It is the owner's responsibility to teach their Cairn Terrier puppy what they can and cannot chew. I know that sounds harsh and quite the opposite of what most of us are taught about training a dog, but all I ask is that you seriously think about that statement. It is a fact. Once you understand that you will be well on your way to a trained Cairn Terrier.

How Puppies and Dogs Learn

Puppies and dogs learn and touch with their mouths. That is the only way for them to experience the world through the touch sensory. Humans feel things with their hands but the dog's paws are not like our hands at all.

To prevent unacceptable chewing of objects you don't want your dog or puppy to chew, make sure you have plenty of chewing toys available for them especially during the puppy chewing stage. Softer chew toys for younger puppies and harder rubber chew toys as your Cairn Terrier matures. The right hardness of a chew toy for your dog's age is important.

Puppies go through a teething stage just like babies when their baby teeth begin to fall out and their permanent teeth come in. It's part of the puppy life stage. During these times you need to have cold chew toys on hand as well. Reference my article, "Summertime Chew Toy - Great for Teething Puppies Too!".

Keep all objects out of the reach of your Cairn puppy (or adult dog) that you don't want him to chew. Sometimes this isn't always possible like electrical cords or phone wires. In these type situations, do not allow your puppy around wires at all when you cannot be there to supervise him 100%.

If you discover your Cairn puppy chewing on an object you do not find acceptable, scold him but not too harshly. Your Cairn puppy needs to know that the object he is chewing on at that time is not acceptable. Take the object away but replace it with his chew toy. He will soon learn what is and is not acceptable to chew on.

This phase will pass and most dogs including Cairn Terriers will grow out of it if properly trained when they are young. Proper dog training means consistent, repetitive commands and actions each time you see such a behavior and by every member of your family. So make sure each member of your family knows the routine and practices it.

If you did not see your puppy misbehaving, do not scold him. He will not understand why you are suddenly behaving in a not-so-friendly way. Trust me. This is one of the biggest dog training mistakes made by dog owners.

Read my related articles, "What To Do When You Don't See Your Puppy Misbehaving" and "Dog Training Command: Drop It"

Just because you don't see an object in your puppy or dog's mouth, doesn't mean he doesn't have something he should have. Happy Jack often carries things around inside his mouth and pretends he doesn't have anything. Usually we can tell by the way he acts. He looks at us suspiciously, dances around too happily, doesn't have his mouth open or isn't panting. His behavior gives him away every time.

Once he had a live baby mouse concealed in his mouth that he brought in from outside. He wasn't acting like his normal self which gave his mouthful of mouse away.

I have trained both of my Cairn Terriers to drop whatever they have in their mouth by simply doing the same thing each time it happens. I state "Drop It" in a stern voice and 99% of the time they will open their mouth and spit out whatever they have inside. Occasionally I have to insert a finger in their mouth to get out whatever it is in a hurry especially if it is something I think might harm them if swallowed.