My dog eats everything?

Question

I mean she eats everything in sight. She's a 7 month old german shepherd and has eaten wood, bottle cap, and idk what else!!! What can i don to stop this "unbreakable" habit?

Answer 1

Oh, no poor baby. If that's the truth, then you better make sure you clean your puppy's poof or your own up as soon as you can. Otherwise you know what it will do. That's gross.

Answer 2

I have a GSD the same age doing the same thing. Do you mean to say she's actually swallowing the wood & bottle caps or just chewing them up? It's not an unbreakable habit, it's a food drive. I play food games with mine (a male) to keep him busy on food, not stuff. I make him look at me or sit & work for treats (he'll do this for a long time). I make him bring me toys for treats (not wood or bottle caps). Everything he puts in his mouth that's not a toy or a treat gets thrown away, put away (hidden), or sprayed with Repel. I load Kongs with Almond Butter (no peanuts for dogs). I toss some kibble into the grass and make him find it with his nose. As soon as it warms up I'm going to start tracking him. If you can find a Schutzhund club in your area, they can show you how to train your dog in tracking (you don't have to do their protection - you can do just the tracking & obedience). Oh, also I buy raw knuckle bones to keep him occupied too. Since Thanksgiving I've been giving him the raw carcuss of the turkeys I've been buying for soup & freezer (he really likes those, course I feed him some raw turkey too). It's just a matter of understanding that some german shepherds are genetically born with more of a food drive and then for you to focus it.

Answer 3

there are many different ways to deal with this.

1. Consistent positive reinforcement. Every time the dog goes to chew something, give a pop with the leash(that should be attached to her collar) and then praise her when she stops.

2. Sprays. You can buy bitter apple(or something similar) at a local pet store. This is a liquid that you spray onto the item that she picks up(like a sock), it leaves a bad taste in the dogs mouth.

3. Keep the area clean. Pick up as much as you can to avoid her eating it.

There are so many other ways you can do this. Just remember to be consistent and never negative. Also remember that she is still a puppy and may grow out of it as she gets older.

Good luck!!!

Answer 4

All dogs chew. I had a black lab that ate a box of bullets once. Seriously!

But in your case there's a few things you can do:
1) offer alternatives. Get some rawhide bones or a Nylabone Galileo bone. The Galileo bone is for powerful chewers and very tough.

2) correct your dog when you catch your dog chewing the wrong items; reward your dog for chewing the right items. They figure it out pretty quick which ones are acceptable.

3) pay attention to your dog. Most dogs chew when they are bored or unhappy or have nothing to do. Keep your dog occupied and happy, and the she won't have time to get into chewing things like wood or bottle caps.

4) keep stuff out of reach. Don't leave stuff where she can see it or she'll think it's fair game.

Answer 5

She will grow out of it. She is still a puppy. Just keep an eye on her if you have any friends over. They can be pretty mean to the puppy by giving her hot salsa, any kind of chocolate.

After I'm down to a really small piece of soap from taking a shower, I just drop it on the shower floor and let the water dissolve the rest of it, but if I forget to close the shower door, my 4 year old lab will eat the soap. So your not alone.

Answer 6

Hello, Don't leave bits and pieces around as this can lead to blockage in the intestine and discomfort for the dog maybe a operation, just like any baby needs a teething ring see your local pet shop. Good Luck .

Answer 7

you will have to keep her supervised at all times. this will give her few opportunities to mess up. you will need to do this at least until she gets through this stage. crate training will help, hopefully you are already doing this. then keeping her supervised or on a leash with you while you walk around the house. and watch her when she is in the back yard. take her for lots of walks to allow her to expend her high energy level. you should also be training her in basic obedience. all of these things will keep her mind challenged and occupied. you have a lot of work to do but hopefully you love your dog enough to do this.

Answer 8

punish her when she eats something. Trust me been there done that with time she'll grow out of it. Also make sure you spend enough time with her when german sheperds get bored they tend to chew things. But its a natural puppy thing for them too. Mine ate the couch, remote (batteries, wiring, and all), a hole into the garage, the blinds, a car tarp(still dont know where she found it) and half our pillows. And i dont mean she chewed on them she destroyed them. Good Luck!

Answer 9

Haha my dog too. He's a 6 year old Golden, who, before we got him, was trained to be in shows and stuff! Some dogs are just weird like that hah. Let me know if you find this miracle cure :D

Answer 10

Instantly remove the items from the mouth and sternly say NO, very loud. Dogs have NO memory--they associate very little with our form of communications--they do recognize LOUD voices and constant monitoring.