Raising dogs, in particular taking care of the scottish terrier, is old hat for people. Some zoologists have proven that dogs were first domesticated between twelve thousand and 25,000 years ago—and that all dogs evolved from the wolf. Since then, humans have selectively bred more than four hundred different breeds, which vary in size from four-pound teacup poodles all the way up to Irish wolfhounds, whose three-ft stature earns them the distinction of the tallest pooch. But the most widespread pooches are the non-pedigree dogs—the one-of-a-kind dogs known as mutts. The scottish terrier is another popular pick among canine owners. Many owners are misinformed, however, of some crucial scottish terrier care tips.
Cost of care for the scottish terrier
The yearly budget for raising your scottish terrier—which includes everything from food and snacks, to doctor bills, toys and license—can range between $420 and seven hundred eighty dollars. This is not even accounting for capital costs for spay/neuter surgery, collar and leash, carrier and crate. Note: Be positive you have procured all of your supplies before you get your scottish terrier home.
Basic scottish terrier Care
scottish terrier Feeding Schedule
- scottish terrier pups between eight and 12 weeks old need four bowls of food in a twenty-four hour period.
- Feed scottish terrier pups three to 6 months old three meals daily.
- Feed pups 6 months old to one year 2 times per day.
- By the time your scottish terrier makes his 1st birthday, one feeding daily is sufficient.
- Sometimes scottish terriers, however, eat 2 smaller meals. It’s your duty to learn your scottish terrier’s eating schedule.
Excellent-quality dry food ensures a balanced diet to full-grown scottish terriers and can mix with water, canned food, or broth. Your scottish terrier may have a taste for cooked eggs, cottage cheese, and fruits and vegetables, but these shouldn’t be more than 10 percent of his or her daily allowance. scottish terrier puppies ought to be fed top-quality, brand-name puppy food. You should cut down on “table food”, however, since it can result in vitamin and mineral deficiencies, bone and teeth concerns, and might result in some extremely finicky eating habits as well as obesity. Give fresh, potable water always, and make sure to wash food and water bowls very often.
scottish terrier Care Tips: Make sure your scottish terrier gets plenty of daily physical activity
scottish terriers need some physical activity in order to burn calories, recharge their minds, and keep healthy. Physical activity also really helps scottish terriers avoid boredom, which has the potential to lead to destructive behavior. Getting out of the house can quench most of your scottish terrier’s instinctual urges to dig, retrieve, chase, chew and herd. Activity needs will vary based on your scottish terrier’s age and her level of health—but 10 minutes in the backyard and merely a walk around the block every day probably isn’t enough. If your scottish terrier is a six to 18 month adolescent, his requirements will probably be relatively higher.
scottish terrier Grooming
You can help reduce shedding and keep your scottish terrier clean with brushing. Inspect for fleas and ticks daily during the summer or other warm weather. Many scottish terriers don’t need to be bathed more than a few times per year. Before a bath, cut out or comb any and all mats from the scottish terrier’s hair. Rinse all soap out of the coat, or the dirt will stick to the soap.
scottish terrier Handling
Pups are obviously the easiest to handle. To carry your scottish terrier pup, take one of your hands and put it beneath your dog’s chest, either with your forearm or other hand supporting his hind legs and rear. Don’t attempt to grab or lift your puppy by his front legs, tail or nape. When you must lift a bigger, adult scottish terrier, pick it up from the underside, holding his chest with 1 arm and rump with your other.
Housing your scottish terrier
scottish terriers need a comfortable peaceful spot to be able to relax apart from all breezes and away from the ground. You may want to think about buying a doggie bed, or feel like making one from a wooden box. Put a clean sheet, blanket, comforter, or pillow inside the bed. Wash your scottish terrier’s bed covering frequently. If your scottish terrier will be spending a lot of time outdoors, make certain she has plenty of cool water and shade in hot weather, and a warm, covered, dry shelter when it’s cold.
Licensing and Identification for scottish terriers
Be certain to heed the city’s licensing regulations. Be sure to affix the license to your scottish terrier’s collar. This, together with an ID tattoo or tag, could help you recover your scottish terrier should she go missing.
Facts on scottish terrier Behavior
scottish terrier Training
Well-behaved, companion scottish terriers are truly a blessing to own. However, untrained, your dog will most likely be a lot of trouble. Teaching your scottish terrier the basics—”Heel”, “Off”, “Sit”, “Stay”, “Come”, “Down”, and “Leave it”—bolsters your relationship both with the dog as well as your friends. If you own a pup, start teaching him the appropriate behavior as fast as you can! Use a snack as a lure and reward. Pups should be enrolled in obedience classes when they have been sufficiently immunized. Contact your community SPCA or humane society for details on training class recommendations. It is wise to walk your scottish terrier on a leash while in public, even as a puppy. Just be sure your dog will come back to you if you tell her to. An aggressive or disobedient scottish terrier isn’t yet ready to play with people.
scottish terrier Health
Your scottish terrier should visit the vet for a full examination, shots and heartworm assessment every single year, and ASAP if he is injured or sick.
