[cbear1021]

I thought I had posted this earlier but still getting the hang of this forum. onder:

Our little jackabee is having a hard time being outside. She is eating everything in sight. She is still very new with training and I feel like I need a refresher. My lab is 9 years old and she was completely different with training and didn't have a penchant for eating much of anything.

Any tips for training her to not eat everything under her nose ??

Thank you so much.

 

[Tess]

Puppies DO put EVERYthing in their mouths, and swallow half the stuff! This is how they explore their world! Mostly, this is harmless, unless it is poisonous plants or large objects that might get stuck in their guts.

Grass, pine cones, bits of chewed up sticks, leaves, bits of paper, cardboard, bits of food, or foodlike substances... most all that stuff is harmless for puppies.

This is not so much a "training" issue as a management issue. Until the puppy outgrows this stage, you just want to make sure not to leave her where she can swallow something truly harmful. Trying to train a puppy out of putting things in her mouth is about like training a baby not to do so...

Can you tell us what type of puppy, how old, and what sorts of things are concerning to you?

 

[cbear1021]

Thank you. We think she is part Jack Russell, part Beagle. We think she is about 3-4 months old. We don't know for sure since we found her.

I do understand what you are saying and I guess I am just not used to this kind of puppy..she is eating everything. She is not out of our sight but just walking in the yard is crazy. She is literally like a goat, complete with gagging because she is eating so much grass. We live in the country so there is no way for me to know what is in my yard at any given time. I just want to walk her around the yard or down the gravel road ( but she eats the gravel, sand, dirt, ditch weed) I am continually saying no sharply but its in vain.

I am trying not to worry but its hard...

 

[Tess]

Thank you. We think she is part Jack Russell, part Beagle. We think she is about 3-4 months old. We don't know for sure since we found her.

I do understand what you are saying and I guess I am just not used to this kind of puppy..she is eating everything. She is not out of our sight but just walking in the yard is crazy. She is literally like a goat, complete with gagging because she is eating so much grass. We live in the country so there is no way for me to know what is in my yard at any given time. I just want to walk her around the yard or down the gravel road ( but she eats the gravel, sand, dirt, ditch weed) I am continually saying no sharply but its in vain.

I am trying not to worry but its hard...

I hear you! It sounds like your puppy is "extra good" at the eating everything behavior, perhaps if she was a stray she learned to seek food everywhere!

As you are noticing telling her "no" is pretty futile, and also keeps giving her a negative association with you and going for walks. If you are using a leash, I'd put her in a harness so you are not pulling on her neck at all. If you are able to walk her off-leash, that's terrific.

For the most part I would not worry about what she's picking up. Making a big deal of this can make her covet stuff even more!

Things I would do
- make sure she is on a very high quality dog food, (such as Taste Of the Wild, or other grain free, high protein food) and feed her 3 or 4 times a day. If she does not over-eat, you could even leave her bowl out with food all the time. Part of her issue may be anxiety from having been a hungry stray. It may help calm her "grazing" if she can satisfy her hunger.
- Check your yard for obvious hazards
- Try not to make a big deal out of her picking stuff up. This can actually make her want things more, if you keep trying to take stuff away from her. Pick your battles. Trade something she has for a tasty treat, so she gets used to "handing it over" when asked. You can use tiny cubes of cheese or cooked meats and she'll learn quickly that giving up a rock to you is worth it!
- Try not to worry. She survived this long without supervision.
- Have faith. This stage does not last forever! In fact, you are probably in the worst of it now and it should start to fade in the next month or two.

Welcome to dogforum!
Congratulations on your rescue.
Please hang out here with us and learn stuff. There is a TON to learn. I've been here for a year and am still soaking up stuff from the experts and old timers here!

 

[cbear1021]

Tess, thank you so much. I do plan on hanging out because I need a refresher. Ellie, the older dog, is 9 , so 9 years ago I was much younger. We hadn't planned on this little addition but I don't regret it. I just want to do right by her.

I will take your advice...and watch videos on training because I am so rusty.

I will check her dog food.. we did buy a harness because I could see that was an issue. I can't walk her off leash, it is way too dangerous. We are surrounded by cornfields, tractors, foxes, etc... if she ran I would have a very difficult time finding her. I will stop making a big deal..LOL..I definitely am doing that so yes.. pick my battles.

wow.. thank you so much.

 

[Tess]

Here's a great place to start with the training videos. Actually, pretty much anything you want to train, kikopups has up here. She's amazing.

‪kikopup's Channel‬‏ - YouTube

 

[cbear1021]

:thumbsup: thank you so much. I know what I am doing tomorrow!!!

 

[Red]

Just wanted to pop in and say when we first adopted our dog, when he was 9 months old, he would pick everything up he saw outside...crisp packets, bottles, paper, sticks, leaves, you name it! He's our first dog so we worried over it like crazy, and were given the same advice as you on the dog forum.

Now he's matured a little and we don't make a fuss about it anymore, he hardly ever picks those things up, and if he does he literally carries them for a minute, no longer. We have had a few problems with him eating grass, sticks or feathers and sicking them back up later, but no damage done!

Good luck with your pup

Red

 

[cbear1021]

Thank you Red I am trying to breathe a little more.