Help! odd behaviour from my westie!

[baileywestie]

My westie is 10 months old. All of a sudden he has started really odd behaviour it started after he had been in the vets a couple of weeks ago with a stomach bug.
1) he is constantly whining to go outside - we let him out and he just goes out to play (so he doesnt need to go to the toilet!) He has also been neutered back in August.
2) when he is out in the garden and in the house - anything he can get his hands on he will attempt to eat - he will nick things like socks (which has only just started to do) and or other things and will attempt to chew these!
3) he was well and truly toilet trained then now - he doesnt care where he goes - on his day bed or on the rug which he has never done before.
Help! i dont know what to do to try and stop this bad behavious before it gets out of hand!

[showcatbenga]

Wow! He's got you two well trained! Whine a bit & you let him out 'just in case'. At 10 months he's a canine 'teenager' . He's just testing the boundaries. Try going back to a routine so you can predict his toilet habits & use a crate overnight (& when unsupervised if necessary in-between). It's not a punisment & he should really love his comfy crate. Dogs won't mess where they lay. He'll get the message really quick!
Nicking stuff to chew is attention seeking. He's bored. If it is valuable to you, you are guaranteed to react! You will have to be super tidy & then ignore him if he does get anything. You need to train the 'leave' command - join a class for help. By the way, does he have about a million or so toys, all the time, which he practically ignores? If so tidy them all away & just select one at a time to play with him. Then put it away. They will then have more 'value' to him & can be used as bribes to retrieve your valuables! Increase his exercise &/or reduce his feed - he's nearly an adult - maybe he doesn't need quite so much energy producing food since he isn't growing so fast now - vet will advise if concerned.
Lastly get some puzzle feeders. Toys that you put food in (from his daily rations or he'll get fat) & he has to work to get the food out. used as positive re-enforcements during crate training - so that being in the crate is a nice experience.
There are hollow balls that release biscuits through a small hole as the dog rolls the ball along - you have to fill it & show him what to do first. Good for in the house or garden.
There are lumps of tough rubber that have a hollow space to put soft food & the dog can then spend time chewing & licking just like he would with a bone but much safer. Good for in the crate & when left unsupervised. Hope some of this helps - good luck!