View Full Version : My puppy eats everything
elsa15
Feb 25, 2009, 07:51 PM
Hello,
I have a 10 week old puppy who eats everything primarily leaves, mulch, and goose feces, it is nearly impossible to get her to stop and she has been pooping in her kennel while I am at work, I am not sure what to do. If her behavior puts her at risk? Should I take her to the vet? I need some helpful advise.
Akoue
Feb 25, 2009, 07:59 PM
Do you know what kinds of leaves she's been eating? Some are harmful and some can even be beneficial.
The goose poop is very dangerous. Bird feces is loading with nasty microbes that can be very bad for dogs. I would make this a top priority. You may need to fence off the areas where there is bird poop of any kind as she can get terribly sick from exposure to it.
elsa15
Feb 25, 2009, 08:07 PM
Ok thank-you, since she has eaten some already, should I take her to the vet?
Akoue
Feb 25, 2009, 08:24 PM
I'm thinking that if she isn't vomiting or having diarrhea she may be okay. You might want to call the vet tomorrow and ask if you should bring her in. I'm not sure which microbes are speecific to goose poop, so I don't want to give the all clear. You might want to keep a close eye on her until you can talk to someone at the vet's office, just to be on the safe side.
If you find out what plants she's eating you can check online or with your vet to see if it's toxic. What I do is to keep any toxic plants in areas of the yard that the dogs can't get to. So first you might want to figure out what plants you're dealing with and which of them are toxic. If you can remove the toxic ones, that's great. If not, then you need to be creative with your use of fencing in order to keep her away from them. Same thing with the bird poop.
Good luck!
elsa15
Feb 25, 2009, 08:52 PM
Thank-you!
shazamataz
Feb 26, 2009, 08:55 AM
Puppies are curious... need I say more, remove anything from her environment that could be harmful as she doesn't know the difference, to her bird poop is just another thing to taste, same as human babies
sajjw
Feb 28, 2009, 02:32 PM
After taking Akoue's advice, I think it would also be useful to teach her the 'leave' command. She is not too young to learn this. Put her on her lead and when she goes to pick up something she shouldn't, say "leave" in a firm but not aggressive tone of voice and pull her gently away. As she comes away, reward her with praise and a titbit -chicken works well. After you have done this a few times she will respond to the word 'leave' and look at you, you won't need to pull her away. Reward abundently when this happens -let her know how pleased with her you are. Its going to take patience but it will pay off because the leave command is a very valuable one. Don't punish her if you see her eating stuff or for ignoring the leave command, it damages her trust in you and is bad for your relationship with your dog. If she is igoring the leave, its because she hasn't learnt it well enough. With positive re-inforcement you can teach her what you want her to do. When she has really got the idea (a dog needs to practice something new many many times), hide indoors but secretly watch her. When she goes to eat something you say 'leave' firmly and loudly enough for her to hear you. Reward greatly if she leaves. If she doesn't, take a step back and practise more whilst you are there with her. By watching her sneakily, she will learn not to do it even if she thinks you are not there. You will need to do this quite a few times though before she gets the idea. Good luck.
If she is pooping in her kennel this may mean that is is not the best size for her. A kennel only works as a mess deterrant if it is small enough that the dog will have to lie in the mess. If the kennel is big enough for a poop area and a lie down area they are more likely to poop in it. It may mean that she is being left too long without an opportunity to toilet. She is a very young pup yet and cannot really be expected to hold it for long. How long is she left for?
sajjw
Feb 28, 2009, 06:19 PM
Another useful command to teach would be 'give'. You can use this to get things out of pups mouth before she swallows them. Get an object she likes like a favourite toy and get her to hold in her mouth. Then take it away, saying 'give'. When you get it from her, praise and treat her. Then give her the object back and do it again. Repeat this often enough so that she learns that if she lets you have what she has got when you say give, she will be rewarded.
elsa15
Mar 1, 2009, 04:37 PM
Thank-you! I will definitely begin working on that with her, she has been doing better recently. She is in her kennel while I am working Monday-Thursday and I work from home my fiancée and I have taken some vacation to help her not have to be in there the whole day but that is limited. So the past couple times I have been getting up a little extra early so she can have significant time after she eats to play and have a couple movements. Her kennel is small but I have ordered a new kennel that is better for training. So we will see thanks for all the advice
arisaunt
Mar 1, 2009, 04:53 PM
Puppies chew because they are exploring, teething, or a combination of both. Eating anything outside can be dangerous. Dirt, for example, can give a puppy worms. I suggest you take the dog out only on a leash so that you can monitor the situation. You need to be consistent with training as well. As soon as the puppy tries to chew something, in a firm voice, say "no" or "leave it." As you are saying this, give the leash a quick tug on the leash and move the puppy away from the object. When the puppy is in its crate, make sure it has enough toys to chew on, particularly Kongs. You can fill them with treats, then add water and freeze them. This should keep your puppy busy for several hours while the inside freezes. Good luck!