# Puppy trying to eat rocks



## silver9 (Jul 11, 2017)

I don't have the best answers, but I can definitely relate. I can tell you what I've tried.

Mine is 15 weeks and puts everything in his mouth. I pulled a rock out of his mouth earlier this afternoon that he was about to swallow. I don't even care about the leaves and grass anymore - they aren't doing any harm it seems (he's obsessed with grass). I just posted a few days ago that he swallowed a twig whole - around 3-4" long. It's nearly impossible to stop him and he's very fast. The twig didn't do any harm thankfully, and I never saw it in his poop so perhaps it got chewed more than I thought. 

My vet surprisingly suggested a basket muzzle, but I am not sure if that is the right thing to do yet. I would rather he learn to stop doing these things than be unable to do them physically. Also, if he has to wear a muzzle at 15 weeks - would that be for life then? I've never seen a GR with one of those on... it just seems strange to me, but he also will not listen to commands reliably like yours. If I have a treat immediately ready, he'll drop it - most of the time, but it's not guaranteed. The "drop it" command is something I'm working on him with. I tried this, but it didn't really work. The "training" is really just saying "drop it" when he has something and giving an immediate treat, but sometimes he doesn't care. So, I'm looking for other methods. Someone else suggested clicker training, and I think I am going to look into that more. 

I have a ton of wood chips under my deck, and I try to keep him away from there by using treats and it works so far because he's extremely food motivated. He still managed to get a few in his mouth. On the leash, he's just as bad. I've had to just pick him up and take him inside when he gets obsessed with the wood chip area or keeps putting things in his mouth. I won't be able to do that in 6 months though...

I have to wonder how these dogs survived in the wild without humans pulling everything out of their mouths and vets to do foreign body removals. It doesn't make sense that they'd be drawn to such dangerous behavior - yet still survived with us for thousands of years. 

I thought it was the greatest thing to have a fenced yard, and then of course this giant section of wood chips under the deck is like the worst possible thing.

How food-motivated is he?


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## Brie (Mar 17, 2017)

He's very food motivated. He learned "come" and "sit" in a day, just by using treats and repeating them over and over. His commands are on point 99% of the time... the exception has been these dang rocks. I just don't understand why rocks?

And like you... We assumed having a fenced yard would be perfect, a nice "safe" space for him to run. Ha! Not so much when the rocks are inside the fenced area. I guess landscaping rock never even crossed my mind as being something to worry about... until now.

I get that GR are extremely mouthy. Heck, we're also having land shark issues with him when it comes to our hands and sometimes our clothing (pant leg, socks, etc). I feel like we can deter that and redirect him easier than this rock issue. (Hoping so anyway, as we've already made progress there.) But these rocks have me baffled because we can't stand outside with him every minute of his life, so it NEEDS to be taken care of.

At this point, his life goal is to try and eat rocks. He will go outside to potty, and instead run straight for the rocks. Ugh. Like you, I've given up on the leaves/grass, etc. Figure no harm in that. But rocks?!! And he seems to choose all sizes, including big ones he would definitely choke on if he swallowed. He just goes into this "craze" when he goes outside; his only goal is ROCKS and he is oblivious to anything else around him.


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## zoeythewonderdog (Mar 18, 2017)

My management strategies have included...
1. an expen outside for extended (1-2 hrs) time outside (Like when I'm doing yardwork and want to keep the puppy near me, but out of trouble). Provide something yummy (like a marrow bone) to keep puppy occupied, bone stays in the expen when pup comes out, pup then LOVES being in the pen. This was for when puppy was tiny (2-3 or 4 months). 10 weeks is too young to have access to the whole yard.
2. chicken wire to keep pup out of certain areas of the yard
3. leash
4. drag line
5. lots of work on leave it and drop it with pup on leash
6. lots of work on fetch to redirect pup to approved toys
7. lots of work on "bring it" so she'll bring unapproved TO me (for a treat) instead of running off with her treasure
8. lots of work on recall

Even with all this, puppy has managed to dig, chew, consume and relocate all kinds of stuff! Landscaping can be repaired, but health consequences of accidental ingestion can be disastrous. Fortunately, supervision has so far been adequate to avoid ingestion of anything that caused harm. Now at 7 months, pup's time in the yard is still closely supervised (meaning I go out with her, and if she gets out of sight I go find her, but no longer using the drag line). Most potty trips are still on leash. I am still considering the soft muzzle of some sort.


