Lab Won't Stop Eating Rocks
 

Any words of wisdom? Our one-year old lab loves to eat rocks in the back yard, the entire back of the house is landscaped with rock so removing them isn't an option. Tried the nasty tasting spray stuff, doesn't seem to phase her. I've caught her in the act and scolded her, it doesn't seem to have an impact. We've already had her in the dog hospital once when she got really sick, prognosis was a rock stuck in her intestines. Fortunately she passed it just prior to surgery, but it still cost us over $1000. Obviously that cycle can't repeat itself, because either I will end up broke or the dog will end up dead. Both not good. Suggestions?

One of my Mastiffs used to like to swallow Tennis balls.

Vet said mix hydrogen peroxide and water 50-50. Pour down her throat and make her run around.

She'll puke up the ball.

Dog will probably out grow it. but till then some thoughts here, Does Your Dog Eat Rocks? What You Can Do About It - Yahoo Voices - voices.yahoo.com

My brother's chocolate lab used to do this too. I was always pulling stones and rocks out of her mouth. She would just run outside and grab a mouthful and start crunching them around. She wasn't a year old yet and was teething. My brother used to take an old sock and soak it in water and freeze it to help with the teething issues.

The best advice I could give would be to watch your lab when they are outside, remove or cover easily accessible rocks and give them some other toys to chase and chew on.

Me...I'd start daily "training sessions" with lots of opportunities for her to be tempted, and me holding a spray bottle (water pistol) of water/lemon juice, etc. (something that REALLY gets her attention). She's already "learned" to eat 'em, so unlearning will take a bit of effort, but the second she gets the "urge" and makes a move...squirt, squirt :D. Labs are smart...ya might have to "conceal" yourself or the sprayer...but she'll get the message soon enough. Good luck!

Tabasco sauce

Same Mastiff that ate the Tennis balls used to eat her poop.

Vet suggested Tabasco.

Stupid dog liked it even better.

he's bored...
he needs more exercise..
a good Lab is a tired Lab..
especially during the spawns from hell period..
which takes about 2 years..

Rika

I thought EVERYBODY knows that poop tastes better with Tabasco :D

Our 11 month chocolate, "Daisy" went through the same rock chewing problem. I solved the chewing part by offering her a treat when she gave me the rock. Now she brings a rock (doesn't chew it) and drops it by me for that treat. The rock chewing and retreiving is diminishing as she matures. Enjoy your puppy!


/bs

Thanks guys. Here's a picture of the offender.

http://i195.photobucket.com/albums/z...psuhapyz9h.jpg

Our dog won't stop eating sticks and leaves. He'll tear branches right off the bush.

In fact, he eats everything. He's partial to paper towels and toilet paper. Hard to keep them away from him.

At least he wipes his own butt when he poops and it comes out...

Beautiful girl Matt! Reminds me of one of my labs from days gone by....she was light colored (all over) like yours is above the eyes. Lots of good suggestions offered here....plenty of exercize, "better tasting" items to chew...I (or rather my sister) kept mine supplied with oodles of rawhide chews, tennis balls, Kongs, etc. If you've already taught her what "no" means (I use a gutteral sounding "ACK/NACK") you might not even need a "persuader" to stop her undesirable behavior...just training sessions to get the "message" across" might work imo. Let us know how it goes...lots of ways to "skin a dawg" if what we've suggested so far doesn't work...good luck!

Had to go find a pic from the archives....I still miss that old girl...she was simply "the best", but I might be biased ;)http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1396284309.jpg

Don't let the dog get into the backyard?

best answer - also praise her for the retrieve then give her that trade of a really nice treat for the rock

how old?

With all due respect Randy, there simply is no "best answer" imo. It's simple behavior modification and different techniques work for different dogs...all depends upon the dog, past training, and finding something that works for each "unique" dog/master. He's dealing with a 1 year old lab...some might think "hyper active", but the one I pictured above was one of the most "laid back labs" at that age (always was actually) that I've ever been around. The breeder told me she was gonna turn out that way...he "knew" HIS dawgs and their offspring ;)

Never saw my old chocolate lab eat rocks but she did eat aluminum cans as a puppy. She grew out of it but the crazy never left.

