My 16 wk old English Labrador, Odie, who is almost perfect in every way, has an irresistible urge to eat every twig,pebble,acorn,candy wrapper, etc. that we pass during our walks. While I realize that labs are notorious for eating non-food items, Odie seems to be off the chart with this harmful behavior. I am always watching him when we are out, but I am finding out during potty breaks that he has somehow managed to sneak something past me every so often. I need help !!! Thanks, Odie’s Dad
My lab Luna used to do this, we call her a labra-goat not a Labrador. She would eats slugs, snails, stones, leaves, everything. She’s finally grown out of it now but we had to buy milbemax worming tablets and pro-kolin to help with the diarrhoea. Sorry I can’t be more help but it will get better (eventually)
It’s a really difficult one. Keir was the same, he’s fine now on walks - but he’ll eat sticks, leaves, you name it in the garden. He’s fine on free runs, too busy having fun. The way I dealt with it on lead walks was to practice only in very clean/clear places - car parks etc. If we did come across something I kept the lead short and his head up with treats. All this so that looking for things on the floor didn’t become a habit. It did work, but it took months of vigilance - he’s 10 months old now. Oh - and I taught a really solid ‘give’ for the times when he did get to something. .
Thank you for your reassuring message. I will keep it mind while I am dealing with this situation. Hopefully Odie will grow out of this as well. Thanks
Thank you for sharing your excellent experience with Keir. I will be optimistic and aim for similar results with Odie. I wish you could come over and give me a few lessons. Cheers and my sincere congratulations sir!