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Author Topic:   Lab puppy eats everything
NewLabOwnr
Member

Posts: 169
From:New York, USA
Registered: Aug 2003

posted 08-10-2003 07:14 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for NewLabOwnr     Edit/Delete Message
Hello! I have been reading these forums for awhile now and have found them quite useful. I now have a question that I haven't seen answered here and I was hoping for some advice... My new Lab Mix puppy eats everything! From rocks to mulch. We watch his every move outside but sometimes he's sly and gets stuff when we don't see him or chews it up before we can get it out of his mouth! I read someone was concerned about their dog eating a toothpick and thought wow, he/she should see what my puppy eats. If he isn't near the rocks and mulch he is certainly chewing on a leaf or the grass.

I guess the question is how do I get my puppy to stop eating these things short of pulling up all the rocks and mulch around my yard? (not to mention the grass!) Although so far there doesn't seem to be any issues I'm assuming this isn't a good thing for him to be doing. A simple NO! is not working.

Thanks for any help you can offer.

[This message has been edited by NewLabOwnr (edited 08-10-2003).]

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Karriesue
Member

Posts: 277
From:Nellis AFB, Nevada
Registered: Jun 2003

posted 08-10-2003 10:17 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Karriesue     Edit/Delete Message
How old is your puppy now? I have a Husky that used to do the same thing! Oh my gosh I was pulling my hair out trying to keep her from eating rocks, sticks and Poop (yuck!) and trash too! I used to dread taking her for walks and out to the park because she would try to eat everything she came in contact with! BUT she outgrew it. Her brother who I got a few months later was so laid back and not at all like that! I think it was her personality combined with the puppy thing. She is now over a year old and so calmed down. I think she will outgrow it. But I read in a dog book about a condition called pica where it is medical thing to deal with (I heard it is rare). Like I said before I think it is a puppy thing and I think she will outgrow it! Be patient with her and it will get better. Chances are it isn't a medical condition and it will go away.

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NewLabOwnr
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Posts: 169
From:New York, USA
Registered: Aug 2003

posted 08-11-2003 05:19 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for NewLabOwnr     Edit/Delete Message
Thanks for the response! I was hoping that this was normal puppy behavoir. Max is my first puppy, the other dog I owned was 2yrs old when we rescued him. I read up a little on Pica. They say to exercise, exercise, exercise. That seems to be the solution for a lot of puppy problems. Max is now 14 weeks old. I was wondering what is a good amount of exercise for him? I am typically with him in the morning for about 45 mins. We go outside to do his business, come in and play and then I take him for about a 15 - 20 min walk. My husband is home at lunch and probably spends a good 30 mins playing with him and exercising him. When I get home from work I usually spend another 30 - 45 mins giving him attn. Is that enough exercise/personal time with us for a puppy his age? He usually is awake from the time we get home till about 7:30 - 8 and then he's down for the count for the night. When we aren't playing with him he is usually following us up and down the stairs and around the house and yard. I just want to make sure we are giving the little one enough exercise.

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Maisey
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Posts: 1387
From:Portland, Oregon US
Registered: Sep 2003

posted 08-11-2003 11:10 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for Maisey     Edit/Delete Message
I am the toothpick lady..LOL. Witt is fine, he doesn't usually eat just anything, but on that day he did and I was freaked.
I have a friend who had a lab mix puppy and she ate EVERYTHING, she was also a theif, she would take our tack from the barn and hide it under the deck near the house and eat it at her leisure. She got really sick one day and they took her to the vet, it cost them $2300 in surgery and medical bills trying to save her, they pulled all kinds of things out of her stomach, rocks, metal findings off of halters, part of a tin can, wood, nails you name it she had eaten it. She was a little over a year old, and she didn't make it.
I think most dogs outgrow it and you just have to treat them like toddlers until they get past puppyhood. Thats not an easy task, I know, I am sporting a whole new array of gray hairs since I got my puppy!

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cabrioletlass
New Member

Posts: 2
From:england
Registered: Aug 2003

posted 08-11-2003 12:47 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for cabrioletlass     Edit/Delete Message
hi i have a staffordshire bull terrier who untill she was 2 years she ate everythin including 2 sofas a dinning room table and 6 chairs the carpet all round the edge and she ate holes in my walls! she is 3 now and she has calmed down alot but she still eats as much of everythin as possible. the only thing i foyund to help her was i got a huge log and put in my back garden which she is alowed to chew and told her no to everythin else and took her to the log and told her she was good. this helped me alot, lucy x

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mcbeitz
New Member

Posts: 1
From:Hamilton, Ontario
Registered: Jan 2004

posted 01-27-2004 12:29 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for mcbeitz     Edit/Delete Message
Hello to the Toothpick lady,

A few days after New Year's an elderly friend was visiting. We were talking and she was admiring my new rescued-mixed-something dog, Bailey, when she suddenly jumped out of her chair and said "Oh, he's go it!". What he had was a 2" wire Christmas tree bulb hanger that had somehow missed the cleaning up. When she jumped up he quickly swallowed it! I was very worried for the first few days but after a while I alsmost forgot about it because he seemed fine. He eventualy passed it about a month later. Since then he has eaten my son's small discman earphone, a bread bag closure and I caught him with a marble before he swallowed it. These are the things I KNOW about. The problem is when he sees me coming he swallows the non-food object quickly before I get to him. He is still young, (possibly 2 yrs old) and I think vacuuming twice a day might be good idea. In the meantime I have some information from another web site about teaching dogs to "drop it" or "leave it" if anyone is interested.

