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You are lucky he's not eating cigarette butts, brillo pads, and feces! My Bigun also has quite the nose, and thought it best to taste everything. No matter how closely I watched him, it seemed like he was always gagging something up the next day, if I didn't catch him chewing it, first.
We did what you are doing -- except view grass as "okay," and even tried two different muzzles.
The good news is that at 14 months, we rarely have to dissuade him from eating anything other than his food, and the treats we give him.
We have just discovered that my 8 week old Cocker Spaniel - Shih Tzu cross is eating mice, moles and whatever the cat hasn't finished off (fresh or not), plus these purple berries in our yard that we haven't been able to name yet... I am worried that as she is so young and small, this will make her sick, or give her worms/parasites and that we won't know she's sick until it's too late to do anything. She's already had diarrhea twice, and her breath smells super bad... Should I be concerned?
We have just discovered that my 8 week old Cocker Spaniel - Shih Tzu cross is eating mice, moles and whatever the cat hasn't finished off (fresh or not), plus these purple berries in our yard that we haven't been able to name yet... I am worried that as she is so young and small, this will make her sick, or give her worms/parasites and that we won't know she's sick until it's too late to do anything. She's already had diarrhea twice, and her breath smells super bad... Should I be concerned?
yes you should be ... if you don't know what the berries are, how do you know they are not poisonous?? and how do you know that the critters the cat is killing are not infested with parasites or even worse, poison??
an 8 week old puppy is an infant and far too young to be outside unsupervised......
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Quote:
Originally Posted by justthe6ofus
I need help!
I'm not sure if the approach I'm taking is the correct one?
Finnley is a 9 week old Golden/Lab mix. We are housebreaking right now which means we are outside ALL the time, at least 10 times a day it seems for potty and then for 2-3 short walks.
While outside his nose is constantly to the ground searching for "goodies" to eat. We have a LOT of pines and sweet gum trees in our area so he's always picking up gum balls, pine cones, pine needles, rocks or leaves and grass. I don't want to discourage him from sniffing because he also does this to find his perfect potty spot.
When I think he's going to take something in his mouth I'll give a firm "no eat" and change his direction. He temporarily forgets what he was after until he finds the next "treat" along the way. It's impossible to walk him for any amount of distance because of this.
He'll also lay down and try to "graze" on the grass. To correct him I've been standing him up to his feet and telling him "no eat" as well.
Will he eventually get it? Or should I be trying another method? Has your puppy done this and what worked for you?
We thought at first it was because he was hungry so we started walking him after his meals. We also thought he was just trying to learn about his environment, somewhat like a human baby, by mouthing everything.
He is on a mixture of what the Vet was giving him plus Blue Buffalo Puppy so I'm not sure if it's his diet that is lacking in something or is it just a normal puppy behavior that he'll outgrow?
Thanks for any tips!
Normal, normal, normal, normal, normal.
I really hate retractable leashes, but they do have a lot of applications for puppies - especially when you are teaching "HERE" or, in this case, need to be able to collect him when he picks something up that he shouldn't have. If you always say "NO" when he does something that he shouldn't but you can't catch him or have no way of enforcing the command, then every time you say "NO" it means a little bit less to the dog.
At 9 weeks, the pup probably shouldn't be going on walks of any distance anyway. They can get all the exercise they need from play in the house and in the yard at that age.
Also, the dog isn't ready for any formal training at this point. EVERYTHING you do with the pup at this point needs to be FUN FUN FUN FUN FUN!! No scolding, no leash pops, nothing that will injure trust. You are happy, happy, fun, fun guy right now and when the dog does something right you should be over-responding by about 400%; the kind of over-response where people would be certain that you had lost your mind if they saw a video of it on YouTube. When the pup does something wrong you re-direct or remove the dog from the mistake, but don't cross the line away from happy, happy, fun, fun guy. Once the dog is starting to lose its baby teeth it's ready for more formal training.
Some dogs have a passion for rocks and socks like my Motley the Mastiff. We are very careful with laundry and he has at least stopped eating rocks but I would stay with him outside and always run after him if he grabbed a rock or stick.
This was helpful but our problem is even more complicated. We live in a town home community that has no grass, only wood chips around the homes. We think 3 month old Odie is sniffing around to find a place to go, but instead he will be picking up wood chips and droppings from other dogs that have fallen into the wood chips. We've become so focused on the constant "drop it" (which he usually does) that he is too distracted to "go" outside. Then as soon as we get inside he has an accident! If we give him a treat or carrot to distract him when he is outside, he digs into the wood chips to find all the little pieces and then eats more junk. Housebreaking was going great, but now he's regressing!
