Pup wont stop eating rocks!!!

Xhipi1 · Post by **Xhipi1** » Tue Sep 18, 2012 10:03 am

my English setter is 4 months old now and the little bugger wont stop eating rocks. i left him out in the yard saturday and thought it would be ok... BIG MISTAKE. hes been having diarrhea and been actually pooping out the rocks. is there anything i can do to stop this bad habit besides just keeping more of an eye on him?

Post by **kninebirddog** » Tue Sep 18, 2012 10:28 am

Pica can be a sign of a lot of things one being something where the dog isn't able to absorb the nutrition it needs and the rocks some how have the for no better word the taste which triggers the desire to try and ingest them as in an iron deficiency
severe boredom obsessive behaviors

but no matter what this can lead to some very expensive vet bills as if the pup ingests a rock that is to big to pass it will have to be surgically removed

http://www.petplace.com/dogs/pica-in-dogs/page1.aspx

Xhipi1 · Post by **Xhipi1** » Tue Sep 18, 2012 11:05 am

with the pica disorder would i notice a lack of interest in food from the dog? or anything like weight loss?

Post by **kninebirddog** » Tue Sep 18, 2012 11:13 am

not necessarily..many will just eat everything food rocks etc etc..but may exhibit other medical problems

might have it checked out sa if there is some other medical problems might find out from the breeder should they be honest enough if possibly other pups from the litter are showing the same issues..it may just be a single issue but never hurts to find out

Xhipi1 · Post by **Xhipi1** » Tue Sep 18, 2012 1:03 pm

Thanks for the help. I just hope it's a phase that he's going through. The vet can tell for sure right?

MikeB · Post by **MikeB** » Tue Sep 18, 2012 3:55 pm

Sounds like a puppy being a puppy. Yes you need to watch it like a constantly unless in a kennel encloser. Give the pup a raw knuckle bone from the butcher. That should keep him busy in the yard.

Doc E · Post by **Doc E** » Tue Sep 18, 2012 7:51 pm

A dog needs to be either :
Crated
In a kennel run (that doesn't contain rocks)
Under constant supervision

The dog didn't screw up --- you did.

.

Xhipi1 · Post by **Xhipi1** » Tue Sep 18, 2012 9:05 pm

I agree with him just being a pup and curious. I did screw up by trusting him too much I just thought he would be ok for an hour alone. Guess not.

sdsujacks · Post by **sdsujacks** » Wed Sep 19, 2012 10:30 am

I have a lab that is 5.5 months now, during months 3-4 he tried to eat every rock in site. It was a big pain for me having to constantly take rocks out of his mouth while running around yard, going for walks, playing in (gravel) driveway, etc. With every rock he picked up, I told him no and took it out of his mouth. I dont know if he got over his rock stage or just learned that hes not supposed to have rocks now, but he no longer does it.

Stick with it and tell him "no" for every rock. Every now and then you might have to lightly slap his noise, that made him learn real quick.

Xhipi1 · Post by **Xhipi1** » Wed Sep 19, 2012 5:59 pm

Thanks for the tip. i talked to the breeder and he was saying that pups will do that from time to time and its just there way of exploring the world. he said that just like human babies they like putting everything in their mouth. From now on i will try smacking his nose slightly and telling him no. hopefully he grows out of it.

JIM K · Post by **JIM K** » Wed Sep 19, 2012 8:05 pm

my pup almost 6 months old eats DUCK POO,DEAD BIRDS,ALL DEAD ANIMALS.i only hope it stops.

JIM K · Post by **JIM K** » Wed Sep 19, 2012 8:08 pm

Doc E wrote:A dog needs to be either :
Crated
In a kennel run (that doesn't contain rocks)
Under constant supervision

The dog didn't screw up --- you did.

.

doc, how do you handle a pup that is 6 months old and you have him off leash so he learns to hunt then finds dead things and runs and eats them before you can get to him?

Doc E · Post by **Doc E** » Wed Sep 19, 2012 8:38 pm

JIM K wrote: doc, how do you handle a pup that is 6 months old and you have him off leash so he learns to hunt then finds dead things and runs and eats them before you can get to him?

High level constant Ecollar (without saying a word) Make the dog think the "dead stinky things" caused the ecollar stimulation.
Just like 'snake avoidance' training.

.

Pappy · Post by **Pappy** » Thu Nov 15, 2012 9:54 pm

I would hate to have an xray of my dogs stomach. He has eaten all kinds of stuff. And it was't my fault. It is just a pup being a pup. He turned out fine. I am sure it is just a phase that the pup is going through.

