How To Stop A Scottish Terrier (Scottie) Growling
You were probably so excited when you brought home your little Scottish Terrier. Your little Scottie dog was the talk of the neighborhood and everyone loved him, that is, until he started growling at everyone that walked past or into your house. At first, when the Scottie is a puppy, this growling is “cute” to many people. They laugh and even praise their puppy for being such a good watch dog. The problem with that is that the owners are creating a giant problem for themselves. The last thing you want to do is to praise your dog and encourage him to do something, that you will later change your mind on and punish him for. How would that be fair?
The key is to make sure that you are correcting the problem as quickly as possible. This is the only way to make sure that you, your dog and everyone around not only feels safe, but is completely safe. The first thing you need to do is to realize that when your dog growls at people or dogs he is unfamiliar with, he is feeling threatened. The growling is a way that your Terrier is communicating this to you and everyone else around. Now, you will also want to make sure that you are taking your dog to the vet for a full checkup. You want to make sure that your dogs growling is not caused by any neurophysiologic dysfunctions or hormonal imbalances. There are in fact many medical factors that could be causing your Scottie to growl at everyone and everything in sight.
Now, since the growling is an aggressive act, it is very important that you have some respect for that. Never encourage children or even adults to continue to approach your dog while he is growling. You also need to make sure that you are not correcting violence with violence. Never hit your dog or make him fear you. This will only backfire on you and you will find yourself with a dog that is much more fierce than you ever thought he would be. This is a disaster just waiting to happen.
One of the best ways to calm your little Scottish Terrier down is to socialize him a little more. Place him on a leash and take him for a walk around the block or simply hang out in front of your yard. When people or dogs walk by, make sure that you start talking calmly and sweet to your dog. Give him a lot of affection to reassure him that everything is alright.
Your Scottie will pick up on your calmness about the situation and he will respond in the same manner. Praise him for this behavior. When he makes a mistake, which he will, and he growls at someone or something, give him the “no” or “stop” command and turn away. Only give affection and treats when he successfully refrains from growling at anyone.