Does everything include my car??? My 6month old Lab/mix is always nibbling on my car. Ive tried toys so he can play and chew, a bone and walking him so he dont get ansious but he still trying to eat my car. Please help!!!
YES. Labs are notorious for chewing, eating most anything they can get in their mouths. The good news is that they usually get over this urge after a while. Try frozen kongs with peanut butter in them to give him something long lasting.
My 6month old Lab/mix is always nibbling on my car. Ive tried toys so he can play and chew, a bone and walking him so he doesn't get anxious but he's still trying to eat my car. Please help!!!
Said the Lab: "It was there, so I ate it."
You need to spend some time every day teaching the Leave It command.
Hello Fellow Puppy Lovers! I realize I'm posting years after the other posts, but this thread came up 2nd in a Google search, so posting for all new puppy owners. I am a breeder of golden & labradoodles and I concur that this is very normal. I also support all those who recommend the "Leave It" method. However there is a prerequisite and I didn't see any posts on it. It is critical that you prime your puppy for the "Leave It" command, otherwise it will be a pretty lengthy process of repetition and commands. & my apologies, but you absolutely can train a puppy the basics at 8 to 10 weeks. However, you have to understand that puppies don't go to school they don't learn letters they don't learn pictures that match words so they have no idea what the heck you're saying until it said over and over and over again. They can learn commands in minutes by using an "IF/then" process, which is how ALL dogs see & grasp the world.
Eliminate all distractions in the area wish you used to treat. Sit on the floor with two sets of TINY treats within your reach, not the puppies (counter, table, etc.). One set they absolutely love and the other one they like but don't love. I have found that mini milk bones versus soft treat bites work well. Hold one "like" treat in your hand, as your puppy tries to take it out of your hand you command "Leave it" in a sterner tone (idk what clown said to not use deep but only happy tones, but that is very false, bc not correction=a very spoiled & sometimes aggressive doggy. You must be ALPHA in you pack & you also need to use time outs in their crate, when they don't comply within 3 attempts by you to correct).
Anyway back on topic, puppies love treats so (s)he"ll to try a lot to get it, but do not give them that threat! Feels like but is not teasing, because they will get a treat. Allow your puppy to continue trying (biting, pulling, etc.) until they lose interest and walk away. When they start to walk away...immediately, excitedly & repeatedly praise with "Good, leave it" while grabbing the "love" treat to reward them with. Repeat. Won't be long at all for them to catch on....IF I leave this ok treat, THEN I get a better one. It may take 2 sessions, but if your puppy is hungry it'll be very quick. Be sure to bring those tasty treats outside to give when she does comply with "leave" it" there. Bland chicken breast pieces are more effective outside when the distractions are far more than the reward.
Do this with every command you teach. You can switch the treats for toys, too. My 8-wk puppy, first learned "tug" in 3 mins, by me just pulling when she did and letting go to the rope when she laid down to chew it. Always remember the "IF/THEN" concept in everything you teach. In a week, she was house trained with touching a bell on the door knob (IF I touch the bell, THEN I get outside. She also knows which side of my yard (separated by a patio) is business and which is playtime...good to keep those separate always (IF I do my business here, THEN I get to play over there. And so on, in that same week she learned-hurry up-peep & hurry up-poop, wait, back, outside/inside), jump, up/down the stairs, no, tug, leave it, sit, rollover, get it, bring it, and give. It's very possible for your little one too, but you have to spend the time & be consistent. Try one command a day (like Sesame Street's letter of the day), use it all that day (include the other family members) and practice each day to reinforce. Good luck.
PS-Puppies are toddlers, ALWAYS remove anything harmful, close doors, etc. as you would a toddler. And shame on anyone who lets a puppy (but wouldn't do that with their toddler) outside alone & free to roam the house without supervision, that shows you are/were not ready to take on such a wonderful responsibility.
Last edited by mperez2011; 06-18-2015 at 12:09 PM..
I have a 13 week old golden retriever, like the other post above, he eats everything outside. I try to take him outside off leash as we have not mastered the leash yet. Unless he has to go to the bathroom, he eats everything he sees, feels or smells. I am constantly telling him to leave it. If I can catch him as now he has learned to run away from me, I remove the object (bark, bug, twig etc) from his mouth. I sometimes lift him up and redirect him or give him a toy to distract him. We live in the country on 3 acres and I love that I can take him out and have no leash however I feel the leash is going to be a necessity until I get this behavior under control. So between fighting with the leash and the eating of everything, I am very frustrated. Any suggestions on what I should be doing?
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