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Foraging/Eating Everything In Sight?

by Matt
(Pennsylvania, USA)

We have a 10-week old black tri (Wyatt). He's a wonderful little bugger but my biggest frustration (apart from his biting, which I think will pass with time) is that when we take him outside to go, he will forage around in the grass and try to eat anything he finds—bark, acorns, dandelions, leaves, small sticks, etc. While I don't think dandelions and leaves will affect his digestion much, I worry about him chewing up and swallowing bark, acorns, and small sticks. Is there anything my wife and I can do to deter him from foraging and instead focus on going to the bathroom or interacting with us while we're outside?

Comments for Foraging/Eating Everything In Sight?

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try this
by: Anonymous

at 10 weeks of age my guess is he is looking to chew things. give him a lot of chew toys. and some bones. but always keep an eye out. my guy is now a year and a half, he still loves to pick up sticks and leaves and just carry them in his mouth.

Eating everything in sight
by: Anonymous

Be careful when it comes to your dog chewing tree bark (with the white/green mold on it). I noticed my dog eating it one day and she had horrible diarrhea for 4 days. Was a very sick dog.

Did I adopt a Sheep or a Shepherd?
by: Anonymous

My three month old Aussie puppy does the same thing. I take him to the park to play ball and exercise and all he wants to do is graze on leaves and sticks. Is this typical behavior? He has plenty of chew toys, so I don't think it is an issue of teething. I was worried that I'm not feeding him enough, but I've checked with my vet and multiple web sites and they all say the same thing, which I'm following. Any suggestions?

Aussie eating acorns
by: Linda

I have a 9 mos old male, red tri. I live on 5 acres with lots of oak. Duke my Aussie has been ill with mild vomiting and diarrhea. I have decided this is caused by his eating acorns. He had blood, stool and urinalysis done. Only thing out of wack are his kidney values. Researching acorn toxicity shows that dogs eating acorns may have kidney issues as well as the vomiting and diarrhea. I’m working with him to not eat the acorns but he’s very fast and can chomp on them before I can get him to drop them. Even this small amount of ingestion can cause vomiting. My vet has suggested a basket muzzle. I guess this is my next step. Any ideas or insight would be appreciated!!

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