Are you getting desperate about your Scottish terrier’s new habit of chewing anything he can lay his paws on? Do you feel like falling on tears as you watch your shoes, your carpets, your sofa torn out by his destructive action?
I’ve got good news for you: you can easily control the chewing habit by proper training your Scottish terrier.
But first you need to understand that chewing, like barking, is a natural instinct of Scottish terriers, as it attends their need to sharpen their teeth. Puppies going through the teething process tend to chew everything because it alleviates the pain in their gums. This behavior should only last for a few months, during the teething period.
If the chewing habit persists beyond one year, then your dog has a problem. And you too.
And here’s where a good training program comes in. Your Scottie is unable to judge by himself what is valuable to you or not, it’s up to you to teach him what he can chew and what he cannot. He will not realize that everything cannot be chewed unless he is trained and the chewing habit corrected.
Training can be somewhat costly but everything considered it is a lot cheaper to invest in training and in a few chew toys for your dog than to replace expensive furniture in your home.
In the meantime, follow these four easy steps that will help you in controlling your Scottish Terrier’s chewing habit:
1. Keep valuable things you do not want to be chewed out of reach.
2. Keep your Scottie in a confined place like his crate, for example, while you are sleeping or not around. Provide him with chewing toys for him to entertain himself.
3. Give him attention and physical activity to overcome boredom and loneliness. Walk and play with him whenever you can.
4. Reprehend him with a firm “No” when you catch him chewing and replace whatever he’s chewing with a chew toy.
By following these instructions it will not take long until the bad chewing habit is completely eliminated.
