we got a west highland terrier puppy four days ago, and we are completely new to dogs. he is our first pet (excluding our goldfsh), and prior to getting him we researched as much as possible, got all the right reccomended stuff - but naturally, nothing actually prepares you for the real thing! we have begun the crate training method, which seems to be working pretty well - he hasnt had any accidents in the house at all. what we are curious about, and perhaps a bit confused and frustrated with, is how much Barney should be barking. He seems so be very vocal when we leave the room, but is this natural? also, he can be very 'boisterous', and we are worried that we are not giving him enough exercise / play time. we currently reward him after successful toilet visits with a little play. also, with the crate training method, we have him in our living room, which is where we spend most of our time - is this a bad idea? should he not be in such a 'public' room? sorry 4 so many q's,please help if you can!

Hi, Im just enjoying the ups and downs of owning an eight week old puppy so Im learning too. Our dog gets very over excited and barks/bites when this happens. We find that he is best returned to his crate for a short period if a toy wont distract him or us ignoring him doesnt stop the behaviour. However, I think you might find that they need a quiet place sometimes rather than a busy room. Our vet has told us to ignore crying etc when he is bedded down or ready for quiet/sleep during the day. It seems that the only way is to ignore the noise (difficult I know as it sounds heart rending) but this has worked very quickly for us - basically, if they cry and this gets your attention, then the pup will continue to try this. If we come into the room and the puppy is crying we ignore him until he has stopped, giving it a few minutes of quiet before we take him out of his crate, give him affection etc. Not even eye contact is important as otherwise they still have gained your attention by unwanted behaviour. I hope that helps, we just have to remember that they are a puppy and of course, they have a lot of energy which a good old session of play helps with, every time they have slept basically. Ours has positive mad minutes when he just runs and runs. Were looking forward to being able to take him out for long walks, but a few weeks yet. Good luck with your puppy.

By the way, we are taking him to puppy parties too, via our vet so he can learn from other pups who teach each other about unwanted behaviour and biting etc, better than we ever can. Again this is on the advice of our vet who has been very helpful. Perhaps you can find out whether your vet does these or can direct you elsewhere. Im looking forward to it, first puppy party Ive ever been to!

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Tricia