It's a nice big fenced backyard to play and run off all that lab puppy energy so no, not an option.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1396302762.jpg


thankfully SAM and Jack on the R have settled a bit..
Finn on the left..well he's a work in progress..
he's about 10 months old we figure..

having the yard is great, but she needs to be walked and walked again..
mine go 2x a day followed with a romp in the pool..

Rika

I think they're kinda focused on ya Rika....beautiful dawgs!!!

He's missing minerals, calcium.

also quite possible - that means we now have 2 best answers

you are not feeding a cheapo food are you?

feed a human quality dog food and if there is excess give it to your kids

Nope, I'm not buying that one either. I too have had dogs that would "gobble a turd" before I stopped the habit. There's an old wive's tale that says turd gobbling is due to a diet defficiency also...it's simply not true. They're dawgs, just doing what dawgs do....boredom, pent up energy (who knows?), but the behavior can be modified with a proper technique and consistency of application. There is NO "right" answer, just find something that works imo. Sometimes you have to get creative in order to "out smart" them though....easier said than done on occasion :D

When my friends lab was a puppy he was a rock eater too.

He had just started dating his wife and had come back to the house to let the dog out of the kennel.
When they opened the front door, the smell of poop was overwhelming. They found Barney in the kennel completely clean. He had backed his butt up to the door of the kennel and let fly everything through the wire mesh outside of the kennel. The only thing they found inside was a rock. He was a good dog and stayed a puppy until he was about 10 years old.

Very possible...it's called 'Pica' when they eat or lick foreign materials..usually dirt or rocks and often signals a mineral deficiency.. May also just be silly lab puppy behavior ;)

I remember when LBJ's Beagles used to do the same. A friend was THE WH vet that week ...chosen from vets at Walter Reed. NOT a very popular job. Anyway, one of the dogs obstructed and had to go to surgery. Of course the human Docs took over much to the relief of my friend... Dog died on the table.. Shows to go ya ;)

I just happened to see you logged in before, and was hoping you would chime in here. I'm betting on the latter...any suggestons on how to stop it from your perspective?

ps: Knowing Matt, I'm pretty sure he's feeding her quality food....Matt?

edited: Found this after Mark's post and searching on PICA...worth a read:

http://www.humanesociety.org/animals/resources/tips/pica_eating_strange_objects.html

Rika kinda nailed it.
An exhausted Labradork is a great family member.
Exercise, exercise and then make sure you have tired the little bugger out.
My labs ate anything, including puking entire deer innards, in my game room, oh hell, anywhere they wanted to puke. But, god forbid, never outside!
The more exhausted, and I mean dick draggin' in the mud tired, the more compliant.
Now, it's still a Lab, so **** will continue to occur, but to a minimum.
Having stated all the above, I will never own dogs other than Labs.

Humans do this too. In the South there were specific areas of a whitish clay that families used for dirt-eating to satisfy a "specific nutritional hunger" due to low levels of micro-nutrients in their food. These areas were not occupied as home or farm sites, but were defended against others.

gives a whole new perspective on "get off my lawn"

Thanks for the suggestions and commentary thus far. She gets a name brand (don't recall which) puppy food that is specified for large breed dogs. In honor of you guys she got a few new rawhides tonight, so there's enough for an entire pack out in my yard. I spent the entire afternoon outside with her today, so we had plenty of teaching moments.;)

Thanks for reminding me why I don't have time for a dog right now Matt! ;). Good luck! I love labs, but they sure are hard headed dogs!

A kennel and / or a safe dog run may save your dog's life. Not every blockage can be surgically removed, sometimes they die on the table! Why don't you build a dog run? Sounds like your BJ is big enough to have a paved or concrete run. You can still enjoy the back yard when actively playing / supervising. Also, it can be inside the house where there aren't any rocks. Just make it a point to get the dog a couple hours playtime / walks / runs off leash every day and it will be fine. It will get you and your family out and if you have older kids, they will love going on a neighborhood walk by themselves.

