Puppy eats yard debris

[wrgrimes]

6mo Australian Shepherd, generally learning well. Problem- in the yard he wants to mow for debris (pinecone seed scale, pine needles, acorns, etc) even on leash. He chews and tries to swallow the debris. How to stop?

[JMFS]

I can put your mind at ease about acorns. Momo used to eat them like candy and I asked my Veterinarian. She gave the green light saying they weren't harmful. The pine related items, on the other hand, might be concerning as pine is toxic to pooches. Have you practiced leave and drop? Here are the training lessons for those two:

 

https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/brain-training/obedience-101/drop-it/

https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/brain-training/obedience-101/take-leave-it/

 

Another option would be to redirect his attention to something that's okay. With Gertrude I can start pretending like I'm digging in the yard and I start making high pitched excited noises. Dang near every time she'll abandon what she's doing and come over to investigate. Another distraction tactic I use is to start running away from her. I have a high success rate of her following me because dogs love to chase. Then there's the flirt pole option: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/forum/showthread.php?216-Flirt-Pole&highlight=flirt One more option is having high value treats on hand - the ones he really goes gaga over - to get him to leave the other, less tasty, items alone.

[Adrienne Farricelli]

Jennifer provided several excellent solutions for your pup's "yard mowing habits."

This is a habit we want to curb considering that ingesting these in a large amount can trigger digestive issues and even intestinal blockages if eaten in large amounts or without chewing much. Pine needles are also irritating and sharp to the dog's delicate GI mucosa. According to the Pet Poison Helpline, they can be irritating to the dog's mouth and digestive system, resulting in vomiting, diarrhea, and drooling.

 

Removing as much of this material from the yard as possible can help manage this behavior, but this option many not be very feasible if you have a large yard. However, there is a special tool known as "the comb" (sold by pinecomb.com) which is specifically made to remove pine needles. This may help remove a good percentage, but even if it may not remove all pine needles from the whole yard, at least you can rake a good portion free where you can take your dog on leash and practice "leave its" without worrying about excessive accidental consumption.

 

It sounds like your dog is looking for opportunities to scavenge. Redirecting your dog to rewarding activities that are more fun than scavenging for acorns, pine needles and all the alike may also help. I am not sure of your yard's setting, but maybe you can set up a Treasure Hunt game and encourage your dog to go on a kibble hunt. Here is a guide on teaching the treasure hunt game:

https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/brain-training/elementary/the-treasure-hunt/

 

Investing in more brain games can also provide an outlet for dogs who love to forage. When outdoors, try to engage your dog in a fun muffin game https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/brain-training/elementary/the-muffin-game/

Shell game:https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/brain-training/college/the-shell-game/

And bottle game:

https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/brain-training/high-school/the-bottle-game/

 

You can also set up a ball pit game outdoors:

https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/brain-training/elementary/the-ball-pit-game/

 

 

You can also stuff a Kong with some goodies or bring out a Kong Wobbler filled with kibble to allow your dog to get some fresh air and put his mind to "work." Providing a safe durable chew can also work well as a way to distract and seek out more valuable resources than yard debris.

 

Of course, you will need to monitor your dog during these games and make sure that after your dog finishes playing, that he doesn't go back to his pine needle and acorn eating habit. However, if we can at least prevent rehearsal for a good part of the time he's out, we heighten the chances that he'll pick to engage in these activities more and more so to make good choices. Praising him when he makes good choices in picking one of these activities also works as an added incentive to make them more enticing, in hopes of making the eating yard stuff less enticing.

 

For desperate cases, dogs can be taught to wear a muzzle when going out so that they cannot ingest things that may be potentially harmful to them. Basket type muzzles in particular, allow dogs to pant, breathe and some models even allow dogs to drink water. While this can work, it's still important to provide dogs with ample of opportunities to "scavenge" so to not create frustration due to their needs not being met.

Edited October 13, 2019 by Adrienne Farricelli

[wrgrimes]

Thanks for replies. Working on ‘leave it’ and ‘drop it’. I worry about command fatigue. Didn’t know if there were more tricks.

Will check on games.

Yard is about an acre. Mostly out on leash while we train him. He is young, we are old and don’t need to chase him. He is smart and coming along well.

I think consistent work and age he will be excellent.

[JMFS]

If you have the means to cordon off an area to practice training that might help. We're on 1.3 acres and we have a front, back, and middle yard. The middle yard is where the pups can roam free without supervision because we are able to manage that area. Another thought would be putting him on a tie out so you only have to manage him within a 50 ft range until he's got the hang of "don't eat the yard." On occasion Gertie will "forget" that nighttime outings are business only and I'll put her on our 50 ft lead for the next few nights. That's helped in reminding her nighttime is Not play time. Like you I don't care to be chasing after, well, anything!

 

He'll give you cues when he's getting tired or bored of training. He'll seem to lose interest or to forget everything y'all have been working on. I've learned here that the key is to stop the training before they get bored, frustrated, or over threshold.

 

You're absolutely correct, age and consistent work will pay off. I thought Gertrude was untrainable - she had Zero house manners when we came home with her. 18 months'ish later and she's trusted to be alone for long periods of time in managed rooms (definitely Not my yarn room - she's a fiber addict like me :D), she listens far better than she used to, she stays at the door until I give her the okay, and her recall has improved immensely. We didn't get there by me sitting on my duff, that's for sure! There's been a whole lotta work happening to get to that point and I'm thrilled with our progress.

[wrgrimes]

Thanks,

Our middle yard is controlled with leash. Too many beds and shrubbery for chasing and playing games.

Back lot is wide open and fenced- treat with opportunities to run; also work on 'come' command.

I think when 'come' about hard-wired we will all be much better.