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Pica in Dogs
A medical issue in which dogs crave nonfood or non-nutritive items is called pica.
toys, jewelry, coins, pencils, and many other objects have been found in the stomach of a dog.
When sharp items are swallowed, this can become a very serious problem.
There are several causes for Pica.
There is a Play solicitation and stress. There is attention-seeking associated with obsessive-compulsive disorder. obsessive-compulsive disorder There are brain diseases.
pica can be prevented from becoming a chronic disease with early intervention. I explain several training approaches to prevent bad habits.
Curiosity
Young puppies want to explore their environment all day.
The scent perception of a puppy is increased by chewing and mouthing on things.
If your dog accidentally swallows something, supervision will be mandatory.
When I was a puppy, my dog used to be very mouth oriented, so you had to be very alert during walks. Your puppy should grow out of that curiosity after a few weeks.
An appointment with the vet should be able to rule out any underlying medical issues that would need to be treated because pica and curiosity are not easy to differentiate.
Boredom
A dog that is bored will get into a lot of behavior.
This happens when dogs are left alone in the yard for a long period of time.
With nothing to do, your dog will quickly dig up the grass or chew on the stones.
If you want to solve this problem, you can read my guide on 12 boredom busters that will keep your dog entertained.
Make sure that your dog has a lot of physical and mental activity.
A few short walks will get the puppies engaged in a tug-of-war.
Dietary Deficiencies
Puppies need a lot of calories. An unbalanced diet can have serious consequences.
Your dog will try to get his food from somewhere else.
Talk to your vet about your dog’s diet and nutrition.
Everything he needs should be provided by dog food.
If you are interested in transitioning your dog, check out this article.
How to Stop a Dog from Eating Rocks
The first thing to do to eliminate the problem would be to remove stones from his environment.
If it is not possible to remove all the rocks, then you will have to keep an eye on your dog.
Puppies should never be left alone and should be supervised 24/7. Pay attention to your puppy during walks.
Is he smelling the roses or picking up pebbles?
A young puppy can make it difficult to remove objects from his mouth.
The Lepark nylon mesh dog muzzle will prevent your dog from picking up any stones in the first play.
For a proper introduction, follow the steps in my muzzle training guide.
If you want to control the stone eating situation, you can teach your dog to leave it and drop it.
If you can anticipate that your dog will take something into his mouth, leave it. When objects are in his mouth, he drops it.
In a tug game, your puppy will learn how to take a toy and release it again, if you add “Drop it” to it.
Eating stones and getting some structure into play sessions will be helped by this.
Establishing that you are the one who decides when something is in your dog’s mouth will help a lot. You can watch the video below to learn how to teach it.
If you leave it, you will get some impulse control into your daily training.
Your puppy will learn it quickly if you follow the steps below.
Do not play with your dog near stones, rocks or similar objects.
It is possible that your dog’s stress level is related to his eating disorder.
The right prevention, supervision, and training will eventually stop the behavior. Don’t forget to take your dog to the vet first.
