# Pup eating mulch, rocks & sticks



## SweetCin (Jan 2, 2016)

My pup is now 11 weeks and will eat any gravel, sticks or mulch that she finds. It is a constant battle with her when I take her in the backyard to "potty". Is this something they outgrow or will I constantly be grabbing rocks from her mouth?


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## jennretz (Jul 24, 2013)

Depends on the pup. My 3 1/2 year old has been this way since I brought him up. Teach your pup "trade"...,it will help


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## Lilliam (Apr 28, 2010)

*Pup eating mulch, rocks &amp; sticks*

I have this battle with Emma. Luckily she doesn't eat stones or rocks she just carries them. 
We haven't been sitting outside lately because it's winter, but right before it turned Coke she seemed to be doing it less. She's just turned one.


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## Sweet Girl (Jun 10, 2010)

I don't think she'll just stop. If she enjoys it and she is allowed to do it, she will continue to do it. I spent the first many months of my puppy's life teaching "drop it" and "leave it" - it is well worth the work. Have treats with you al the time. When she picks up something, offer the treat and say, drop it, put the treat where she can smell it. When she drops the rock or whatever, praise and give the treat. It takes a LOT of consistency and constant work, but like I said, well worth it.


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## Themmen (Mar 5, 2015)

Oh yes, the wonderful rock, stick, mulch, poop, leaves, and anything else they can get there mouth on game. my girl did that when she was a pup also. she has since stopped for the most part. she will still pick up sticks but she just carries them around. yes definitely work on Trade or Leave it or Drop it. i did nothing but pull stuff out of her mouth for the first year. just be consistent and it will get better. remember that they explore with their mouths so anything on the ground is fair game for them.


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## wendii (Nov 22, 2015)

Sadie was a rock/grass/mud/stick ninja for the first few months! She's 5 months now and it's gotten better, but my hands were in her mouth at least 2-3 times EVERY trip outside for the first couple months. She doesn't go after rocks as much anymore... but still sometimes. And still very interested in sticks. Right now she still tries to eat them. On walks I'll let her carry a big stick until she starts eating it. I think it's gotten better based on a combination of slightly increased maturity and learning that it's not allowed.


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## Mayabear (Aug 26, 2015)

Like the others said, teach drop it early and enforce it all the time. I should practice what I preach to be quite frank!


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## MurphyDawg (Jan 27, 2007)

My boy wants to do this too - especially with poop :yuck:

All my Goldies liked decaying yard muck! Murphy tore up grass and flung it around all his life! He liked vegetable matter!!

Never had a rock eater but that being said, Jake has only been with us 4 days LOL! Give him time!

Trade is a good idea, I'll be working on that one!

Jenn


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## IrisBramble (Oct 15, 2015)

yup the old eat anything on the ground while outside, start teaching to leave it, which we are doing now, mine will be 4 months on Thursday


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## Lambeau0609 (Aug 3, 2015)

I thought I was going to lose my mind when we got our 8wk old and he would pick up anything laying on the ground and than he would run from me. As soon as he was old enough to start walking on the leash I would use the word " leave it" I felt like a 100x a day. But it worked because at 8 months he hardly picks anything up anymore and if he does he drops it immediately when I say leave it.


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## BowieGoblinKing (Oct 6, 2015)

Bowie is 7.5 months old now and he still eats grass, rocks, dirt, twigs, leaves, etc last week he ate a decent sized rock attatched to some pig poop. Yuck. It's less frequent then when he was a puppy but he still does it.


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## Jud (Aug 10, 2015)

Cara was addicted to eating outside wood and it took a few 'drop its' (with my big voice making the neighbors wondering if I was beating her  ) for her to comply. THis one,Skye? Man oh Man! She is already 5 months old and still picks up gravel (my driveway), wood, paper...anything she can find outside ....and in. She is not big on 'Drop it' but is very compliant when I open her mouth and just take ...whatever the h..l it is...out! Most of her biting,chewing and eating everything traits are slowly dropping off. Cara calmed down at around 5 months and Skye seems to have turned her 'first' corner...although we have a ways to go when it comes to certain things around the house. She is still monitored.


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