Stop Dog's Indiscriminate Eating?

[mbc1963]

I just had Cricket out in the fields. Another guy was there with his 5-ish month old giant lab pup. Cricket hadn't run the day before, and she had serious zoomies. She REALLY needs to be off leash sometimes; on-leash doesn't relieve her need to run.

 

Crick ran into the woods; I don't worry because she just chases squirrels, and always comes back. The man with the pup said, "Oh, he will never go out of my sight." Only he did. After the lab pup ran into the woods, Cricket ran out. The man went into the woods after the lab, who ran out to me with a big mouthful of... intestines? Inverted rabbit? Man was royally pissed. I suspect Cricket killed a bunny and the big pup took it away from her.

 

Oh, well!

 

The point of all this is... how the heck can I keep Cricket from eating stuff? She mainly looks for dog/coyote poop and the remains of animals. She'll come out with a half squirrel in her mouth. I never thought she was much of a killer, but that thing today was wet and slimy - looked fresh.

 

I don't want to keep her from running. She is a coiled ball of energy. Could I have her wear a basket muzzle in the woods? Would there be any danger to that that I'm not seeing?

 

Kind of gross, overall. I never owned a terrier before. She is lightning fast.

[Cass C]

Honestly IMO if you aren't watching the dog they will eat gross stuff. Better yet roll on gross stuff if eating it fails!

 

The only possible solution I see is a really long line to run on? But again in your sight or eating/rolling will ensue.

[Smalahundur]

 

 

The point of all this is... how the heck can I keep Cricket from eating stuff?

Keep her away from the food...

[GentleLake]

Didn't think a terrier was a killer? I don't mean to offend, but I think that's hilarious. It's what they're bred to do. Kinda like when someone applies to a border collie rescue and says they don't want a dog with herding behavior. (Yes, I've seen several app with that criterion.)

 

Does Cricket have a leave it cue? That's about the only thing I can think of. Of course it would mean she'd have to be within your line of sight so that you can see her going after something and then cue it. And it would, like any other self-rewarding behavior, mean she'd have to be be prevented from practicing it until she became reliable. Both would present challenges.

[Donald McCaig]

Dear Doggers,

 

Ms. Cass rightly observed, "Honestly IMO if you aren't watching the dog they will eat gross stuff."

 

Solution? Don't watch.

 

Donald McCaig

[Maralynn]

I've taught my dogs leave it so when I see it I can stop it. And then don't worry about what they eat when out of my sight. It's gross so I try not to think about it.

 

My dogs have killed woodchucks, little rodents and a skunk. When my sheep would lamb, placenta was a favorite snack. And that doesn't even begin to cover the poop they find. Eww. Eww. Eww. That disgusts me to no end so I try REALLY hard not to think about it. My only alternative is to keep them on a leash or in sight all the time and since that's totally not happening the ingesting of gross stuff will happen. Thankfully, my dogs have all developed iron stomachs and have yet to suffer any ill effects from it.

 

Do be sure to keep up to date on wormer.

[mbc1963]

Thanks. It is really, really disgusting. But I keep reminding myself of Charlie, my childhood dog, who was unleashed and ran free his whole life, siring many pups and living feral some weeks when the females would come into heat. What HE must have eaten... and yet he survived.

 

So, yes, I'm going to work VERY HARD to just not think about it.

[BorderCollie86]

I have the same issue. Ares eats literally EVERYTHING pretty much while outside. Tries to get cigarette butts, paper, plastic, dirt... you name it. So I can't wait to read the feedback you get too!

[mbc1963]

Yes... I can be thankful my dog only eats poop and dead animals. No rocks, sticks... nothing that would puncture her intestines. ::Sigh::

 

I did see a lab once wearing a basket muzzle because he had eaten so many dangerous things like rocks. His owner had to pay for a couple surgeries, and then gave up and started muzzling the dog. That's why I asked about the muzzle. Seems like it could be a life-saver for the right dog who doesn't eat smart.

[Pavlov]

I did see a lab once wearing a basket muzzle because he had eaten so many dangerous things like rocks. His owner had to pay for a couple surgeries, and then gave up and started muzzling the dog. That's why I asked about the muzzle. Seems like it could be a life-saver for the right dog who doesn't eat smart.

 

Sounds familiar. My dog went through some surgeries after he ate cat toys (rubberish balls that then expanded in his stomach) and a corn cob. Now he always has a basket muzzle on when we're outside or he's home alone.

 

Fortunately I had him insured (the insurance literally came into effect the day before the first incident) so I haven't gone completely poor due to vet bills.