A Westie's cooperation is earned, never assumed
A West Highland White Terrier is a small, sturdy dog with a big terrier operating system: independent, alert to movement, and entirely capable of deciding your plan is optional. Practice succeeds by making the routine feel like his own good decision, repeated until it holds under distraction.
Carrier practice the terrier way: his choice, your treats
Set his carrier on the floor, door open, with bedding that smells of his usual sleeping place. Let your Westie investigate it during ordinary life, and quietly reward every voluntary entry with something he genuinely rates. Terriers see through low-value bribes, so use the food he would cross the room for. Never chase him down and post him into the carrier during practice; a Westie who expects capture will make himself scarce the moment the carrier appears on a stressful day.
Once entry is cheerful and prompt, close the door for brief periods, feed through the mesh, and practise carrying the carrier short distances with him steady inside. Keep the carrier level and the ride smooth, and set him down to a reward at the end. If he barks his opinion during early sessions, wait for a quiet moment before opening up, so release follows calm rather than commentary.
Lead work that can survive a squirrel
On lead, a Westie's head is on a swivel for movement and scent, and an emergency scene is full of both. Practise in the garden first, rewarding him for noticing a distraction and then choosing you instead, and build toward pavement walks where birds, cats and rustling hedges compete.
Rehearse the house-to-car path as its own exercise: lead on, out of the door without a dash, pause on the path, then to the car.
Car routines for a dog who would rather be doing something else
Place your Westie's carrier or travel bed in the same secured car position every time, and build the routine in layers: hop in and settle in the parked car, then engine on, then a short drive that ends somewhere he likes.
Practise unloading with the same care as loading: lead attached before the carrier opens, out on cue, and a pause beside the car before walking off. Arrivals at unfamiliar places are peak squirrel-scanning moments, and that rehearsed pause is your chance to get his attention on you before the environment gets its turn.
Make the whole household terrier-proof
Westies exploit inconsistency expertly, so brief everyone on the same rules: the carrier cue, the doorway wait, and never leaving a garden gate on the latch without checking. Have a second person run the full routine regularly, because a Westie who performs for you may negotiate with a substitute handler.
Run a complete rehearsal occasionally and watch for his personal weak point, whether that is the front gate, the car door or the moment the carrier is lifted. Extra practice on that single step, in tiny cheerful doses, is worth more than repeating the parts he already finds easy.
If your Westie goes to ground or bolts
Search with his instincts in mind: a Westie who has chased something may be stuck in a hedge, under a shed, or down a hole he dug or found, so check gardens, banks and outbuildings carefully and listen for barking from below ground level. Call him in the bright tone that usually brings him running, and use his favourite food smells near likely hiding spots. Contact a veterinarian if he is recovered muddy and exhausted, limping, or if he may have been trapped for some time. As a fast way to recruit local eyes, KinsLe provides the Lost Pet Alert System, letting nearby members know your Westie is missing and giving finders a direct route to contact you.