How to stop my dog from eating things off the street and getting sick?

If it is that big of an issue, I would look into teaching Snowball "Leave it". You can find various tutorials on YouTube that will walk you through it. Basically, it teaches Snowball that it isn't OK to just pick things up off the ground and eat them, and that she'll be rewarded for leaving it behind instead. Teaching other things such as drop/trading what's in her mouth for a reward, may also help. You should still be walking her, but you can keep an eye on her during your walks, and if you see her start to eat something, move her to another area, or remove the item from her mouth. If she's very mouthy and likes to carry toys, you can also bring a toy along on your walks for her to keep in her mouth and potentially deter on other things. If she does get into something she shouldn't and is ill, having your local vet's number on hand is always best as even the most vigilant of owners and well-trained of dogs can sometimes get into things they shouldn't.

This is certainly a frustrating behavior and can it hard to control. I have two thoughts for you. 1) Often dogs who eat lots of none food items have mild intestinal upset all the time. I would recommend starting by talking to her vet about this and starting her on probiotics 2) For management, remove all the dog beds from your house and teaching her to wear a basket muzzle while outside and/or only taking her out on leash. Check out this site for more information: https://muzzleupproject.com/muzzle-training/ . I know this sounds extreme, but her current behavior is potentially life threatening. My last idea is to talk to a behaviorist to see if she needs help with anxiety or other behavioral problem. But only after exploring the possibility of intestinal upset with your regular vet. https://avsab.org/resources/behavior-consultant-near-you-2/

Hello, and thanks for your question. Sounds like Alex is quite the trouble maker! You're right - the best way to prevent them from eating material is to simply keep the house as spotless as possible. Dogs naturally explore the world with their mouths, and some are more prone to eating what they find than others. Teaching Alex the "drop it" or "leave it" command will help when you see him getting into something he shouldn't. I would also recommend crate training Alex and keeping him safely confined when he's alone. In a few extreme cases, I have had patients wear basket muzzles to prevent them from eating what they shouldn't - but this is not usually necessary and is only something I usually consider after a dog has had multiple foreign body surgeries! If you are thinking about going this route with Alex, I would definitely touch base with your vet for guidance. It's important to make sure it's an appropriate fit so dogs can still pant, drink water, etc, and they need to be properly trained to wear the muzzle to minimize stress. Hope this helps!

It would be a good idea to bring Dexter to your vet to rule out any health issues that could be causing his want to eat everything. It sounds like he is on a healthy diet already, however if there is an underlying issue it's good to find out and treat it. If he checks out healthy, working on limiting his access to the house, and training techniques such as "drop it", "leave it", etc can help prevent him from getting into things he shouldn't. When you aren't home, keeping him in a crate or in a safe to be room such as a blocked off laundry room can help keep him from getting to dangerous items when you can't be there.

Yes, a basket muzzle is a good idea but you should also consider working with a professional in-home dog trainer. They can probably help you train her to stop this behavior rather easily. I like BarkBusters and they have a trainer in your area. I’m pretty sure they do a free consult and the training is guaranteed for the life of the dog. No harm in calling them. ( https://www.barkbusters.com/dog-training-naperville-chicago ) Hooe this helps. Best wishes.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This can of course be an issue as she could eat something tha perhaps upsets her stomach or even worse that causes an obstruction. The best thing is to teach her by continuously letting her know that that is unacceptable behavior. Otherwise, another option is using a basket muzzle when going outside which may prevent her from getting things in her mouth. Good luck and have a great day!

I'm sorry to hear that! There are a few things you can do: Keep Bentley on leashed walks only when outside to keep him from getting into garbage or pet waste. Working on commands such as "leave it" or trading for a high value treat can redirect his attention back to you and away from the waste. If he's eating his own, making sure to pick up any stool ASAP (both indoors on doggy pads and outdoors in your yards or walks) can prevent him from getting access to those items. If he's going for litter boxes, moving litter boxes to rooms that you can block off with a baby gate that your cat can jump over but Bentley can't, or using a cat door with an RF chip to allow only your cat access can help prevent him from getting to the area to munch. You can also try products such as For-bid which can be added to the food of whomever's waste is being eaten to make it unpalatable. However, the best treatment is preventing Bentley from getting to the waste at all.