[Duke's Momma]

from eating sticks? Coley is constantly eating sticks - chewing on them. I know it's a bad thing but I was hoping someone would have a really great idea on how to stop him from doing that. It's almost impossible to keep them away from him as we live on some acreage and there's wood everywhere! He is constantly chewing, chewing. Just recently he's started throwing up pieces of sticks. Just that - no food or anything. Praise God his body is expelling them but I'm kind of at my wits end.

I don't want him to perforate something or cause a blockage. Any ideas?

 

[mygoldenboys]

I have the same problem with Lola. I hope someone has a great idea to help stop this.

 

[Aislinn]

I have a similary problem with Dakota. I take out several treats in my pocket and tell her to drop it. One of the problems, and also a help, is that we throw sticks as well as toys for her to fetch. If she starts to chew on one, I pick up another and throw it. She'll drop the one she's chewing and go after the next one. After a few rounds of fetch, she'll try to chew that one and it's pick up another stick for me and start again. I had a dog growing up that we had to have surgery on twice because of wood chewing. She only does it when she is out alone. If her sister is out with us, no stick chewing.

 

[mayapaya]

Same problem here. All I have been able to do is offer a "trade" for a treat. I don't think Maya ingests much of it as far as I can tell, mostly just chews it into pieces, but I also worry about a perforation if she does inject something. We have a ton of trees around our fenceline, stacks of firewood (where sometimes she will pull a whole log off), and a the neighbors pine tree drops pine cones in our yard. She also loves to run with these in her mouth, and chew them up. It would be nearly impossible for me to clear the yard. Any words of wisdom would be helpful!

 

[FeatherRiverSam]

Woody found a pretty good sized stick the other day

Actually he's pretty good about not chewing on sticks, but he loves goose poop:no:

How about giving them something more desirable than a stick - maybe a Deer Antler to chew on? Other than that I think you've just got to keep a very close eye on them and prevent them from doing this.

Pete

 

[goldensrbest]

Cambridge loves the sticks, kooper chews the bushes, not alot can be done,use to have a golden ,that loved rocks, that was a problem.

 

[FeatherRiverSam]

Cambridge loves the sticks, kooper chews the bushes, not alot can be done,use to have a golden ,that loved rocks, that was a problem.

My brother had an English Setter that loved rocks! The second time into the vet for surgery the vet asked him if he'd like to have a zipper installed. It wasn't cheap but fortunately his dog finally just stopped eating rocks.

Pete

 

[Golden999]

My dog has been chewing on sticks since he was a little puppy, but he never swallows them, so it's always been fine. I used to have a neighbor who's Labradors one day picked up the habit from my dog, and within 24 hours one had swallowed a stick and started choking on in, forcing the owner to reach down his throat and remove the stick so the dog could breath.

I guess it's really something that depends on the dog. Some dogs instinctively know that they can chew on sticks but should be careful not to swallow them, and thus do fine with sticks, and others probably have to be kept away from sticks because they can't help trying to consume them. Just goes to show that dogs have a lot of variety and individuality to them, even within the same breed and similar breeds.

 

[newport]

I have the same problem.... and can not always keep an eye out for her consuming them.... any help here will be appriciated.

 

[Ninde'Gold]

Chewing sticks is bad?? my dogs have been chewing sticks since they were pups. They don't swallow them, though.

I call my dogs "Mulchers" haha.

 

[Laurie]

Chewing sticks is not a good thing!! My bridge boy Phoenix loved to chew sticks. One day I noticed a huge lump on his neck. Took him to the vet and it was an abscess. She figured some piece of the stick had pierced him and caused an infection. It was gross!!!

My guys will pick up the odd stick to carry it but I won`t let them chew it. This is probably a good time to work on the `leave it` command.

 

[Willow52]

I've never even tried to stop it, we live on wooded acreage so it would be impossible.
I don't think Hank actually swallows any of it, just chews it to little pieces and leaves them lying around.

 

[mylissyk]

I have no idea how to stop them. Robbie eats so many sticks and pieces of wood mulch his stool looks like sawdust. I have taken out the beds under the trees in the backyard and raked up and thrown out all the wood mulch, but he chews sticks that have come off the trees, and even pieces of wood off the woodpile.

 

[Muddypaws]

I don't think you can unless you muzzle them every time they go outside... it just .... is.

 

[mygoldenboys]

Come to think of it, I haven't seen Lola with a stick in awhile. She did get a 2 lb bone for Christmas and she is out there every day chewing on it. Hmm, maybe if I just kept the yard stocked with gigantic bones all the time we will be ok

 

[Deber]

Ours eat sticks constantly also, though we work hard to keep them picked up, we live in a forest, so impossible. I fleece the yard each day and pray a lot. So far they seem to just shread, not swallow, but still worrysome.

 

[SeaMonster]

Sticks r ok. Sure one in a thousand dogs might choke but more dogs choke on teir food so let's not feed em n case they chocke

 

[Blondie]

I've never even tried to stop it, we live on wooded acreage so it would be impossible.
I don't think Hank actually swallows any of it, just chews it to little pieces and leaves them lying around.

Ditto from Maggie here in wooded surroundings. She will chew it to bits and leave them lying around.

 

[Goldens R Great]

Addy not only chewed sticks, she liked to chew the bark off the tree trunks.