Xhipi1 · Post by **Xhipi1** » Fri Nov 16, 2012 5:21 pm

he has drastically changed over the weeks. now whenever he picks up a rock or something he isnt supposed to have in his mouth i say "drop it" and if he continues to have it in his mouth i physically remove it and smack his rear a little. it seems to be working so far.

Post by **kninebirddog** » Sat Nov 17, 2012 9:48 pm

Xhipi1 wrote:he has drastically changed over the weeks. now whenever he picks up a rock or something he isnt supposed to have in his mouth i say "drop it" and if he continues to have it in his mouth i physically remove it and smack his rear a little. it seems to be working so far.

just a little FYI This is a quick way to teach him not to retrieve when you physically punish him after you have taken something from him.

Xhipi1 · Post by **Xhipi1** » Sat Nov 17, 2012 9:55 pm

kninebirddog wrote:
Xhipi1 wrote:he has drastically changed over the weeks. now whenever he picks up a rock or something he isnt supposed to have in his mouth i say "drop it" and if he continues to have it in his mouth i physically remove it and smack his rear a little. it seems to be working so far.
just a little FYI This is a quick way to teach him not to retrieve when you physically punish him after you have taken something from him.

how else would i go about removing a rock from his mouth without physically removing it with my hand? i know having him not pick it up on the first place is best but sometimes thats not possible. like today for example i took him to a local forest preserve and let him run loose on a 50 ft leash and i saw he had a chicken breast someone threw on the ground. i wasnt going to let him just eat it. what is a better way of going about this situation do you suggest?

Post by **kninebirddog** » Sat Nov 17, 2012 9:58 pm

I am not saying to not remove the object ..I am saying Just do not punish him with a smack on the rear after that..That will get him to start to run away from you when he has something in his mouth

marysburg · Post by **marysburg** » Sun Nov 18, 2012 7:35 am

Yup. I agree 100% with Knine. Swap him for something better like a treat or a bumper, and never scold him for carrying if you want him to retrieve in the field.

Doc E · Post by **Doc E** » Sun Nov 18, 2012 7:20 pm

Xhipi1 wrote:my English setter is 4 months old now and the little bugger wont stop eating rocks. i left him out in the yard saturday and thought it would be ok... BIG MISTAKE. hes been having diarrhea and been actually pooping out the rocks. is there anything i can do to stop this bad habit besides just keeping more of an eye on him?

A dog needs to be either :
1. Contained (crate or kennel run)
2. Under constant supervision
3. No if's and's or but's

.

ultracarry · Post by **ultracarry** » Sun Nov 18, 2012 9:48 pm

Sounds like your feeding Purina Pro Plan and the dog would rather eat rocks. Follow the above post unless you want to feed Loyall or EVO.

brad27 · Post by **brad27** » Mon Nov 19, 2012 12:06 am

Xhipi1 · Post by **Xhipi1** » Mon Nov 19, 2012 9:41 am

ultracarry wrote:Sounds like your feeding Purina Pro Plan and the dog would rather eat rocks. Follow the above post unless you want to feed Loyall or EVO.

hahaah thats what he actually get. are you stalking my pup ?!??!?!

cole.nelson782 · Post by **cole.nelson782** » Sat Dec 01, 2012 11:17 am

I have a 2 year old fox hound lab mix that really enjoys not only packing rocks around outside but sometimes chews on them. When he was younger and you tried to take them from him he would swallow them and throw them up later. Now he will bring them to me. I tell him no every time but never physically punish him as I want him to continue to retrieve.

Brazosvalleyvizslas · Post by **Brazosvalleyvizslas** » Mon Dec 03, 2012 4:35 pm

My Dads GSP died from eating rocks. I wouldn't treat as a pup being a pup but I would do whatever it takes to stop him.

Xhipi1 · Post by **Xhipi1** » Mon Dec 03, 2012 9:47 pm

He has dropped this nasty habit. In my case I do believe it was just a pup being a pup. But I do agree that this isn't a habit to take lightly there can be serious consequences.

UpNorthHuntin · Post by **UpNorthHuntin** » Tue Dec 04, 2012 8:46 am

Not to encroach on someone elses post, but I have a similar problem. I have taught the dog to "leave it" while walking on leash. I tell him "leave it" and he won't pick it up. My problem is in the home. He's a 7 month old Brittany and grabs everything he can reach. He knows he's wrong, because as soon as he does he takes off like a rocket... He thinks "keep away" is a fun game and runs all over the house to avoide me with the object in his mouth. While playing fetch or retreiving Dokken Deadfouls he does okay, but what a pain in the house. Any suggestions???

