My puppy eats his training pads. How to stop this dangerous habit?

Thank you for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach with your question about Sulley and for providing a picture, it's very helpful. This is common behavior and the concern is that if he eats enough of it, it could cause an obstruction. You can tape down the edges of the puppy pad so he cannot pull it up to eat it. You can also start crate training him. This will prevent him from eating puppy pads but it will also help with potty training. The crate will provide him a small space where he can feel safe in it when you are gone. You will have to slowly train him to get used to a crate. Start putting him in it when you are home and sitting nearby so he doesn't think you are abandoning him, and slowly increase the time he is in it. He can have toys in the crate, and puzzle toys with treats in it that he has to figure out how to get the treats out. You can put a teaspoon of peanut butter in a Kong toy and freeze it in the freezer overnight, then give it to him in the crate. That will keep him occupied for a while. I hope this helps!

Puppies can be so destructive! If he has decided that this is what he wants to do then he will likely continue. You may want to consider putting him in a crate at night, small enough that he doesn’t need a potty pad. At 3 months he should be able to hold his urine for 4-5 hours at a time, so taking him out once during the night would still be very normal right now. This method also helps train then to hold their bladder. Best of luck and thank you for using Pet Coach.

Thanks for your question. It sounds like you have a naughty boy on your hands. At this point, it sounds like he isn't currently having symptoms. If he stops eating or starts vomiting, you will want to seek veterinary attention. Unfortunately, there are some dogs that are repeat offenders and continue to get themselves into trouble. If not already, he may need to be crated when alone, with nothing but a metal water bowl in the crate with him. I hope it makes it through this and stays out of trouble for a while.

Dogs will eat stool out of boredom, curiosity or in an attempt to correct a nutritional deficiency. She may outgrow the behavior eventually. Pick up stool immediately after she goes. Keep her occupied and engaged with toys and tasks to distract her from stool. Review her diet with your veterinarian to identify and correct any potential deficiencies. There are also food additives, such as For-Bid, that may deter her from eating feces.

Young dogs can be very oral and want to chew and play with things. Sometimes dogs develop “favorite” things to chew on. Unfortunately there is nothing you can do to immediately stop him. However, frequently changing toys, keeping paper products out of his reach, maybe teaching him to only pick up something to chew or ear if given the release word. This takes time, patience, and repetition, but it can be done. I would also recommend blood work to verify that nothing else abnormal is going on, but likely it is behavioral. Best of luck and keep working at it. He will slowly improve. Thank you for using Pet Coach.

Chewing is very normal for puppies but if he eats his bed, he could end up with an intestinal blockage which requires surgery or it could be fatal. Here is a link about chewing: https://www.petcoach.co/article/chewing-in-puppies-how-to-control-it/ Some puppies will chew no matter what, although it sounds mean, for those puppies, I recommend to remove the bed completely if they keep shedding it. Some puppies can have it at night. Some can't. Some beds are also more chew resistant than others. I hope this helps.

I am sorry to hear about your frustation with Ozzy! Unfortunately this is not an unusual behavior. Ozzy is certainly not acting out or trying to make you frustrated, he is being a normal puppy. Puppies are curious/playful animals that often like to tear things up. If he is being left alone for extended periods of time, then this is why he is tearing his puppy pad up. He is likely bored and lonely. You could consider having a neighbor or pet sitter come over during the middle of the day to let him out while he is young. Also provide him with ample toys to play with as an alternative to tearing up his pads- food puzzles are great to keep puppies engaged, as are kongs- you can put wet food into a kong and put it into the freezer to provide longer entertainment.