Does your Doodle like rocks?

[Heidi]

Bear likes to pick up rocks and leave them in different places. However, when we see him pick one up we have him drop it or tell him to "leave it". So the other day we thought he may have swallowed one. We watched over him to make sure he was OK and checked his stools but nothing. His appetite was the same too. Well two days later, early Thanksgiving morning he is gagging and coughing up mucous. A few seconds later out came a perfectly round 2-3 inch size rock.

How do you keep you doodle from eating rocks when your not around him?

[Dan, Judi, & Timbow]

Timbow is more of a stick kind of guy. I don't think he's ever tried to eat a rock. I would just watch him like a hawk when he's outside. Maybe if you brought a few rocks in your house and sprayed them with bitter apple he would think all rocks taste bad?

[Heidi]

Thanks for the bitter apple idea, I am going to do it.

[Debbie and Thomas]

Heidi, that is unbelievable that Bear threw up that rock!!! Our doodle Thomas loves rocks! The previous owner of our house(moved in Aug of this yr) has these STUPID rocks everywhere; in all of her gardens, around every tree and shrub. There are hundreds of them-maybe thousands. Whenever our doodle is outside-he goes straight for the rocks in the gardens! He does pick them up in his mouth and tries to dig a hole to bury them in but so far he has never swallowed one. I am so happy that Bear did not get very sick over this-it could have been a lot worse. And thanks for the warning-I'll keep a closer eye on our dood to make sure he doesn't swallow one in the future.

[Linda,Yankee & Finn]

My dogs don't eat them (that I know of) but they play with them, pile them on the back steps, try to bring them in the house and chew on them.

[Sandy]

Toby likes to pick up rocks, carry them, and fling them into the air. We usually offer him something better, and take the rock away. I'm pretty sure as a puppy he ate some, and they "came through" judging from the solidness of his, um, poop.

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

Ned brings rocks and sticks into the house through the doggie door. We have not noticed that he eats the rocks but he does chew the sticks to mush.

[Frannie & Callie]

Rocks don't seem to be a problem, but Callie can't stay away from live frogs. I've taken several of them out her mouth (fortunately still alive). I like Judi's suggestion of the bitter apple - may be good aversion therapy for Bear.

[Heidi]

Thank God I don't have frogs in the backyard. I've gotta give you props for taking them out of her mouth.

I just bought the bitter apple spray and even though he hasn't touched a rock since, I am going to spray it on some rocks anyway so he always has a bad memory of them.

[Allyson, Peri & Taquito]

Peri licked a frog's back once and started foaming at the mouth! I am not kidding!

[Debbie and Thomas]

I can't help it... did the frog turn into a prince??? Seriously though, there is SOMETHING about touching a frog that can do something... I can't remember what it is... maybe cause warts or something.. any other ideas?

[Azure & Muppet]

Luckily our dog doesn't like rocks. But I have a friend whose golden retriever liked rocks, and started swallowing them when they tried telling him to 'drop it' or tried taking them out of his mouth. They had to have surgery TWICE to remove rocks in his stomach when he was a puppy. After the first time, she tried putting hot sauce on the rocks, but it didn't work. So after the second time, they re-landscaped their yard to replace the rocks with grass. On both occasions, he stopped eating and starting throwing up or having diarrhea. When they took him to the vet, they did x-rays which showed the rocks that were in his stomach.

[Heidi]

Thanks for the info. I am using the bitter apple spray on the rocks and he hasn't had any ricks in his mouth since but I do need to get another bottle of bitter apple spray. I am keeping it up so he will forget about it and never go back to putting rocks in his mouth so he doesn't have to go through what your friends dog had too.