[Kekelangel]

Hi everyone! I'm new to the forum, and think its great that we can all communicate about our puppies!

Pepper is the newest addition to my family. She is (we think) a Shar Pei, German Shepherd, and Pitbull mix. What a blend!

Anyways, shes amazing. The only gripe we really have is her mulch OBSESSION. Within seconds of getting her outside she had mulch in her mouth. We try to keep her away form it, but she always seems to dig it up or find it. I feel like it affects her walking experience and training because shes so crazy about it. I find myself saying NO and DONT EAT THAT! more than the praises I give her for pottying.

Any advice?

Thanks!

 

[KMaryP]

I have no advice to offer, but am interested in what others have to say because I have the same problem. Within seconds of my pups going outside they're picking up mulch and playing. They are obsessed too! Unfortunately, we have extensive landscaping in our yard and restricting them from the beds really isn't possible.

 

[Pepper]

Well first of all, if you say NO, etc...and you haven't taught her what that means, she is just going to ignore it.

Does she have a recall? Does she know simple commands?

Teach her leave it and a good recall. When she goes toward the mulch tell her leave it and call her back to you and give her a treat or a toy.

 

[dakotajo]

do you know what kind of mulch it is? There are some out on the market that have a chocolate smell that have a high concentrated ingredient of the same thing as chocolate is made from and there have been cases of dogs being really attracted to this stuff and like to eat it. It can make some dogs really sick and some do die from it. Just thought I would point that out just in case. I don't know the whole story on this stuff as I don't use mulch but it may be something to look into too

 

[Foggy]

I wanted to resurrect this thread to ask the same question. My 7 month-old Boston Terrier loves mulch, especially the fresh batch I just laid around my house. She'll grab a larger piece, shred it and it inevitably comes up later in the evening via puke where she's swallowed smaller pieces.

I'm not sure if our mulch contains cocoa like others have mentioned but that is a concern of mine.

My specific question is: has anyone tried Bitter Apple on mulch as a deterrent? The only problem I see if due to rain and other elements it would have to be reapplied often but I'm willing to give it a shot.

Thanks in advance for any advice.

 

[NRB]

what about redirecting the puppy? I agree that you ant to start teaching the leave it command right away, but it will take time to proof the dog in that new behavior. So you could do both together? ie walk outside, dog heads for the mulch, you say leave it, dog looks at you (or away from the mulch) you praise and give the dog its favorite chew ever. Pigs ear, bully stick, what ever it is. let the dog have that in its mouth while around the mulch??? Then as the dog ages, and learns the leave it command (first with low value leave its and finally with the mulch) you can just use the leave it.

 

[KMaryP]

Well apparently doing nothing isn't the right answer. Over a year later, my dogs still chew on the mulch, but not nearly as much as they used to and it's certainly not their first choice. I do keep them occupied chewing on pig ears or other chewy treats, though.

T/J: One of my dogs is a gifter - she always presents Daddy with one of her toys when he comes home. If she can't find a toy nearby, she'll grab a piece of mulch to give to him instead. It's the silliest thing I've ever seen.