Chewing, scratching are dogs' and cats' healthy natural behaviour

Many owners who say their pets are naughty, troublesome or destructive give the animals to the SPCA. But a cat scratching furniture or a dog chewing everything it can get its teeth into is only a healthy animal behaving normally.

It is the natural instinct of a puppy to chew. At three to five months old, the pup's teeth begin to change. Gums will look swollen and red, and milk teeth loosen and fall out. This is meant to happen and you should help by providing a knuckle bone or rawhide bone (both for sale at the SPCA) to chew.

A pup must learn what 'no' means. Change the tone of your voice when you say this and do not confuse your pet by shouting about 'best velvet cushions', or frighten the animal by hitting it. If you find your puppy chewing something it should not, give it an alternative - a bone or toy - and say 'no' in a stern voice. Give your pet its toy and offer some praise. Stay nearby for a minute to ensure the puppy does not go back to chewing things it should not. If necessary, say 'no' again and offer the toy.

Sooner or later the message will sink in, but be consistent. Remove temptation and opportunity. A puppy will not understand why it is allowed in a room but cannot chew the furnishings. And do not confuse the situation by giving your pet an old pair of shoes to chew and expect it to ignore other shoes.

Cats scratch surfaces to sharpen their claws and get rid of flaking pieces of claw material. As with pups, you must be consistent about where and when your pet is allowed to scratch and you must provide an alternative - a properly designed scratch post.

This should be as tall as possible, for cats like to stretch when they scratch. The post or board must not be wobbly or liable to topple over. The scratch-post covering can be short cut-pile carpeting (claws get caught and torn on cooped-pile), the harder underside of the carpet, or a section of tree trunk. Place the scratching post adjacent to any upholstery the cat attacks. Cats tend to scratch in the same places at the same times each day, so be ready and have the alternative in position.