Grass eater!

[Ozzy - Courtney]

Hi all!!! My 10 weeks old pup, Ozzy, will eat anything he could get his mouth on whenever we are outside for his potty training and walks. He will the grass, mulch, dead worms, straw, leaves and anything else he could get his little mouth on. While I get most of it out of his mouth, he still hurry and swallow what's in his mouth when he sees me coming.

Someone told me that it's good for dogs to eat grass sometimes because the grass contains nutrients that dogs need. However, I'm worried that he'll get sick from the things that he's eating. Are any of you experiencing this as well? If so, what's the solution? 

Thanks!!

[Mary]

Our guy is now 7 and totally healthy and awesome.  When he was a pup, he did the same thing - it was a constant battle to keep him from eating the gravel in our driveway, in addition to everything else.  We were so worried about his teeth and his tummy!  All I can say is that he did outgrow it before he was one year old, and miraculously, there was no incident.  He has a strong stomach and strong teeth.  Maybe someone has a better answer, but we just had to watch him constantly - like a little toddler.  Times when we could not watch him, we'd send him to his room and pen him.  This was not an issue though because someone was always home with him, so it's not like he was in his pen alone for hours at a time.  And actually, when we tell him to "go to your room," he just be-bops in and he even goes in there on his own - he never perceived it as punishment.

Good luck!

[Mary]

I mean, he ate grass and everything outside, and ate everything inside too.  Dry wall, furniture - anything and everything - in addition to the chew toys (antlers, etc.)  We could not trust our dog for one second without being watched.  After one year, he just stopped all of that and doesn't mess with anything - except maybe wanting to roll around on a dead frog while outside, ha!

[Ozzy - Courtney]

HA...a dead frog. So glad to hear your doodle outgrew eating/chewing everything in site. Ozzy does the same thing inside as well. It's music to my ears knowing he'll hopefully get to the point where he will lose interest in all these things. Thank you for replying!!!

[Mary]

Yes, do be encouraged.  Your little guy is so young. I think the big plus is that these dogs love to please their owner, so consistent "no thank yous" worked well with our guy.  After a while, he saw that antlers and plushies and other things just for him were more pleasurable.  We had to teach him that certain things belonged to certain people in the house and that he is to keep to his own things - like not my daughter's favorite pink cat.  When he saw that she was upset over the missing eye, he realized he stepped over a line with her, doh!  Now he "asks" before he grabs something that is not explicitly his.   Ok, that is mostly true.  Except for food he can reach.  He did not earn the title "Food Jerk" for nothing.  We know he won't control himself, so we just try to set him up to win in that area by never leaving food out.  Hang in there.  The first year for us was a trial, but after that, he has been the best dog ever!

[Dolly Dykhouse]

Hi Courtney,

The biggest concern that I would have is that a 10 week old puppy is not fully immunized and therefore not protected from contagious canine diseases and has an immature GI tract for fighting off parasites. If a dog that has parvo or Giardia or Coccidia has been on that grass chances are they are leaving behind traces of the disease that Ozzy can pick up when he mouths/chews on that same grass; he can even pick it up by walking on it and then licking/cleaning his feet afterwards. 

I've experienced parvo with one dog (even after his vaccines were completed) and I just got Henry through a 10 week long bout of Giardia/Coccidia; neither of these are things I would want any pet lover to go through. My vet and breeder were adamant that I not take Henry out to any public places, including sidewalks and neighbors yards until he completed his vaccinations at 14 weeks and waited an additional week to make sure he had full immunity. It made me slightly paranoid LOL. I started him on leash training inside our garage just so we could get the hang of it. It wasn't ideal, but it was the only alternative I could think of at the time.

Fortunately, Henry is not a big sniffer on walks and doesn't pick anything up, however the park? Totally different! The biggest danger that I have found is that he can sniff out a piece of gum left in that 5 acre park like a bloodhound! 

[Ozzy - Courtney]

Hi Dolly, thanks for the reply. I was also worried about parvo and all the other diseases that he's susceptible to. But I only take Ozzy out in our yard and we haven't had a dog in over 10 years. Hopefully he's safe **fingers crossed** I hate to hear that your pup had to experience parvo. I'm always looking at Ozzy's poop and making sure there is no change in his behavior, like sleeping too much. I was told those are some of the signs too look for.

[Dolly Dykhouse]

Parvo is such a horrible disease, we were fortunate that we caught it early with our 7 month old Rottie even though he had had FIVE vaccinations instead of the normal four that breed is especially susceptible to parvo. It made me super cautious with Henry. Our backyard is all aggregate and pool with just a bark border around it, our front yard has the grass which he loves for running around like a mad man. I was bummed to have to wait until he was done with his vaccines for that too as we use a landscaping service and as the vet said, you don't know where the wheels of their lawnmowers have been. I swear that first month being confined until his final shots was sooo long. Sigh...the things we do to protect our fur babies.

[Kathy and Ruby Skye]

Hi! I'm glad to know my pup of 9 months isn't the only one eating grass, bark, leaves or whatever she finds outside in the yard. I also hear she will grow out of it, but at 9 months old, I'm wondering when. I tried using a spray bottle with water in it, but she thought it was a game and great fun! She will pull up a clump of grass with a ball of dirt attached and run around the yard knowing she's not supposed to do it. It's like she's daring me to chase her. She can be a bit feisty at times. Still working on drop it and leave it. It's frustrating, but I know someday her antics will end, then I will miss them. :)

[Shelly Gouvas]

My puppies eat everything but the thing I just can't deal with is the poop eating. Anyone else having that problem. Yucky! Had to laugh my ass off though. The other day Levon got a poop that for some weird reason didn't want to come all the way out. My other pup Kiki saw this and thought yummy. Levon runs from us. So there is Levon with a big turd hanging out. Kiki trailing him trying to land it in her mouth and I'm at the end of the line wanting to help Levon relieve himself and throwing the poop in the trash. It was just one of those frustrating moments but I don't know. It just made me laugh.

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

Poop eating can be a real problem. With some dogs it is a forever battle - you keeping poop picked up before they can eat it.  None of the home remedies I'v heard of actually work.  I keep thinking if you could prevent them doing it long enough perhaps the interest won't continue. 

[Shelly Gouvas]

My last resort is to try putting hot sauce on the poop. My husband thinks its cruel. Ceaser suggests to do it. Thinkin that would work.

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

I think it's worth a try.  Maybe sprinkle with red pepper?