Bringing home a new West Highland White Terrier puppy is exciting — and a little daunting. A calm, prepared start helps your puppy settle and sets the tone for the years ahead. Here’s how to make those first days go smoothly.
Before your puppy arrives
Get the shopping done in advance so the first day isn’t spent in a pet shop. You’ll want:
- A crate sized so the puppy can stand, turn and lie down — no bigger, or it becomes a bedroom and a bathroom
- A pen or baby gates to limit the space available at first
- Food and water bowls, and a supply of the food your breeder has been feeding
- A flat collar with an ID tag, and a light lead
- Safe chew toys and a puzzle feeder
- Grooming basics — a slicker brush, a metal comb and nail clippers
- An enzymatic cleaner for accidents (ordinary cleaners leave scent markers that invite repeats)
Puppy-proof at Westie height: cables tucked away, cleaning products latched, small swallowable objects off the floor, houseplants checked, and any gap in the garden fence closed. Terriers investigate, and they are smaller and more determined than you expect. Decide in advance where the puppy will sleep, where it will eat, and what the house rules are — and get everyone in the household to agree before the puppy arrives, not after.
Book two things now: a veterinary appointment for the first few days, and a puppy socialization class.
The first day
Keep it deliberately boring. Take the puppy straight to the toilet spot on arrival, then let it explore one or two rooms at its own pace. Resist the urge to invite the neighbourhood round — a puppy that has just left its littermates and everything it knows needs quiet, not a party. Offer water, offer small meals, and give it plenty of chances to sleep. Puppies this age sleep a great deal, and an overtired puppy becomes a bitey, frantic puppy very quickly.
The first night
The first night away from littermates is unsettling for most puppies. Put the crate somewhere the puppy can hear and smell you — beside your bed is easiest for the first week or two, and you can move it gradually later. Expect some fussing. Take the puppy out once or twice in the night for toileting, keeping it calm and businesslike with no play, then straight back to the crate.
A consistent bedtime routine teaches your Westie that the crate is a safe, restful place rather than a punishment. Feed dinner a couple of hours before bed, offer a final toilet trip last thing, and keep the lights low.
Feeding
Stick with the food and schedule your breeder recommends for at least the first couple of weeks — a new home is enough change without a new diet. If you do want to switch, do it gradually over seven to ten days, mixing an increasing proportion of the new food in. Most puppies at this age eat three or four small meals a day, moving to twice daily as they grow. Fresh water always available. Loose stools in the first days are common with the stress of the move; persistent diarrhoea, vomiting or a puppy that won’t eat is a call to the vet, not something to wait out.
House-training
Frequency and consistency do all the work. Take your puppy out first thing in the morning, last thing at night, after every nap, after every meal, after every play session, and roughly every hour in between while awake. Go to the same spot, stay quiet while you wait, and reward generously the moment the puppy finishes — not once you’re back inside.
Accidents will happen. Clean them with an enzymatic cleaner and say nothing to the puppy; punishment after the fact teaches a dog to hide where it toilets rather than to hold on. Most Westie puppies are reliable within a few months, with occasional lapses well beyond that. Canadian winters add a wrinkle: a small puppy in deep snow needs a shovelled patch, and toilet trips get shorter and less enthusiastic in January.
Early socialization — the highest priority
The socialization window closes at roughly sixteen weeks, and it does not reopen. What your puppy meets calmly and positively in these weeks shapes the adult dog more than anything you do later.
Aim for quality over volume. Introduce people of different ages and appearances, different floor surfaces, car journeys, the sound of the vacuum and traffic and thunderstorm recordings played quietly, handling of paws and ears and mouth, and healthy vaccinated dogs. Keep every experience short, positive and within the puppy’s comfort — a frightened puppy is learning the wrong lesson. Before vaccinations are complete, you can carry your puppy to see the world, sit on a bench and watch the street, and invite calm visitors to you.
Early training
Short, reward-based sessions of five minutes or so suit the Westie’s clever, food-motivated nature. Start with name recognition, a recall game indoors, sitting to be greeted, settling on a mat, and swapping objects for treats rather than chasing the puppy to retrieve them. Manage rather than punish the terrier behaviours — give a legitimate digging outlet, redirect nipping onto a toy, and reward quiet rather than shouting over barking. For more on what makes them tick, see our Westie temperament guide.
Start grooming on day one
Get your puppy comfortable with brushing and handling immediately, so grooming becomes routine rather than a battle later. A minute a day with a soft brush, plus touching the paws, ears and muzzle, pays off for fifteen years. Our grooming guide covers the full routine and when to book the first professional appointment.
Frequently asked questions
How long does it take a puppy to settle in?
Most puppies are visibly more relaxed within three or four days and properly settled within two to three weeks. Keep the first fortnight calm and predictable.
Should my Westie puppy sleep in a crate?
Crate training is the easiest route to a puppy that settles and a smoother house-training process, provided the crate is introduced positively and never used as punishment. Placing it in your bedroom for the first weeks makes the transition much easier.
How often should a Westie puppy eat?
Usually three to four small meals a day at eight to twelve weeks, reducing to twice daily as the puppy matures. Follow your breeder’s and veterinarian’s guidance for your individual puppy.
When can my puppy go for walks and meet other dogs?
Ask your veterinarian, as it depends on the vaccination schedule. In the meantime you can carry your puppy outdoors and arrange meetings with healthy, fully vaccinated dogs — the socialization window is too important to wait out entirely.
How do I stop puppy biting?
Redirect onto an appropriate chew toy every time, end the game calmly if teeth land on skin, and make sure the puppy is getting enough sleep. Mouthing is normal development, not aggression, and it fades with consistency.
This article provides general puppy care information and is not veterinary advice. Follow your veterinarian’s guidance for your individual puppy.
For everything else about the breed, see our complete breed guide. Questions about your Cedar Creek Westies puppy? We’re always here to help.
Ready to welcome a Westie? Our Westie puppies are bred by Cedar Creek Kennels in Amaranth, Ontario — a CKC member breeder raising West Highland White Terriers since 2007. See current availability, or fill out a puppy application to join the waitlist.