Bailey's mom

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dukesdad
Member

Posts: 117
From:Houston, TX
Registered: Nov 2003

posted 01-27-2004 01:08 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for dukesdad     Edit/Delete Message
Labs must be part Billy goat. Duke's crowning "achievement" was to eat my electric alarm clock. It was still pluged in when I found it in bits ands pieces. He was about 7 months old at the time, and yes, he IS still alive. LOL

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Jamiya
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Posts: 1392
From:
Registered: Sep 2003

posted 01-28-2004 05:01 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for Jamiya     Edit/Delete Message
Yes, I often think Nala must be part lab because she eats everything in sight also. At almost 9 months old, she has calmed down a lot, too. She will no longer eat shoes and things like that lying around the house - but she does eat paper and tries to eat plastic if I don't catch her.

She is an incorrigible stick-eater. I have been told not to let her do it, but it's almost impossible. I do try to discourage the rocks because I don't want her to break her teeth.

I have found bullysticks (get the huge ones from bullysticks.com) to be an awesome thing for her to chew on safely and it keeps her busy longer than anything else I have found.

You could also try giving him some appropriate raw bones to chew on - turkey necks are great, but be sure to give it to him outside unless you hate your carpet.


Jamiya

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NewLabOwnr
Member

Posts: 169
From:New York, USA
Registered: Aug 2003

posted 01-28-2004 05:39 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for NewLabOwnr     Edit/Delete Message
I started this thread some months back, but Max still has this same sort of problem (see Shoes, socks, underwear, OH MY! ). He definitely knows the drop it and leave it commands, he's great at doing it. I only know that he actually eats socks and underwear because we find it when he throws up. And no matter how much I try to clean things up, being pregnant I'm a little absent minded and sometimes forget. Like the other day I was packing some clothes, and left socks on the bed to put on after my shower. Stupid mistake. I guess the only solution is to really make sure we watch ourselves and clean up everything. I am going to try bullysticks. I have been in search of something besides raw meat bones to give to him that isn't devoured in 2 seconds. Someone suggested the compressed bones from PetCo but he still eats those rather fast.

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dukesdad
Member

Posts: 117
From:Houston, TX
Registered: Nov 2003

posted 01-28-2004 06:00 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for dukesdad     Edit/Delete Message
The only chew toy I've found that can stand up to a Lab are Nylabones. I have heard that many dogs will not chew them but my two work on them all the time. One will last six months or more. Everything else will last about five minutes.
The tiny bits of the Nylabone that are chewed off just pass through their system without any problems. My old Lab chewed them for fifteen years with no problems.

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Jamiya
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Posts: 1392
From:
Registered: Sep 2003

posted 01-28-2004 07:31 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for Jamiya     Edit/Delete Message
Which kind of Nylabone? There are so many different kinds now.

I am currently trying one of the edible ones. I got it in a huge size - cost almost $10, but Nala chews on it sometimes and it will last a LONG time. Of course, she's not as big as a lab! And she isn't always interested in it.

The jumbo 12" bullysticks are still my lifesavers. If I REALLY need her to leave me alone or be occupied for a while, I give her one. (Like when I want to watch a movie without a dog leaping around and nipping at me and chasing cats, or if I need to leave her unattended while I am cleaning the basement.) It takes her days to go through it, and I usually take it away when I am no longer so desperate to keep her occupied.

I used to use Greenies for such emergencies, but she goes through them in about 5 minutes now so it doesn't really help.


Jamiya

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dukesdad
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Posts: 117
From:Houston, TX
Registered: Nov 2003

posted 01-28-2004 12:38 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for dukesdad     Edit/Delete Message
Jamiya,
I buy the plain non-edible solid nylon ones. They do cost about $10.00 but seem to last a long time.

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loonyluna
Member

Posts: 30
From:
Registered: Dec 2003

posted 01-29-2004 05:15 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for loonyluna     Edit/Delete Message
My lab doesn't quite try to eat everything in sight although there sure are a lot of things that I have to watch. Mostly on walks when she finds chicken bones. Cat and horse poo is another favourite. Oh and bird seed that has dropped on the ground from the neighbour's feeder. We're working on "drop it" and "leave it" but for anything food related, she doesn't listen at all. She's really good at coming when called and always gets a treat when she does but if she's into something "yummy" she completely ignores me.

I bought her an edible nylabone once and she devoured it in 10 minutes (I think it was 6 bucks!) but have found that real bones will keep her distracted for a long time. I have a kong that you can put treats in that the dog has to work at to get out so that will keep her busy for a while too.

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