These 3 inch Christmas dog ornaments are white dogs with long hair and black eyes. They are laying down with their front paws forward and an innocent look on their faces. The white feathered angel wings are sprinkled with iridescent glitter snow. The gold wire halo floats gracefully over the Christmas dog puppy head. The Christmas dog first ornament hangs by a gold lame cord or it can also stand on a flat surface on display. Select this link to view our dog ornaments.
History of the West Highland White Terrier:
The West Highland Terrier, or Westie, is the only all white breed of Scottish terrier, a combination of the white offspring of the Cairn terrier and the Scottie. They have dark eyes, a soulful gaze, and erect ears that tend to give it the ‘ready for anything’ appearance, which isn’t far from the truth, as it is well known for its spirited personality. They weigh between 13-19 pounds and the average height is around 11 inches at the withers. The Westie was originally bred as a working terrier, and is often referred to as a “big dog in a little body,” with the attitude of a guard dog, although their size prevents them from being too much of a threat. However they will growl or bite if provoked. They are good companions, will get along with other animals if properly introduced, and are good around children. They’re very possessive of whatever they consider to be ‘theirs’, including their master. Select this link to view our unique Christmas ornaments.
Life of a Dog:
Dogs live on average between 10 to 15 years, depending upon their size; the larger the size the shorter the lifespan, in general. After a little more than one year your puppy will be finished growing and then be considered a dog, although “puppyhood” can last longer with some breeds. It takes a few weeks for the puppies eyes to open and for it to grow its first sets of teeth, called milk teeth, and after a few months the adult teeth begin to come in. It is recommended that you ensure your puppy stops weaning by its 7th week and is eating hard food.
Contact with people and other dogs while your puppy is still young, and growing is very important. It will help to ensure that your dog can socially interact in the future with humans and other dogs in a more positive and healthy manner!
To keep your dog physically fit, make sure he has a balanced diet with limitations on the amount of food and the amount of time that he has to eat his food to prevent him from simply eating too much or too little. Along with proper nutrition, plenty of exercise and regular visits to the vet, your pet will stay healthy and happy, emotionally stable, disciplined, and will be more able to interact socially with humans and dogs that he is not familiar with. It will also offer the best chance of having a healthy dog in his later years that is less prone to arthritis and other common ailments.
If you keep in mind that a dogs mind, when not actively being stimulated, will revert to its carnal instincts, then it is easier to understand why you must take the time to keep him occupied with things you want him to be doing until he is exhausted. This will give him less time to get ‘bored’ and less prone to deviate from the behavior you have been trying to instill in him. Take him for walks when he is young and use direct words like “Come,” “Sit,” “Stay,” “Slow down,” and “Heel” to get him familiar with them. If he is hearing these same words regularly, for the same things, he will learn their meaning and will learn to obey you much more quickly and consistently.
Remember that you are the dog’s master. You should know what is best for him. Although he may beg for things, such as scraps from the table, it should be made known to him at a very young age that such actions will not be tolerated. Although as a puppy it may seem cute, if you do not discipline him for it early he will not understand why you punish him for the same actions later in his life! Keep in mind that humans reach their adulthood after approximately 18-20 years, so we gradually learn what acceptable behavior is and what is not. Dogs reach theirs in around one year, so what you teach your puppy in his first year will be what he draws on for the remainder of his life. It is much harder to train a two year-old dog to stop jumping on guests than it is to train a puppy to not jump on you! Select this link to view our animal ornaments Christmas.