Xhipi1 · Post by **Xhipi1** » Tue Dec 04, 2012 9:51 am

i think hes doing that because he know you will chase him if he picks something up. try having a leash on him in the house too and if he picks something up hes not supposed to have just pull him back calmly say "leave it" and give him something he can play with. This is just a guess im not an expert by any means.

UpNorthHuntin · Post by **UpNorthHuntin** » Tue Dec 04, 2012 10:01 am

sounds good... That's what I was thinking too. I actually stopped his rock picking up outside similarly. If you use a Choke Chain one easy way to stop a habit like that is to raise the choke chain up on the neck directly behind the ears and lift applying just a little bit of pressure. It doesn't take much because they hate the pressure that high on the back of the neck. While applying light pressure I told him "leave it" and he dropped it right away. After only three or four days when he would go for something and I told him "leave it" he just looked the other way and didn't pick it up. It works pretty well with forcing a release as well.

MinneapolisMatt · Post by **MinneapolisMatt** » Tue Dec 04, 2012 10:38 pm

sdsujacks wrote:I have a lab that is 5.5 months now, during months 3-4 he tried to eat every rock in site. It was a big pain for me having to constantly take rocks out of his mouth while running around yard, going for walks, playing in (gravel) driveway, etc. With every rock he picked up, I told him no and took it out of his mouth. I dont know if he got over his rock stage or just learned that hes not supposed to have rocks now, but he no longer does it.

Stick with it and tell him "no" for every rock. Every now and then you might have to lightly slap his noise, that made him learn real quick.

I had an almost identical experience. From about month 3-3.5 my lab would always try to eat rocks. After about two weeks of constant correction, he has figured it out, and now I can trust him around rocks unsupervised. My guess is he grew out of it, but I think the correction helps speed up the process.

benelli · Post by **benelli** » Tue Dec 11, 2012 6:22 pm

UpNorthHuntin wrote:Not to encroach on someone elses post, but I have a similar problem. I have taught the dog to "leave it" while walking on leash. I tell him "leave it" and he won't pick it up. My problem is in the home. He's a 7 month old Brittany and grabs everything he can reach. He knows he's wrong, because as soon as he does he takes off like a rocket... He thinks "keep away" is a fun game and runs all over the house to avoide me with the object in his mouth. While playing fetch or retreiving Dokken Deadfouls he does okay, but what a pain in the house. Any suggestions???

We have an 8 month old GSP and a 1.5-year-old toddler, which means plenty of toys (wooden blocks - mmm!) lying around the living room. The dog has gotten a hold of a few here and there, and one of the big things we learned starting from the start was to make his picking up a forbidden object more or less a non-event. If he knew he was going to get punished, away he'd go and we might or might not be able to catch him; same thing if we turned it into an exciting game of keep-away. So we'd calmly call him over to us, gently take the toy away, and then give him a pat and tell him he was a good dog (rewarding him, but not excitedly, for bringing us the toy and giving it up). Apparently (at least for us) that was the magic system, because he *almost* never chews kid toys anymore, and if he does pick one up he'll often drop it if I just say, "Scout, no."

Also we keep him crated a lot of the time, especially if we can't pay close attention to him (and that was especially the case when he was less trustworthy - if he's in his crate, he can't commit crimes against Legos). We also make sure he has access to things that are acceptable to chew on - generally marrow bones from the grocery store or Nylabones (Kong toys don't last him more than an hour before they're shredded). He can't help the fact that he just needs to chew on things, so it's our responsibility, in a house full of things he'd find great pleasure in chewing on, to make sure he always has access to something acceptable.

Islander · Post by **Islander** » Fri Dec 14, 2012 10:50 pm

My pointer is almost a year and a half and addicted to big rocks, she wont eat them but will carry them for hours.. and chew on them. We've tried a lot of different methods but having no luck. Her first 10 months she was locked in a basement (not in our care) and ended up having no paw pads left because she tried digging her way out (was starved, beaten etc) so somebody mentioned she may have started chewing drywall etc when she was hungry and could be addicted. Is there any truth to the rumor? It's impossible to take rocks out of the situation where we live - even the local dog park is all rock . Help?

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