Hi. I have a 6 month old black lab and when he is out in the garden on his own he eats Everything - sticks, soil, stones etc. He has been quite sick the last couple of days, bringing up the above items. Is this something they grow out of? Is it normal? Is there anyway to stop this, other than not letting him out in the garden on his own. Any advice will be greatly appreciated.
Welcome from Hattie 8 years and our rescue Charlie 5 years. Wendy, I think maybe you need to train a good "leave it" and reward heavily for this, or if he likes to retrieve or play with a toy you could distract him from these items, but until then I would not let him outside on his own if this is what he gets up to and now he is being sick. Take him out on a training lead and practise, practise, practise. Helen x
Hi and welcome to the forum. I agree with @charlie Helen's comments. A good strong "leave" is a necessity in life and can be used in many different situations, not just the garden. Also a young dog left in the garden unsupervised is guaranteed to get into mischief and eat anything around. I would supervise all time in the garden. You do need to check what plants you have in the garden as some are toxic for dogs if eaten.
Thank you. Flash is generally very good and we've been going to puppy classes since he had all his jabs - this is the main problem. It's a shame he can't be in the garden in his own, especially on days like today. I will try the leave command (although will be saying it every second!) and not let him out without me until he is a bit older and doesn't want to eat everything in site
I think you will find he will grow out of it. Meanwhile, go in the garden with him and when he goes to eat something you consider undesirable, teach him the leave it command/cue and reward with something better.
I have this exact same problem with Boomer. When left to his own devices in the backyard he will try to chew and eat everything as well. I find that it is useful when I am able to distract him with an activity. I can usually distract him away from the chewing with a game such as playing soccer or playing "chase" with an assortment of tug toys and balls.
You might want to offer a distraction in the form of a stuffed and frozen Kong. He might find it more appetizing than the garden contents (for a short time anyway).
