# When will she stop eating everything outside???



## purtennis (Feb 12, 2016)

My 6 month old puppy, Cassie, continues to be a voracious eater of pretty much everything outside. Her favorites are mulch, sticks, and grass. She is always monitored by me/someone in the yard and of course always on a leash for walks (1x day). We play a lot outside and it doesn't seem to be boredom related. Even when I arrange a playdate with another dog/puppy (which she generally loves) she spends the first 10-15 minutes eating stuff and not playing (maybe that's nervousness?).

But I'm still pulling stuff from her mouth 10+ times a day. She's pretty good with "leave it" but sometimes I'm just not quick enough and it's already in her mouth. Therefore "drop it" (once she has it in her mouth) hasn't been as easy to train. I try "drop it" or "trade" with a treat but usually the mulch/stick/grass just stays in her mouth! It's so frustrating.

Does this phase end eventually? Should I be handling it differently? Is there something missing in her diet that makes her so eager to eat stuff outside? It's really getting tiresome. Thanks.

P.S. she has all her adult teeth so it's not a teething issue (she chews AND eats this stuff).


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## Cpc1972 (Feb 23, 2015)

That isnt the landshark phase. Most likely that is something that will never end. You just need to work on leave it so when she does get something you don't want she will leave. The landshark phase is the biting they do as young babies.


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## Parker16 (May 30, 2016)

Parker does the same thing too. Loves to munch on sticks and pine cones. Recently he's been chewing leaves as well. But he doesn't eat them, he chews and spits out. Hence I haven't been preventing him from going for those. His favorite toy is a nice, fresh pine cone freshly fallen from the trees. He rolls it around like a ball, rubs his back on it and chews on it. He's going through a serious teething phase so I think that's why he wants to chew on sticks and things. But when he gets into a frenzy from sore gums, I give him a few ice cubes and he goes to town on those.


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## Lise123 (Jan 1, 2014)

It does end. I don't remember when it ended for us, so it might have been gradual, but I don't walk the dog with my eyes scanning the ground anymore. Oh, sure, he'll go after the occasional napkin along the way, but not like he did at six months. He was like a Hoover at that age.


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## Sweet Girl (Jun 10, 2010)

It does end - if you keep constantly teaching drop it or leave it and taking everything out of his mouth and giving a treat when he does. It takes months - I also can't remember when it ended. But for many months, it felt like all I ever said was leave it, drop it, drop it, drop it, leave it. And I was constantly pulling stuff out of her mouth, But now, she doesn't pick anything up, except for a stick to carry. She either doesn't even pay any attention to stuff (like Kleenex, napkins, food wrappers, etc) or she just sniffs and leaves it (I will say leave it, but I barely need to). In fact, I purposely LET her sniff stuff because I feel like, all she wants to do is check it out and that's fine. She doesn't even eat food off the street. She either ignores it, or if something smells too good (like pizza!), she might grab it, but she will drop it when I tell her to. (I am super picky about her not eating anything off the street).


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## Panama Rob (Nov 26, 2015)

Dakota is going through this too.


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