Why Does My Lab Puppy Eat Sticks

My 15 week old chocolate lab puppy loves to nibble on grass and has never shown tummy problems or vomiting from it. I almost think that she just has a fascination with it! She does, however, pick up sticks and rocks which I remove from her mouth.

Why does my lab puppy eat sticks. The key to keeping your dog from eating wood, as with anything you don’t want them to ingest, is to keep it away from them. Understandably, keeping wood away can be more difficult given your environment, especially if you live near a forest or wooded area. A puppy normally grows out of putting everything he can in his mouth by 6 months to 12 months old. If your dog is regularly obsessed with eating sticks, dirt and leaves, and he's getting plenty of nutrition, he may have a disorder known as pica. Dogs eat grass and leaves as an aid in digestion, for extra fiber, or in young dogs, out of boredom. Canine ancestors eat grass, berries and just about anything they can find to snack on in the wild. Eating grass and leaves may be a trait remaining from the pack instinct. Learn why dogs like chewing sticks, and how you can curb this behavior. Chances are, your dog has chewed, and even eaten, a fair number of sticks. Whether you’re playing fetch with your pup or just out on a walk, if he comes across an attractive stick, he might lie down and start chomping away.

Ask AKC . Dear AKC: My son has a beautiful German Shorthaired Pointer who is a companion plus hunting dog.The dog eats rocks. My son has tried everything to keep him from doing this. The dog gets. Puppy is pitbull husky mix, 13 weeks old. I feel as though when we are outside I am constantly pulling sticks and leaves from my puppy's mouth. Does it really matter? Can she get sick? She doesn't really chew on stuff in the house. The puppy then does swallow it, simply because if it’s in his tummy, no one else can take it. For this reason it is always best to “swap” items you don’t want your puppy to have, for a tasty bit of food.. Why Do Dogs Eat Sticks?. My 7 year old lab does the same thing!! I am sick of her throwing up objects–plastic bags, socks. Give your puppy meat-based baby food, which is palatable to most puppies and easier to eat with a sore mount. Add warm water or no-salt chicken broth to dry foods to make a slurry in the blender. Warm up your puppy's food by zapping it in the microwave for 10 seconds or so, which can unlock the food's aroma and pique your pup’s appetite.

When dogs are bored or stressed they may eat toys and sticks, but try to prevent this. Objects like these can get lodged in the digestive tract and the dog may require emergency surgery. Invest in some safe chew toys instead and be sure to give your dog plenty of exercise. If you believe your dog has consumed wood or sticks and fear any of the above scenarios, contact your vet ASAP. Block Off Areas With Mulch and Sticks. In the discussion about sticks and wood, we often forget about mulch. Many forms of mulch are filled with chunks of wood and sticks, and can be just as damaging for a pet when it’s consumed. Top Picks For Our Dogs. BEST PUPPY TOY We Like: Snuggle Puppy w/ Heart Beat & Heat Pack - Perfect for new puppies. We get all of our Service Dog pups a Snuggle Puppy. BEST CHEW TOY We Like: KONG Extreme - Great toy for heavy chewers like our Labrador Retrievers. BEST DOG TREATS We Like: Wellness Soft Puppy Bites - One of our favorite treats for training our service dog puppies. It means that though the stick-chasing dogs suffer more debilitating and severe injuries as compared to the stick chewers, but your dog may eventually get hurt in both cases. It is therefore important to find the answer to "Why do dogs eat wood?" and do something to fix the issue.

Sam,my 18 month old chocolate lab has a habit of eating sticks,I don't mean chewing them,I mean biting sizeable chunks off and eating it.Obviously my concern is it can't be doing him any good. Pica explained: Why dogs eat things that aren't food, and what you can do to stop them.. Dogs love to chew all manner of things, from shoes and toys to sticks and plastic cups. In fact, if you have a puppy who is under six months old, you will likely see all sorts of non-food items in his mouth at one time or another. However, if your dog is actually eating the sticks, this could be a problem. First of all, it is dangerous because some sticks are poisonous such as oak, chestnut, apple, locust, and buckeye. Pica . Repeatedly ingesting non-edible objects is called pica.Puppies often accidentally swallow pieces of toys, but pica refers to an almost-obsessive urge to eat rocks or chomp mouthfuls of dirt, sticks, sand, or other nondigestible material.