# Dylan eats EVERYTHING outside



## threenhgoldens (May 26, 2017)

Hi! I never thought I would say this but I CAN'T WAIT FOR MORE SNOW! Dylan is our 6th golden and he is turning 8 months old this month. Since about 4-5 months, whenever we take him outside, all he wants to do is eat dirt, rocks, leaves, grass, wood chips, branches, etc. Our backyard is our dog yard, grass not treated and we just mow it. He is NEVER outside alone and we try to play with him but he just runs away to eat stuff. IT WAS AWESOME when we got snow! COMPLETELY different pup, we were having so much fun, chasing things, playing in the snow, etc. NOW IT HAS MELTED and he has reverted back. It's a major bummer because now we are back to his prong collar and a leash when we take him out and saying LEAVE IT every five seconds.


We can't even entice him with yummy treats! Our breeder and then our trainer suggested we try a basket muzzle and said that he may not need it all the time. Once he gets used to it, we can probably take it off for a bit but then he will probably start back up again. I'm not sure he will grow out of it because his mommy does this, I know it can be called PICA (when your pup eats things) but wondering if there's anything else I can try that you golden owners have tried. I really hate the idea of the muzzle....


Thank you!


PS - look how cute he is in the snow! Little bugger!


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## myluckypenny (Nov 29, 2016)

I think a muzzle would be great for you! The basket muzzles are not restrictive and if properly trained could give him a lot more freedom. Don't let the stereotype keep you from trying it!


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## Julie Timmons (Dec 16, 2016)

My 13 month old boy was the same way. He will drop his ball a few ft before me so he can take a huge bite out of the grass before resuming play. It is my nightmare after a storm when there is debris all over the yard. 
He has gotten better. Things that helped us: 
tying him to me on a long 30 ft lead so he still has freedom but I can reel him in when necessary. 

Work on leave it command inside everyday and then take that outside once he starts grasping it inside. But be prepared when you move outside for him to be deaf to the command. I had to bring leaves inside and practice with the things he wants to eat outside. 

I literally spent every moment outside saying “leave it.” He still likes to sneak in leaves and sticks but at least now he leaves the rocks alone. We have a lot of gravel in our yard and that one drove me nuts. 

Good luck!



Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


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## Anele (Dec 12, 2014)

Some ideas to try, if you haven't already.

(1) Inside, keep his mouth VERY busy. Freeze his food in Kongs, marrow bones, and use interactive toys with food also for variety. Have a regular supply of natural chews that are safe for his chewing style. (In my puppy's case that would be split antlers, bully sticks, and buffalo horns.)

(2) Inside, work on a DEFAULT leave it. Put treats on the ground (start off low-value) with him on leash, away from the treats, and when he makes eye contact with you on his own, give him a treat of a higher value. Don't let him eat the treats off the ground... at least not now. Practice in all sorts of scenarios (different rooms, treats closer to him, etc.) As the previous poster said, then bring in "outside" items and practice with those. But again... a default "leave it" and NOT a cued "leave it."

(3) Inside and outside, every time you see him CHOOSE to ignore something on the ground, reward him. 

(4) Outside, pick your battles. Sticks and grass... ignore. Rocks, remove. Surprise him by OFFERING a stick to him once in awhile. He will start paying attention to you! 

(5) Outside, limit his time in the yard. How is he on walks? If he's better, then make the majority of his outside time be walks. 

(6) There is nothing wrong with a muzzle! I think it's better than constant "leave it."

PS He's adorable!!!!!!


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## js924 (Oct 3, 2017)

my 14 week old girl Briar is the exact same way. she doesn't eat the grass, she just loves ripping the grass out from the roots and tearing it up and loves chewing on mulch. she won't chase balls, play tug, isn't lured away with yummy treats, and won't come when called once she starts munching.


a couple things that have somewhat helped.
1-absolutely no free play. I keep her on a 6 ft leash during potty time and as soon as she starts to bend down to bite the grass, I gently pull to keep her walking until she does her business. And luckily I can read her body language pretty well to know if she actually will go potty soon or if I should just immediately bring her back inside.
2-during play time, the only thing that keeps her entertained in our yard is a stuffingless toy duck that she LOVES. I attach a slip leash around the neck of the duck and run around and she chases it. that normally keeps her engaged for up to 10 minutes. I learned that once she starts to get a little worn out from running back and forth in the yard chasing it, she loses interest in the duck and will lay down and chew the grass. so now I end the play time and go inside when I can tell she is starting to get tired before she gets too tired and starts chewing the grass
3-I have been working on the leave it command and she does great with it inside, but it hasn't translated outside to the grass yet. I like the recommendation that Julie had above to bring grass inside to work on leave it. I'm definitely going to start trying that today
4-I recently got a 30 ft. leash when doing our Duck play/chase so it is easier to grab her and lead her back if she starts to wander away to get grass


Hopefully things get better and I know it can be frustrating. Briar will play tug/fetch all day long inside but once we go outside in the grass, nothing besides her duck is more engaging to her than tearing up our grass. so basically our main plan is just doing everything we can to keep her actively engaged right when we go outside and bring her back inside before she even gets the chance to start chewing the grass, which sometimes is truly just unavoidable.


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