Knowing Your scottish terrier’s Oral Health
While many of us may object to our scottish terrier’s halitosis, it’s important to be aware of what it might be a sign of. Bad breath is a sign that your scottish terrier needs an oral screening. Dental plaque triggered by germs brings a foul odor that demands treatment by a professional. Once you have given your scottish terrier a professional oral cleaning, her gums and teeth may be maintained by brushing regularly, feeding a special diet focused on dental health, and eliminating table food. Your veterinarian can provide you other advice on eliminating periodontal problems as well as bad breath. You can easily brush the scottish terrier’s teeth using a dog paste or a baking-soda-and-water paste twice weekly. Use a child’s soft toothbrush, a gauze pad or a piece of nylon stocking stretched over your finger. Some scottish terriers are afflicted by periodontal disease, which is an infection between the gums and teeth. Sometimes, loss of teeth occurs due to gum disease. Disease can sometimes also propagate to other areas of your scottish terrier’s body. The doctor will brush your scottish terrier’s teeth while performing his typical health assessment.
scottish terrier Halitosis
Although the foul odors due to periodontal disease may not be serious if detected early enough, sometimes those odors may also be indicative of serious, persistent problems. A fruity, sweet smell may often be indicative of diabetes, while intestinal or liver diseases may cause foul breath. Kidney disease is a possibility if your scottish terrier’s breath smells of ammonia or urine. Set an appointment with a veterinarian whenever your scottish terrier has halitosis along with other signs of disease like excessive urinating or drinking, depression or lethargy, weight loss, nausea, or decreased appetite.
Dealing with Ticks and Fleas in scottish terriers
During the summer, it’s crucial for you to perform daily inspections of your scottish terrier for fleas and ticks. Remove and find fleas using a flea comb. There are several new procedures of tick control. Talk to your veterinarian about his options.
Heartworm problems in scottish terriers
The heartworm is a parasite that resides in the heart and is passed from a contaminated dog to your scottish terrier by mosquitoes. Several scottish terriers die yearly from heartworm infestations. Your scottish terrier should have a heartworm screen each spring—this is vital to detect infections from the past year. A once-a-month tablet taken throughout the warm, wet time of the year can help to protect your scottish terrier. Whenever you travel in a warmer-than-usual climate with your scottish terrier in the winter, your dog needs to be on the preventive medicine during the trip. In some warmer climates, veterinarians advise preventive worm medication be taken continually.
Poisons and Medications
If you’re pondering giving your scottish terrier medication that was not prescribed for him by his doctor, don’t. Just one ibuprofen tablet can create stomach ulcers in scottish terriers. Make sure your scottish terrier is never exposed to rat poison and other rodenticides. Be sure to call your dog’s doctor if you have cause to suspect your scottish terrier has been exposed to poison. You can also call the ASPCA Poison Control Center at (888) 426-4435 for twenty-four hour help.
scottish terriers: Neutering and Spaying
Male scottish terriers should be neutered – the removal of the testes – and females spayed – the removal of the uterus and ovaries – by six months old. Spaying before maturity greatly diminishes the breast cancer risk, a usually fatal and common problem of older female dogs. Spaying also eradicates the chance of an infected uterus, a traumatic condition in more mature females that necessitates surgery and intensive medical care. Prostate diseases, testicular cancer, some hernias and certain types of aggressions are preventable by neutering male scottish terriers.
Shots for your scottish terrier
- scottish terrier pups should be vaccinated with a combination innoculation (called the “five-in-one”) at two, three and 4 months old, and then once yearly. This shot protects your pup from parainfluenza, parvovirus, leptospirosis, hepatitis, and distemper. The scottish terrier puppy’s immunization regimen cannot be completed before four months old.
- If your scottish terrier has not been innoculated and is older than 4 months, he will need two immunizations as soon as possible, 2 or three weeks apart. After that you must vaccinate every year.
- Your scottish terrier puppy’s innoculations should coincide with her socialization program. Most vets recommend that new owners take their scottish terrier puppies to socialization courses, as early as 8 to 9 weeks old. They should have received their first immunizations by then.
Because statutes vary around the country, contact your local veterinarian for info about rabies vaccination. For instance, in NYC, the regulation states that any pets older than three months must be vaccinated for rabies. After the first shot, you must have a second shot the next year, and then every 3 years after that. There are several innoculations, many of which are appropriate for your scottish terrier. There are others that are not, however. Ask your scottish terrier’s vet for her opinion. Also, if your scottish terrier gets sick because he is not vaccinated, do not administer the shot until the dog has made a full recovery.
Tapeworms in scottish terriers
scottish terriers are often exposed to worms and possible infestation—even in urban areas. Microscopic eggs produced by roundworms are transmitted through an infected dog’s stool. Most pups, even from healthy mothers in good homes, carry intestinal worms. Getting an accurate, early diagnosis is the key to treatment. This will make certain that the medication is effective against the worms your dog has. A dewormer that eliminates hookworms, for example, cannot kill tapeworms. Your vet can best determine the culprit—and assign the effective medicine.
scottish terrier Care Tips: Additional Info
scottish terrier Supply Checklist
- High-quality dog food and treats designed for scottish terriers and similarly-sized dogs
- Food bowl
- Water bowl
- As many safe toys as you can provide, especially chewable
- Brush & comb for grooming, including flea comb
- Collar with license and identification tag
- Leash
- Dog carrier (for pups)
- Crate for training
- Dog box or bed with quilt or towel
- Doggie or child’s toothbrush
Warnings to be Heeded
The following items should never be fed to scottish terriers:
- Alcoholic beverages
- Chocolate, tea, coffee, or any other caffeinated foods
- Grapes and raisins
- Moldy or spoiled food
- Onions, chives and garlic
- Chicken, turkey, or any other poultry bones
- Salt & salty foods
- Tomato leaves, stems or unripe fruit
- Dough
The scoop on poop
Unless you are at home, or in a secured, fenced-in location, always keep your scottish terrier on a leash. And please, when your scottish terrier defecates on your neighbor’s yard, remove and dispose of it! Don’t forget to check out these other articles about scottish terriers
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