[esnvancouver]

So my dog is about six months old. He's a good dog, he's house trained now, and has a very good temperament with people and other dogs.

My problem is now, that he eats everything! I'd understand if he were eating crumbs or any food that is accidentally dropped, but he eats dust, grass, sticks, dirt and pretty much anything. He hasn't really chewed shoes or anything, because when we're out he has a fenced off area in the kitchen, although he has snuck and actually eaten TWO pairs of my fiancee's underwear! (which he threw up later...gross) That one is crazy because he must weigh only like 12 pounds or so.

I'd understand if this stuff tasted good, but eats anything! It's especially bad when we go to our friends house. He just spends his time sniffing around and licking/eating bits of stuff.

Is this just a phase??? It must be! ....I hope

Can I "fix" this somehow?

[Lil Red Express]

Well if it helps ,your not alone. I have a dog that eats everything too. It bothers me yes !!! Other than constantly reminding him NOT to , I have tried to teach him the word YUCKY when he is doing this and it seems to be working , but you can't watch them 24/7 either. More so of a concern is I spend a lot of time out in the woods with him , fishing etc.. Really have to keep an eye on him.

[Cracker]

This is probably a case of adolescent curiousity...hmm what's that? Can I eat it? Is it good to chew? Oh wait,,,what's THAT?
Teenage dogs are VERY curious and being that they don't have hands, anything they are curious about goes in their mouths instead (just like human toddlers..lol).

But, there are two sides to every issue...I

t could be a case of obsessive behaviour...if he's LICKING a lot as well as chewing/eating/swallowing I would hazard a guess that it is obsessive. Dogs can do a lot of damage to themselves (bowel obstruction, lick granulomas etc) and it is worthwhile talking to the vet about it, and possibly a vet behaviourist. The cost saved in abdominal surgeries is worth the trip to discuss the issue, believe me.

Cracker was an obsessive poo eater..(long story) and I tried all sorts of training to train her out of it, nothing worked. She eventually had to go on anti anxiety meds for an UNRELATED problem and the poo eating stopped. Turns out it was anxiety based too.

Just something worth thinking about.

[Equinox]

Don't worry, my Trent (19 weeks) tries to stuff everything he can find into his mouth. This includes sand, grass, sticks, candy wrappers, bark chip, etc...

Have you tried teaching "leave it"? I did with Trent, and as long as I give him the command the moment he reaches for something, he will listen 90% of the time. It helps if I give a quick check with his leash. Now, when he walks through the pile of dirt or pine cones we always pass by on our route, he won't pay any mind to them.

I think it's a puppy thing, though he's the first puppy/dog I've had. They just do a lot of exploring with their nose and mouth, considering they don't have hands.

[moluno]

I would teach him leave it. I didn't even teach this formally to Juno, when she was younger and would go to chew something she shouldn't, I'd tell her to leave it and I'd pull her away. She figured it out and now I could put a cookie on the floor and tell her to leave it, and she would.

If you tell him to leave it when you know he's about to chew something, but before he actually does it, eventually he'll probably just leave the item alone before you even need to tell him. I've had to tell Juno a million times to leave the flowers alone, but now she doesn't try to chew them at all.

It is a puppy thing though, so you're not alone!

[shoppingforpet]

you learning some skill from other dog own. maybe you can buy some book read it and try it!