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## Peri29 (Aug 5, 2017)

Rocks sometimes can be an indication of "lack of minerals" in the diet. If it is not behavioural, I would suggest to do a blood profile. Dogs are very capable of sensing and picking up certain types of plants, or rocks/pebbles in order to compensate the pain/ or lack of their body.


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## LynnC (Nov 14, 2015)

My bridge boy Cosmo was obsessed with Rocks!!! He would pick them up so fast on walks we wouldn't even see him. He got sick quite a few times (throwing up, diarrhea) and had obstruction surgery to remove 2 rocks ($2,000!) It almost seemed like an OCD behavior. Finally the only way we could keep him safe was to put a basket muzzle on him when off leash & watch him like a hawk. He was pretty good with drop it (if I saw he had one in his mouth) or leave it but he had to be watched at every moment! We also had to stress to ANYONE walking him that he needed to be watched. I will say that he was the most loving sweet boy & I miss him daily. Good luck!


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## cwag (Apr 25, 2017)

When Rukie was young 8 to 10 weeks, he kept picking up little rocks and we were pulling them out so I found a rock too big to swallow, washed it off, and brought it inside. He mouthed around on it for a couple days and that was the end of his interest in rocks. I don't know if it will work for every dog but it did for us and is easy enough to try. I probably wouldn't try it if he had his adult teeth.


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## thatgirl5472 (Sep 17, 2017)

Duffy did this too. There is a very small area off our patio that he wouldn?t leave alone and I doused the rocks with bitter apple (2-3 bottles) over a couple weeks. Not the most cost effective and luckily no rain in that time, but he no longer has any interest in that area.


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## usually lurking (Apr 21, 2017)

Put your dog on a leash until he stops trying to eat everything. Each time he goes for a rock, give the leash a quick tug, tell him to "leave it," and give him a treat. 

You do not want to pay to have a rock removed from his digestive tract. It isn't a cheap surgery.


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## Anele (Dec 12, 2014)

Very good advice on this thread.

This only works if you are pretty sure your dog is not going to eat the rock while you do it... but what I've done is go inside. My dog follows me and drops the rock. For some reason, both of my dogs have not brought "outside" items like rocks and sticks inside. 

A basket muzzle isn't a bad thing at this age if there is an intense focus and management options are limited or ineffective. As mentioned, it can turn into an O/C behavior so by halting it in its tracks right now, eventually the dog will most likely lose interest as he/she matures and grows out of the "everything in the mouth" stage. Humans do. We were all probably pretty mouthy ourselves at one point.


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## Gleepers (Apr 20, 2016)

We had to teach Penny to trade for rocks. I?m 90% certain she hasn?t actually swallowed one. 
The down side is at getting close to 2 years old she still hunts for rocks (had no idea so many were buried in my yard) will sit down and make a big show of crunching on them so I?ll offer to trade for them.


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## mylissyk (Feb 25, 2007)

Brie said:


> Our 10 week old pup keeps trying to eat rocks. He discovered there's an area of rock landscaping inside our fenced in backyard, and now he will NOT stay away from it.
> 
> It started with him constantly trying to eat sticks, grass, and basically anything he can get his mouth on outside. He's now graduated to the rocks. It's like he's obsessed with trying to get to the rocks, and even though he knows some basic commands and has always been distracted away from negative behavior by using commands... He has started NOT listening to us when it comes to the rocks. It's like the only thing he cares about it getting a dang rock into his mouth.
> 
> ...


Just fyi, you won't be able to leave him unsupervised in the yard for a couple of years, if ever. Definitely not when he is under 1 year old, and probably not until after he's 2. My 5 year old dog still eats things he shouldn't.


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## silver9 (Jul 11, 2017)

So if you do use a basket muzzzle as a puppy, you can eventually take it off? It won't be something they'll need forever? I was just worried they wouldn't be "learning" not to do those things by physically blocking them. (or maybe that is learning somehow?)


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## LynnC (Nov 14, 2015)

silver9 said:


> So if you do use a basket muzzzle as a puppy, you can eventually take it off? It won't be something they'll need forever? I was just worried they wouldn't be "learning" not to do those things by physically blocking them. (or maybe that is learning somehow?)


After his obstruction surgery and once we realized just how serious this was, My Cosmo ALWAYS had his muzzle on when off leash to keep him safe. When he was supervised (on leash) we didn't muzzle him but watched him very carefully and would constantly work on "leave it" or "drop it". That was the only way I found to keep him safe.