My dogs are kenneled / in the dog run a lot if they aren't in the house. If I'd leave them in the back yard, it would be plowed in a few days just from running around and wrestling. I find that having your dog in the kennel actually focuses them more on you when they are with you. They are more receptive to training and following commands.

Just my two cents.

G

Yes, there is risk. The rocks really cannot be removed or the yard covered with dirt and grass?

BTW - not all name brand dog foods are equal. There is a long dog food thread here in OT.

Puppies eat and chew on all kinds of things.. It's their way of checking things out to a great extent. Shoes, drapes, furniture and the like just piss you off but rocks of course can be serious if swallowed... Training and diligence is the best way I know to discourage unwanted behavior. For this I use a soda or beer can with a handful of pebbles placed inside. Tape the top shut and the first time you catch them doing something you don't want, throw it at them..it won't hurt but it WILL get their attention.. from then on all you have to do is shake the can or even just show it to them. Dogs really do want to please...that's their natural mission in life with a human partner. You are the alpha dog...they want to make you love them...

Good luck.. raising puppies is a challenge. I'm about to start the process again likely in June and I have very mixed feelings...anticipation with a tad of dread... LOL

Spam reported to mods....

I keep chiming in on this thread, 'cause I don't mind being wrong (a bunch!) if it eventually leads to a happy, healthy dog and a happy Matt! The good Dr is absolutely spot on imo....who woulda figured ;)! Though I've never needed to resort to a spray bottle or can of "noise", I've often heard they are effective. I concur about the "name brand" foods, not all being equal. Me, I'm just not gonna pay HUGE $ for exoctic foods, but use a good, decent brand (I use Pro Plan (made by Purina...what my last breeder and my vet use)), but Iams, Blue, and a few others would be fine too. Hint...if it's sold in a grocery store, it might not be great even if it's named Purina. G's suggestion about a run would be an option as a last resort for "me", but a good one if all else fails. I'm still a firm believer that the behavior CAN be modified with just a bit of effort and a change of tactics. Good luck Matt...keep it up and let us know!

ps: ALL labs aren't hard headed...they are absolutely one of the smartest and "easiest" breeds to train around...using the right techniques.

You need another dog. This one has too much free time and not enough to do. Another dog to play with would help.

JR

I'll double check the food brand with the wife, she does our shopping. But I'm pretty sure it was vet recommended.

Webb, it's hard to describe without a pic, but it's a big fenced back yard with lots of grass. Across the entire back of our house is landscaped with a rock border and filled with river rock, including under our large deck. We did all of the work last year (pre-dog) and spent probably $1500 just in rock, so it's not going anywhere.

JR, sometimes one dog is one too many. It's a toss-up whether she or my three year old is a bigger pain, and sometimes I want to drop them both off at the pound. I think they conspire against me.....

In all honesty, I think it's a combination of playing and teething. She will grab a rock, even when we are outside playing with her, and start munching on it. Other times she'll toss it around.

+1 Labs are incredible dogs but they have endless energy that needs to be drained on a regular basis. We had a golden lab when I was a kid and we used to take him to the beach (back when that was allowed) a couple times a week. He would run and fetch a tennis ball thrown into the surf all day if we let him. Unstoppable.

I would not be too concerned about the rocks at this point. I like the idea of training to give up the rock for a tasty prize.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1396366578.jpg

SAM on the coast


http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1396366886.jpg

a tired Lab.

Rika

Maybe teething? Get some kong squeaky chew toys. My dog which looks nearly identical to yours so they must be the same and this is on the internet so it must be true loves those toys.

Matt, our dog (lab) did the same thing. Rocks are his favorite toy, and apparently when he was done playing with them, he ate them. Got sick, took to vet, found several rocks in his stomach/intestine.

It seems that the unpleasantries of either the pain suffered or the trip to the vet cured him of his desire to ingest matter he can't chew/digest because he doesn't eat rocks anymore.