He is 4 weeks old and was the runt of the litter. First girl born weighed 7oz and he was last born and weighed 3oz but is catching up fast now they have been weened. There were 5 puppies in total 2 girls and three boys. The other 2 boys are taken as is 1 of the girls. OMG I could have a girl or this little bundle or I could be strong and resist!! I am so tempted but which one would make the best companion to Finlay?
These are West Highland White Terriers "Westies" and are from another sire and mother from Finlay so no relation. He has had a wonderful time running round with his Dad Wallace and "the girls" who all love him.
Just a quick upload to show you what I was up to today. Busy getting ready for Yorkshire on Friday and now Barb's son and wife are popping over later for dinner - could be a take away!! LOL!!
@taffy Finlay loves the young girls he plays with when we go for his hair cut and Rhona said a girl would be more of a lap dog - Finlay does not want to sit on your lap. Only ever had a boy so not sure about having a girl. Just a bit worried about the runt of the litter - does this mean they are weaker than the others? Not sure at all!!
@pamknowler From my experience, female dogs are much easier to handle/train than males. I'd only had males until Cosie and Nutmeg, so it's confounded by breed as well, but there are gender differences that make the girls a bit easier usually. My first dog -- lab/pointer mix -- was the runt of the little and he lived to be 16 years old and was wonderful (but a bully and hard to train!). Probably my fault re the training, of course. As long as the runt is catching up, I would think you'd be fine. The bigger question is can Barb handle two dogs while you travel???
From my experience and research too, if you get the runt, he will be ignored by your dominant male. The runt will always be trying to get some acknowledgement. A female is the best option and will be just as cute as this wee one.
Such a sweet face. Having had both male and female dogs it has to come down to personal preference. With regards the runt of the litter, they usually catch up to litter mates by the time they reach adulthood.
He's very cute, and I've had a runt, albeit a female, in the past. I've always had females for all the reasons @taffy outlined, plus they seem to be cleaner in their habits - and don't wee on people's wheels.