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## Nate83 (Jul 13, 2017)

My girl Angel puts everything in her mouth and she is 5 months old. Do not muzzke the dog, grab a rock spray it liberally with bitter apple and let her put it in her mouth she will spit it out I am 99.9% sure of that keep doing that for about a week and she will start to associate the rock with nasty taste. Also start teaching leave it, start with the treats and move on to the rock it will take a bit but it will help in the long run.


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## silver9 (Jul 11, 2017)

After the twigs, rocks, tree bark, and possibly even a small piece of glass - all pulled out of his mouth...I got a muzzle from Petsmart.

He went NUTS with it on - throwing himself on the ground just trying to get it off... I wasn't sure what the outcome would be - if he'd kill me if I tried putting it on or what. The opposite happened. I put it back on later and he wouldn't move. He had a look on his face like - I no longer want to live - and was as still as a statue.

Lynn, how did you get him to accept it? No dog could possibly take to this easily, but I am also getting too worried about the foreign body ingestion outside. I won't even take him on the sidewalk now. At least, in the back yard, I kind of know what's where. On the sidewalk, there might as well be land mines. And he goes straight into the gutter with all kinds of garbage that fell out of bins. 

He associates the back door with potty now anyway, and his potty training is going well, but the obsessive eating is not good. Grass doesn't seem to be hurting him but I don't even know.


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## Sweet Girl (Jun 10, 2010)

mylissyk said:


> Just fyi, you won't be able to leave him unsupervised in the yard for a couple of years, if ever. Definitely not when he is under 1 year old, and probably not until after he's 2. My 5 year old dog still eats things he shouldn't.


I agree with this. For at least the first year, you should leash him and keep him away from those rocks. He has to get by this stage without having access to them and having it become a habit. Otherwise, he could indeed eat them the rest of his life. It will also keep him from eating anything else you don;t want him to get if you are there to supervise 100% of the time and keep him away from stuff you don't want in his mouth.

And don't despair. It CAN be done. I know you want to work him up to being out on his own sooner, but this will be worth it. (And just to let you know, I have no yard, so I take my dog out on leash every single time. It just becomes part of your day). Get him by this stage and he'll be far healthier in his later years.


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## Otter (Feb 23, 2011)

mylissyk said:


> Just fyi, you won't be able to leave him unsupervised in the yard for a couple of years, if ever. Definitely not when he is under 1 year old, and probably not until after he's 2. My 5 year old dog still eats things he shouldn't.





Sweet Girl said:


> I agree with this. For at least the first year, you should leash him and keep him away from those rocks. <snip>


I agree too.

This is one reason *none of ours are outside unsupervised*. Pebbles had to have surgery a few years ago to have all sorts of stuff removed from her stomach - we learned out lesson $ .

She has pretty much grown out of picking everything up - she was very sneaky about it too. Sandy, under 2 years of age, can't be left out alone. Also, all of my wife's gardening areas are fenced off.


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## LynnC (Nov 14, 2015)

Im not going to lie my Cosmo did not like the muzzle, finally he accepted it. Try putting it on in the house for very short periods of time. Do that over & over & give him small rewards or treats praising him. Maybe even put the muzzle on the floor & put treats in the muzzle for him to get. I used a Gentle Leader for Cosmo when walking so he was already used to things around his snout so I think that helped a bit. I just want to say that the muzzle was not my first resort but my LAST! He usually passed the rocks he swallowed (throwing them up or pooping) but when he had obstruction surgery & the vet gave me the 2 rocks removed in a baggie that was a reality check! Eating rocks became an obsession for him and it was the only way to allow him off leash SAFELY, which he LOVED! It came to the point that he knew when the muzzle came out he was going for long hikes off leash! Like everyone else has said continue to work on leave it and drop it. I wish I had been more diligent with him as a puppy and not thinking "this stage will pass". Good luck!


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## silver9 (Jul 11, 2017)

Thanks. I am working on "drop it" every day inside, and he's sort of confused by it.... but he's had a few (well rewarded) successes. Outside, all commands are basically falling on deaf ears... except "sit" if I'm holding a treat or his ball (before I throw it, I want him to learn not to jump on me to get me to throw it). I sprayed down some branches with bitter apple that were left extending from a tree stump that he is very interested in (but they would easily splinter off). He stopped chewing those, but I wonder if he'll learn "these things taste gross" or if he'll realize it's just that particular one that is gross.

There's another video that has a similar dog with an issue like this and they taught him "look at me" basically, using a clicker. I think that might be easier than "drop it" - so I am going to try it. 




