# Puppy eating all sorts..sticks, dirt, rocks!



## born36 (Jun 28, 2011)

So I know little puppies explore the world through their nose and their mouths but my 9 week old pup is into everything when outside and inside. He often will put dirt, sticks, bark, rocks, grass and leafs, in his mouth and no doubt swallows some of the these if I don't pull them out of his mouth. Is this normal?? Any suggestions on how to stop this?


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## datacan (May 15, 2011)

Hi, yes it is typical. It will pass - we patiently took everything unsafe out of Sam's mouth.

Please be aware, vigilant and promptly remove stuff out of his mouth.
Do not let puppy chew on mulch of any kind. Sticks, grass may make them vomit later or just pass through. 
At this age it is not advisable to discipline them! Please wait until 14-15 weeks old. 
Whenever unable to supervise, crate the pup. 
Biting stuff? May try a small soft muzzle (although we never did this)

Good times


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## hollyandnick (Apr 28, 2011)

Lucy still does this and she is 13 weeks old. She does not do it as much as she did a few weeks ago. I know when we can actually walk her outside she will get tired more and these things will not be of interest. She will have all her shots in a week. YEA!!!!!! We just keep trying to take things out of her mouth. Keep at it, it takes time.


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## born36 (Jun 28, 2011)

Thanks for the advise. Will keep reaching in and taking things out. I too can't wait til he has all his shots. I really want to take him exploring and walking. I think more structured exercise will be good for him. He has his last shot on Jul 12 and then we have to wait another week so on the 19th I can let him be a big dog and explore on walks and in the park. However I have a feeling this means that I will be getting used to running more myself!


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## hollyandnick (Apr 28, 2011)

Yes, even our breeder said when we can take long walks with Lucy it will help in other areas (i.e. crate - which is our biggest issue). She gets her last round on the 8th. We live in NYC, so even letting her off leash will not happen for awhile, as we are working on the Come call. However, she will now be able to enter our active lifestyle of walking everywhere! Everyone just tells us patience and we are seeing changes, which is good. Lucy is also driven by food, so we reward alot


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## jaylena (Jun 13, 2011)

We had a scare last night with Gator. Unfortunately had to have a friend doggysit him all day yesterday and when we went to pick him up in the evening and were just sitting around chatting he started to puke. At first it was a bit of bile, then the second lot looked like blood. Finally the third puke brought up more blood and what looked like a clump of sticks/mulch/grass. We took him to the emergency hospital for some xrays which luckily showed nothing major left in his stomach but did show quite a bit of sand in his intestinal track. I guess the day at the beach wasn't a good idea for him  $400 later and we have him on antibiotics and some other stuff to coat his esophagus and somach. Lesson learnt , don't let them eat crap! Lol


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## mswhipple (Mar 7, 2011)

For all the owners of puppies out there, here is the advice routinely dished out by the Michigan Humane Society staff:

Whenever your puppy does something to endanger his health or try your patience (eating bad stuff, chewing the wrong things, going potty in the house, etc.), here's what you should do -- find a nice, sturdy newspaper, roll it up, and smack yourself over the head with it, because you weren't watching closely enough!! Puppies are just like little babies. They require constant supervision. ;D


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## datacan (May 15, 2011)

"find a nice, sturdy newspaper, roll it up, and smack yourself over the head with it, because you weren't watching closely enough!!"

Very funny and true, I would love to see that.


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## barretts87 (Apr 24, 2011)

Hollyandnick, 
I too have had a hard time working on the come/call with my 4 month Vizsla but sometimes she just needs to go and run around to release all of her energy so what we did was get a 16 foot (longest we could find locally) retractable leash and use a tent stake to anchor it to the ground at the park. This gave her a 16 foot radius that we could work on tricks, teach fetch, or just let her run circles and go nuts and we didn't have to worry about her taking off and running away but she still gets some of her freedom. Of course I'd only advise doing this as long as you are there watching but it also gets them used to being on a tie out in case the situation ever is to arise in the future and you need to do so for a short period of time...backyard to mow the grass, park so you can have a picnic, etc. Just an idea on something that has worked for us.


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## Linescreamer (Sep 28, 2010)

Yes, normal even rocks.  I would do my best to prevent the chewing of rocks. Sticks, dirt and leaves are no problem to digest. ;D


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## Mighty Hunter (May 17, 2011)

We went through the same thing, wood is his favorite (furnature, fence, mulch, sticks) You just have to be vigilant and constantly watch. I agree with the above remark, if they get into something they shouldn't have, it is your fault. You have to almost thing baby proof when it comes to your home and lawn. Don't give them any temptations.


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## AnnieTheGolden (Oct 14, 2019)

Hi there, 

I suggest you discern first why your dogs are eating rocks. From there you can take all the appropriate measure. Is it because of medical reasons? Are they seeking attention? This article would give you a good list of reasons: https://goldenretrieverlove.com/why-is-my-puppy-eating-rocks-what-can-i-do-about-it/. Your best bet would be to take him to a vet.


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## AbbyBabby (Aug 11, 2019)

Our V is almost 6 month old and still eats everything, today she was chewing seashells at the beach. I hope she will eventually grow out of it. I let her run around without lead and sometimes i don't get over quick enough to pull stuff out of her mouth, but we haven't had any vomiting, so I presume that everything she eats passes through. Or maybe I should be worried and get her stomach xrayed?


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## Greta (Sep 19, 2018)

You will find the command 'leave' really useful for dogs that forage. Greta was much like your pup, eating everything that crossed her path. I had to focus on the more unpalatable items as I'd have just been saying 'leave it' all day!
She was often sick, with bits of bark and sticks but always happy in herself. I did take her to the vet as she was also being sick, bile, if she fasted too long over night. All good. No x-ray required. The vet suggested she wore a cage like muzzle to stop the eating anything and everything. I didn't go that route, focusing on training leave it.

She's 15 months now and I'm relaxed about mostly what she finds to eat she seems to be eating good wholesome food such as apples, pears, carrots and beetroot. No more sticks, bark and rotting dead animals. Phew makes life easier 😊


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## cosmoKenney (Dec 8, 2017)

Repetition is the key. Have a handful of alternatives to offer instead of the sticks. Be stern with your voice, but not harsh when telling him he shouldn't chew on sticks, acorns, pine cones, furniture or your toes. Walk up and distract him with your approved alternative and take the stick away. It will take hundreds of repetitions and you'll need to rotate often to less boring alternatives. But he will eventually stop and you won't have ruined him with harsh treatment. 

One thing to note with regard to vizsla's though is you will never stop them from grabbing soft items with their mouth and running around with them. But at a certain age they do stop chewing on them, especially if you've been diligent about teaching them not to chew when they are young. But it goes completely against their nature to not grab things and run around with them. Socks for instance are a favorite. I don't even blink anymore when my V does it. I just turn it into a game and make it fun. He eventually just drops it and moves on to the next adventure. This is a big deal, because you will ruin their playful temperament if you try to hammer their mouthy nature out of them. Just roll with it and your life will be easier.

I've even used this tendency to bond with him by training him to pull clothing out of the dryer and put it in the basket. He absolutely loves doing it. Especially when it gets him a little treat.


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