Westie help needed

[MarkLG]

Hi everyone, new here and this is my first post. I just got a Westie pup on Friday there and he is around 11 weeks old. Overall he has settled into my house very well (no other pets) but there is one slight problem. I have two brothers (aged 14 and 9) and one sister who is 2. He acts absolutely fine with my two brothers and is happy to play with them, however, he is sometimes a bit barky at my sister. One minute he will be fine with her and licking her hands and letting her clap him, then a few minutes later he'll bark at her for no apparent reason :confused:

After looking on a few websites, we've been telling him "Enough" in a firm voice when he does it and also squirting him with water. Will this be enough to deter him after a bit? We've only had him in our house for 4 full days so I can't expect him to adjust very quickly. Are there any other suggestions as to how I can get him to bond a bit better with my sister?

Also, we're keeping his crate in the kitchen and for the last few nights we've left the crate door open and shut the kitchen door. Am I better to shut the crate's door during the night or leave it open? We've been leaving newspaper out in the kitchen for him to do the toilet on during the night (he's waiting for his final jab in 2 weeks so I can take him outside). I don't know if shutting the crate door might help in the overall process of house-breaking, or whether it'll make a difference?

Thanks for any help, it's much appreciated.

[Jr_K9_Expert]

I think he still needs some more time to adjust. Seeing how he is only 11 weeks old, it could be that this bark is an invitation to play. You can teach him that he needs to respect your sister by allowing her to give him his food and if he knows any tricks have him do one before he gets his food.

Don't shout, yell, or push the puppy when he is barking, biting, or getting out of control seeing how this might be interpreted as an invitation to play. Simply say 'No' or 'Enough', and completely ignore him (as if he doesn't exist). If however he continues to be annoying, you can use a sound deterrant such as pennies in a tin can to startle him temporarily and give you time to correct/redirrect this behavior.

As for your crate, I would leave the door closed. Make sure you encourage him to go to the bathroom after meals, playtime and before you put him in his crate. Limit water intake before crating too.

[Labman]

The period between 6-12 weeks is a dangerous time. One sniff where a sick dog relieved itself in the last 6 months can bring on parvo or another life threatening disease. Fail to expose it to strangers, including men, women, children, noise, etc. and you could end up with a misfit you can't take out in public. They also need continuing contact with other dogs, but it must be limited to ones you know are getting good care.

There are ways to give a puppy the socialization it needs while keeping it alive, http://www.apdt.com/po/news/docs/Messer_Nov06.pdf

Shut the crate. It is only natural that a puppy resists its crate at first. What the puppy wants more than anything else is to be others, you, anyone else in the household, and any other pets. In our modern society, even if we are home, other things distract us from the attention an uncrated puppy must have. The only real solution is to crate the dog when you aren't around. The dog may be happier in its den than loose in the house. It relaxes, it feels safe in its den. It rests, the body slows down reducing the need for water and relieving its self. Dogs that have been crated all along do very well. Many of them will rest in their crates even when the door is open. I think the plastic ones give the dog more of a safe, enclosed den feeling. Metal ones can be put in a corner or covered with something the dog can't pull in and chew. Select a crate just big enough for the full grown dog to stretch out in.