Why do Labradors eat everything they find, even non-food items?

Dogs in general evolved to be scavengers, and Golden Retrievers are an exceptionally food-motivated breed. While this makes them very trainable, as they respond very favorably to food rewards, owners of Golden Retrievers should be diligent about keeping food and garbage secure, to limit the possibilities that their dog will eat excessively, or will eat something dangerous to him. To learn more about Golden Retrievers, I suggest you visit PetCoach's breed page: www.petcoach.co/breed/golden-retriever

If he is on a high-quality, well-balanced, commercial dog food diet it is not likely to be a vitamin deficiency. In my opinion, he does this because he is a Lab and a puppy. Eating things is common for this breed. They do eat everything. They are bred for hunting and to grab things in their mouth. You need to give him things he is allowed to chew that will keep him busy. Honestly, the best thing to do is to consult with a professional dog trainer and get this problem corrected early before he gets too much older. You are extremely lucky that he passed that plastic bag and it didn't need to be surgically removed. You can try this training on you own but it is not recommended. I promise you will get quicker and better results by working with a trainer. ( https://www.thelabradorsite.com/stop-dog-eating-everything/ ) ( https://positively.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=14004 )

Labs get into things frequently, this is their nature. They will ingest just about anything. I would recommend monitoring him closely when she is out playing and discouraging him from putting things in her mouth that she shouldn't. Give her a Kong toy or similar chew toy to occupy her time. When you are not home it is best to keep her in a crate so that she does not get into things he shouldn't. You can also try spraying a product called Bitter Apple or Yuk gel on things that she likes to put in her mouth to try and deter him from doing so. Best of luck with your puppy Bella and getting her to stop putting things in her mouth that she shouldn't. We want to try and prevent a foreign body ingestion and possible obstruction as best we can. As she grows she should get better at not doing this. Take care!

Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to address your questions. Unfortunately for you, not all labs love the water. She may get used to the pool over time and use it more but she may just not be interested. As for the abnormal ingestion of stones, leaves, etc. I would recommend having a hose handy and whenever she goes to eat the stones or leaves, spray her with the hose and say "off!" to deter her from doing this further. Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further. Please take the time to mark this question as helpful or not as it helps us to improve on the quality of our answers to other pet owners. Thank you kindly!

Labrador Retrievers were breed to be water retrieving dogs. Their coats are somewhat naturally "oily," and repel water. They also have big, webbed paws, and a thick, powerful tail to aid them in the water, and they are excellent swimmers. You might say a love of water is programmed into their DNA. To learn more about Labradors, visit PetCoach's breed page: www.petcoach.co/breed/labrador-retriever

Puppies, and Labradors especially, tend to be food motives and some of them can be food obsessed. May sure your puppy is not too thin, if he is then increase the food. Purina 1 is a good diet but if you are looking to change, Royal Canin makes a diet specifically for Labs and it addresses their healthy appetites! They make a puppy and an adult formula and the pets tend to do really well on this diet. Adding canned veggies can also help him to feel full. Get the no salt added variety and watch for any diarrhea as it increases his fiber. Stick to peas, carrots or green beans. I hope this is helpful and please feel free to post any additional questions.

Please do not feed Maddie any grease or fat. That could cause her to develop pancreatitis, which is an extremely serious inflammation of the pancreas that is fatal without treatment. Labs are notorious for eating things they shouldn't, and often times they pass them without problem. I would monitor Maddie for now. If you see any signs of vomiting, diarrhea, anorexia, lethargy, or constipation, then I would have her seen by a vet immediately.