behavior. ""In most breeds entire litters may be raised together. Even though there is a definite dominance order established, there is an adjustment where even the bottom dog gets enough to eat and a place to sleep." The exception to this is in regard to Terriers. "At Hamilton Station they have never been able to raise more than three wire fox terriers together to adulthood. The dominance... asserts itself in the fighting instinct... to such a degree that the other puppy or puppies are starved by being kept away from food... forced to sleep outside the kennel on a cold night, or actually killed by their brothers and sisters."

Before You Buy

Is a West Highland White Terrier the right breed for you and your family? You may have heard they are happy and affectionate, this is true, but also they are strong willed, keen hunters; if you cannot say no and mean it, please do not buy a terrier; they are not cute small children in fur coats. It is vitally important for a terrier pup to have pack structure - strong human leadership - and to know his place in the household from the first day he is brought home.

It is important to see the sire and dam before you purchase a Westie puppy. Temperament and many behavior traits are inherited: chase instinct, retrieving ability, barking, digging, trainability, intelligence, dominance, and energy level. These make up the personality of your future pup, and all should be taken into consideration before the pup is purchased and brought into your home. Take time to get to know the breeder and how your future pup is being raised.

Breeder’s Responsibilities

From three weeks of age until a puppy leaves the breeder are important days and weeks in the mental development of a young dog. Early socialization and daily handling are extremely important for a puppy’s later development.

During the early weeks, the breeder should handle each pup by cuddling and weighing him daily, clipping nails weekly, grooming him in the form of brushing, and later stripping the coat.

The puppies should be exposed to environmental stimuli - kitchen noises, banging pots and pans, doorbells and telephones ringing, people coming and going, as well as toys of varying shapes and sizes.

By six weeks, puppies that are hand carried to the great outdoors several times a day get a head start on good housetraining habits. Unfortunately, a puppy if left to soil where he eats and sleeps will have little regard for cleanliness later in life; consequently, he can be more difficult to housetrain.

Temperament testing and proper placement of each individual pup can be a key to the future happiness of a terrier.

Buyer’s Socialization and Responsibilities

You, the human leader, are the boss. You set the rules by which the pup must abide. Most terriers will try on occasion to challenge your leadership, so be prepared. Avoid allowing dominant behaviors in your young pup - games where the pup is the ultimate winner can affect and upset you as the leader of the pack. These include hand games, tug of war, finger chasing and nipping, all of which are subtle dominant behaviors.

The pup should eat and sleep in his crate. Although a terrier should never be allowed to sleep on your bed before the age of two, sleeping in your bedroom at night is free bonding time for you and the pup. Sleeping on the floor beside you reinforces you as the dominant force in your young dog’s life.

Puppy Do’s

Do start training your puppy the day he comes home. Freedom is an earned right, so it would be best to keep your pup confined to one or two rooms at first. Puppies should not have free run of the house because they need constant supervision when out of their crate.

Training sessions should be short and happy, preferably just before meal times. Use his regular food for training treats; he will be hungry and eager to please, therefore more attentive and willing to learn the lesson of the day. He can learn sit, down, stand, walk on a loose lead, and to come when called, which can be accomplished with just 5 - 10 minutes before each meal. If you buy a terrier, you, at a minimum, must make this commitment to your new puppy.

A daily examination should be part of your young dog’s life. Place a bath mat on a counter or washing machine and make him stand while you examine his ears, mouth, eyes, and each foot. It is extremely important that he accept handling in a position where he has no control.

It is important for your pup to learn to behave properly around other animals, children, and adults both at home and away from the house. Rude behavior needs to be stopped immediately, whenever and wherever it occurs. Examples include leg lifting on humans or furniture, sniffing butts, jumping up, excessive mindless barking, growling of any kind directed at you or strangers. Woofing at the unknown, or what I term "afraid of things that go bump in the night," comes from lack of continued socialization during the adolescent stage of a puppy’s development, usually between 8 - 18 months.

A daily, brisk, fun walk, with no peeing or sniffing allowed along the way, is good exercise. Avoid walking in the grass till your pup learns the rules; sidewalks or the middle of a quiet road work well for starters. Tennis balls are great for retrieving; a big beach ball is a fun game for chasing and exercise.

Tricks, such as rollover, give a paw, sit up and beg, can be a great stress reliever for your dog and can come in handy for those difficult times in his life. They are also entertaining for social gatherings.

Be consistent; dogs are creatures of habit. What a puppy learns in the first 16 weeks is imprinted in him for life!