Hi our nearly 6 month old boy picks up anything, sticks, cut grass, rubbish, etc he can find when out on a walk and tries eating them. Some days he ignores them but other days he drives us nuts - he knows fine he shouldn't touch them and eventually does leave them but he is really trying our patience! Does anyone have the same problem? Would a muzzle help?
Picking up rubbish is so common you would not believe it. I have used 'leave' which we started training at an early age and have used and rewarded frequently. I also use 'drop' for anything that is picked up which you may not want to receive in your hand, and also 'give'. It is frustrating but it is all about training, training and more training. Juno stills picks up the odd stick to run around with which doesn't bother me as she will drop it and leave it when I ask. You would have to train your pup to wear a muzzle and the muzzle doesn't train the dog not to pick up things, it just prevents the behaviour although it isn't unknown for dogs to end up with all sorts of nasty stuff stuck to the muzzle
Hi LP. Your boy is still quite young. It might get better as he gets older but working on a firm "leave it" command will be your best defence. Start with it in the house then take it out to the garden the other public areas too if you can. Use something really tasty as a temptation and reward when your boy stops paying attention to it. I am sure there are other links to this and a YouTube video. I will take a look when I am on my laptop next unless someone else gives you more info.
Hi there LP, I think Jacqui might mean this .... http://www.thelabradorsite.com/why-do-labradors-eat-rubbish/ I can't find a YouTube video for you though. It's really a common problem which training will help you with.If your dog is 6 months you are probably just coming to the end of teething ,add this to how a puppy/young dog explores their world ie with their mouth and you are probably at the height of the problem. My dog was exactly the same ..he was a monkey for it.He trailed a long line for a while when we could walk off lead in the park as he couldn't resist hunting in the bushes for cat poo,vile!
Thanks folks we do the leave it and drop which most of the time works but just get frustrated the days he decides he doesn't want to listen - should be used to it as already have a son but still annoying. I was doing the leave it and giving a treat but he was getting wise to that and did it even more - trying to cut back now! The worst time is when he picks something up when off lead and runs mad with it totally ignoring me!
@LP Juno thinks it's quite a good game sometimes. She goes to pick something up, I say leave, she leaves it and gets a treat - great fun. She does it with drop as well. It doesn't bother me that she gets a couple of treats on a walk for a behaviour she knows so well, they are only low value treats for those cues She may do that several times and then I just tell her enough, she may try it once more but then gives up. It took many months to get to that point though, but I know if I ask her to leave or to drop something she will with no problems and for me that is the important consideration, not whether she's had a few extra treats.
Hi LP, Dexter is 11 months old, I still treat every 'leave it' and 'drop it' for picking up stuff out and about with varying high to low value rewards. For the most part he's really good but I still do get the odd thing he will eat But we are still learning and proofing so I don't worry about stopping the treats yet. If he's off leash and doesn't leave it first time I ask, I just run as fast as I can away from him, this gets him to leave it and run after me.
