Tolak
Posted : 1/10/2008 6:46:48 PM
I had a Westie years ago, he was about 1 1/2 when my youngest son was born. Never any aggression issues towards kids, or adults, though he did like to play "taste the baby", giving the kid a good face washing. He was a typical rodent hunting terrier though.
Before we got him we had a yorkie, that was with us in an apartment the first couple of years. We used to feed the squirrels, they became quite tame, and would come scurrying over when we came out with a big brown bag of peanuts. The yorkie was around squirrels since he was 8 weeks old, I guess though he was some sort of squirrel, and the squirrels thought he was some sort of goofy looking squirrel as well. He would walk among 8, 10, or more squirrels who were eating, nobody minding anyone else much.
I think if you get the dog as a pup, and it is raised and acclimated around rodents, they learn they are family members, not food to be chased. My uncle had yorkies many years before, lived behind a corn field, and found them to be excellent ratters. He encouraged that litle trait, while we taught our pup that they were outdoor friends.