How do I stop my puppy from eating mulch and sticks in the yard?

To be honest, removing the mulch is your best bet. You can try using a basket muzzle (not a regular muzzle) - only put it on when he is outside and I don't suggest you leave him out with it on unattended - but in the end, removing the mulch is the best option. There is this article about trying some home remedies. You are welcome to try them but I have not had many clients report that they work well. ( https://www.doityourself.com/stry/making-your-mulch-dog-repellent )

Certainly sticks and stones are not good for Teddy's GI tract. They can cause irritation, ulcers, and can get stuck and require surgery to remove them. You can try keeping Teddy on a leash to be able to keep him from the sticks as he learns what is ok to chew and what is not ok. I also recommend always having something to redirect his behavior when he does things like grabbing a stick. Things like chew toys or balls to fetch can be helpful tools to redirect Teddy's behavior to something more appropriate to do besides chewing sticks and stones. I always tell clients that animals cannot change behavior in a vacuum. Meaning just saying, "Teddy No!" When he chews sticks or digs in the yard is only one half of the equation. The other half is to give him something that IS ok to chew on or play with. Eventually with consistent redirection your little guy should get the hang of it. Keep in mind, also, that digging is a part of normal puppy behavior, even though we need to stop them from doing it or our yards will look like disaster zones. You can try this same redirecting trick with digging. Also make sure not to leave Teddy unattended outside until he gets the hang both of not digging and not going after sticks and stones. Best of luck with your sweet little trouble maker!

Hi Deja! It is common that puppies eat things outside such as branches and mulch, but it is strongly recommended to keep them from doing that. Branches can cause trauma to the GI tract, and some types of mulch can be toxic to dogs if they contain cocoa beans. Puppies may eat this stuff due to intestinal worms, which would also cause her to poop in her crate. I would make sure Daisy is up to date on her deworming treatments, giving her one if she is not. I recommend Panacur, which is a three day course of treatment. She will need another course of treatment two weeks after the first to kill all the worms, and then she should be dewormed every three months. Pick up any branches outside, and keep her away from the mulch to keep her from eating it.

This is likely normal puppy behavior. You can try to block the area of the plants by putting up a barrier or you can try to put a little cayenne pepper powder on the plant leaves to make them taste bad. This doesn’t always work but a lot times it does. I would also check the type of plants they are and make sure they aren’t toxic to dogs. I hope this helps!

Yes, that is a tough one! It is important for King not to consume sticks, and not to eat a lot of grass. What about bringing out one his toys, and playing with it outside? Maybe he will enjoy being outside without obsessing about the grass and sticks? People even try sometimes using a basket-type muzzle, to prevent their pets from ingesting unwanted objects! This is not to be a punishment, just a prevention against eating unwanted objects! Hope this helps!

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/

Try keeping a toy or something that makes noise with you (you can put some pennies or pebbles into an empty soda or tin can and tape it closed to make a shake can that you can rattle or drop next to her to startle her into stopping) when you go outside with her. When she starts to eat weeds, squeak the toy or clap your hands to make noise to distract her from what she is doing and tell her 'drop it' or 'leave it'. As soon as she stops what she's doing give her a treat or the toy to play with. Over time this should give her the idea that she gets a nice treat when she listens to you when you ask her to stop. If she does not stop you may need to take her outside only on a leash so you can control her trying to eat weeds until you can break her of the habit. Some species of plants can be highly toxic to dogs (lilies, sago palm are two common toxic landscape plants) so teaching her to stop is a good thing.