Lynn, Was the stuff that was removed built up over time? I heard it can sit in the system for months, even if they are pooping normally. The "signs of obstruction" are only apparently only a much more severe obstruction & when I've seen twigs & other things dissapear in his mouth, I'm relieved when he poops later - but maybe it is still blocked partially. 

I wonder if grabbing his mouth and pulling this stuff out every minute is going to give him issues too. He's already starting to run away from me when he sees me trying to get his mouth.


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## LynnC (Nov 14, 2015)

silver9 said:


> Lynn, Was the stuff that was removed built up over time?


No, it was from a hike the day before. We were leaving town for a few days so my DH thought it would be nice to take the dogs for a hike before we left town. That night he was throwing up all night. We had a feeling he may have eaten a rock. The next morning we had an early flight so told my son (who was going to watch him) not to feed him & to take him to the vet. When we arrived in Chicago I turned on my phone & got the message that the vet was doing emergency surgery because he had a blockage. I cannot begin to tell you how guilty we felt


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## silver9 (Jul 11, 2017)

Oh wow... that's horrible. Glad he's ok now. I'm so scared of that happening. Also, my cousin (the vet) gave me a major lecture on foreign body ingestion so I am even more paranoid about it. My dog does go after everything like socks, paper towel rolls, etc... so I think my bitter apple spray bottle is 1/2 empty already in 1 week! I'll try your advice to get him comfortable with the muzzle so I can walk him. As of now, I only let him in the yard because I know what's there & he's still young and not leash trained. Puppy class starts soon, though some things I am doing on my own. Leash training is a little hard for me since he's 15 wks and was never on a leash. 

I am just puzzled how these dogs (goldens and many others) survived if they constantly ingesting harmful things over the last thousands of years that they were domesticated with no surgery or vets (and far less owner care). The trait that makes them do this goes against their survival... it's just so odd.


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## Cpc1972 (Feb 23, 2015)

If the area that has the rocks can be fenced off with some chicken wire or cheap fencing do it. At our old house we put green chicken wire fencing around the flower beds because Chloe wouldn't quit digging stuff up. It stayed there for about 2 years. We took it down when we sold the house and she never touched them. Sometimes just maturity and get them out of the habit of doing it will stop them.


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## Brie (Mar 17, 2017)

Cpc1972 said:


> If the area that has the rocks can be fenced off with some chicken wire or cheap fencing do it. At our old house we put green chicken wire fencing around the flower beds because Chloe wouldn't quit digging stuff up. It stayed there for about 2 years. We took it down when we sold the house and she never touched them. Sometimes just maturity and get them out of the habit of doing it will stop them.


This is our plan. We had to do that in the past with an old dog (not around the rocks, but we put up green snow fencing around a section of grass he wouldn't stop digging up) and it worked great. The rocks are a small area in the corner of the deck/patio, so should be very easy to throw up a fence.

Plus we live in MN and it's already starting to snow here... so he won't even know they're there soon, as everything will be covered in snow.

As far as the other posts about being unattended: We absolutely know he can't be unsupervised outside until he's YEARS older. Our other dog is 12 and loves playing and lounging/sunbathing on the backyard patio & deck by himself. We NEVER leave him out there more than a half hour, and NEVER if we're not home. He constantly begs to go out there, it's his special place. My point in saying that in my original post was meaning that SOMEDAY we know he'll be okay to sunbathe on the deck for a short time, if wanted. That will take a LOOOONG time and lots of training.


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## Brie (Mar 17, 2017)

We also hired a private trainer that is coming to our home starting this Thursday. After we complete our rounds of private sessions, we move into group training. And he'll also be enrolled in a puppy daycare program 2 days a week, which also has a trainer present.

So excited to get started with him.


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## silver9 (Jul 11, 2017)

So here's one problem with the basket muzzle.... it seems like he doesn't want to go to the bathroom outside with it on, so he just went #2 inside. A big one, so I assume he was holding it. 

In his whole first week here, he never did that except for the first day (I take him out every 2-3 hours, even overnight). I think he wouldn't poop outside because he felt too vulnerable with the muzzle on (his posture gets very low and he seems scared) & was also too distracted trying to get it off. It took a very long time for him to even pee. Mostly, he spent the time just trying to get the thing off. 

I caught him mid-poo and took him outside, but anyway, that's one issue I can see. Did you encounter this issue at all? I guess I haven't gotten him used to it 
(I did put treats in it and take it on and off and give him treats - though it's still too soon for him to adjust). So, I was trying to keep the wearing-time as short as possible.


