We have a 5-6 month old Silver Lab, female. She seems to be smart, full of play, but the top focus when outside is eating sticks. I know puppies love to chew, we've raised a number of retrievers from pups, but this is way beyond "normal". We have a large fenced yard so the dogs can run and play, and there are trees. Many times, the obsession takes precedence over playing with our other dogs (2 labradoodles). Not to forget what goes in comes out. So far it has, but if I didn't try to keep her from swallowing the sticks, she could get a blockage and probably die. I don't know how to break her of this.
Hi Popcorn, welcome to the forum This article on our Labrador Site about dogs who eat items they shouldn't might be helpful to you!
When Monty eats things he shouldn't we try to replace with more suitable things. Have you tried coffee wood chews? I appreciate this would require some vigilance when puppy is outside to swap unsuitable sticks for safer ones but it may save an expensive vet trip. Monty loves coffee wood sticks - shreds them all over the lounge carpet...
We have the same problem with Jenny. We think she is part woodchuck. All of our dogs have chewed up sticks, but Jenny is the worst at it. We have a dog door, and our back yard is all trees, so there are always sticks in the yard. While she also likes the nylabone chews with wood, she prefers the real thing. They don't seem to cause her any problems, but at a minimum they create a mess in the house.
