How can you stop pups from eating rocks? He's also been eating woodchips/mulch. Actually pretty much anything at his level is fair game lately but I'm mostly concerned about the rocks pretty soon he'll be allowed in the (fenced) backyard without being on a lead and I don't want him to break a tooth or swallow (or choke on!) a bunch of rocks.
Does he swallow the rocks or just put them in his mouth? Ours annoyingly 'chewed' on rocks from 10-12 weeks, then stopped. I moved all the mulch from around a tree he liked to sit next too, as he would eat the mulch. But no problem since then (again he was 10 weeks old). I don't think you can train this away, you just have to wait, watch, and not let him around rocks or mulch for a few weeks.
He hasn't swallowed them yet, he's only about 9.5 weeks. It's not possible for us to remove all the mulch/rocks from the back yard. I don't want to have to keep him tethered too long, I want him to be able to run and enjoy the outdoors a bit. Hopefully he'll be over it before too long.
I have this issue too. My last Lab chewed sticks at pretty much any opportunity, but this one scoops up stones. I have no idea whether he has swallowed any. Even if you had none in your own garden there will be plenty on walks. The only advice I can give is not to scold him or try to take them away but act pleased and excited that he has found the forbidden item and teach him to give it to you. Obviously this will involve trading for a treat, and later, rewarding with the same. I am still working on this with my almost 5 month old.
We're building up a lovely collection of stones and rocks that Spud is bringing in. He's always so happy that he's found one that looks exactly the same as the last one he brought!
A warning about mulch. And I'm not sure what I'm going to do about it, as I have years worth of mulch in certain parts of the yard. My golden retriever, at years of age, swallowed a piece of mulch. I don't have a clue why he did it, I have a big, privacy fenced yard, the house next door is empty (my deceased parents house that we have not put up for sale yet) and a nurse rents the duplex next door, so I know no one put anything "attractive" on the mulch. But my Max swallowed it whole and had to have surgery for an blockage in his intestines in December. He lived for only two days after the surgery (this will break my heart until I die). What possessed him to do that, I have no idea. But the doctor showed me the mulch she took from his gut. Removing every rock, every stick, every piece of mulch is just not possible. But do, please, be careful.