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## rabernet (Feb 24, 2015)

silver9 said:


> Lynn, how did you get him to accept it? No dog could possibly take to this easily, but I am also getting too worried about the foreign body ingestion outside. I won't even take him on the sidewalk now. At least, in the back yard, I kind of know what's where. On the sidewalk, there might as well be land mines. And he goes straight into the gutter with all kinds of garbage that fell out of bins.


This may have already been answered - but you have to condition your dog to a muzzle. Kikopup has a good video:


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## Anele (Dec 12, 2014)

Silver9, not sure if this would work... but how long does it take him to “do his business” outside? My dog usually goes immediately. If yours does, too, try taking him out without the muzzle, heavily reward for doing his business, and then bring him back in. Then you can put on the muzzle so he can hang out outside, but do many short conditioning sessions inside to get him used to it, learn to trade (easier than drop it) and also have his mouth touched. You don’t want him to develop resource guarding.


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## LynnC (Nov 14, 2015)

Why don't you take your pup out on leash, keep your eyes on him and walk him where there aren't rocks, like on a grassy area? Take lots of treats out and if he tries to put ANYTHING in his mouth try either "leave it" "drop it" or "trade". Work on those commands as often as possible!! I just want to repeat that I ONLY used the muzzle when my Cosmo was off leash. I am not a trainer and I'm sure actual trainers can and are giving you some great advice. I'm only sharing my experience with my boy Cosmo.


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## Anele (Dec 12, 2014)

LynnC said:


> Why don't you take your pup out on leash, keep your eyes on him and walk him where there aren't rocks, like on a grassy area? Take lots of treats out and if he tries to put ANYTHING in his mouth try either "leave it" "drop it" or "trade". Work on those commands as often as possible!! I just want to repeat that I ONLY used the muzzle when my Cosmo was off leash. I am not a trainer and I'm sure actual trainers can and are giving you some great advice. I'm only sharing my experience with my boy Cosmo.


Right. I am not a trainer either but to me the muzzle should be the last resort— management/prevention are #1, and then actively training. If there is no way to prevent or reasonably train through it, then the muzzle can be used with proper conditioning.


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## silver9 (Jul 11, 2017)

Anele said:


> Silver9, not sure if this would work... but how long does it take him to “do his business” outside? My dog usually goes immediately. If yours does, too, try taking him out without the muzzle, heavily reward for doing his business, and then bring him back in. Then you can put on the muzzle so he can hang out outside, but do many short conditioning sessions inside to get him used to it, learn to trade (easier than drop it) and also have his mouth touched. You don’t want him to develop resource guarding.


For some reason, he pees kind of quickly but the poop is a longer process until he finds the right spot. 

He's still a puppy so he goes out every 2-3 hours, so a lot of that time is dark & it's very hard to see what he's putting in his mouth (on leash or not). It's when I hear the "crunch" usually that I realize he's eating something that he shouldn't be. They sniff the ground so much that it can be hard to tell when they eat something. I use a flashlight with him at night & we just go in the yard (and I know what's back there, unlike the sidewalk) - so the problem is getting less and less, but the sidewalk is going to be harder. He has to have more training before we go on the sidewalk. 

I only had the muzzle on briefly for 2 trips outside over the last few days. I have to work on the conditioning with it (thanks for that video) - more to go in areas that I don't know as well potentially. I am still going to keep trying to teach "trade" and "look at me" like that other video. He's tricky to teach because he just gets obsessed with the fact I have food so he won't do much when I am holding food except try to get the food. I am switching to the clicker method & perhaps that will go better. Either way, training is a long process, so I was looking into this as an option between now & when he's more reliable with his eating.


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## Anele (Dec 12, 2014)

Peeing fast, and then poo taking longer is totally normal. I'm glad he goes fast! Seems like housetraining is going great.

Sounds like the yard issue is resolved, which is wonderful. That will make life a lot easier!

As for walks on the sidewalk, you can wear your treat bag, load it up with some kibble and other goodies, then keep super high value food in a different pocket. Say "yes" or whatever marker word you want (or click) when he makes eye contact, as well as when he walks nicely, then reward.

When you think he might have something in his mouth, you can use "give" or whatever word, and then show him the food to trade. But if you can see him going after something, practice "leave it" before he gets to it. (But practice this first in the house.) Use the higher rewards when you need it.

Maybe now you can stick to the yard when it's dark and save the sidewalk walks for when you can see.

BTW, I'm a big fan of the Freedom Harness (for reference your puppy's brother/my puppy is wearing a small right now). My puppy walks fine on his collar but I prefer the harness anyway. (code moving17 for 25% off)


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