Question:He is just over a year old and he's been doing this since he was a puppy. He gets tons and tons of exercise. he goes for walks, running or hiking with us every day and we have a fenced in yard where he runs around with our other dog. so it's definitely not a matter of him being bored or not getting enough exercise. When I asked at the vet, he just told us that 'some dogs do that'. Other than that, he's great. doesn't chew on anything he's not supposed to in the house... just the rocks out in the yard.
Answers:
Your vet is right, some dogs just eat JUNK for no apparent reason!! I would be careful though, because a large enough rock could cause fatal problems. Your best bet would be to go through your yard and remove all the rocks that you can possibly get out of there, and then really watch him on walks.
This is a tough one, so just be really careful and watch for signs of intestinal blockage, which would be lethargy, refusing to eat, and abdominal pain and bloating.
Well, I agree with the vet, some dogs do just do that. But what you can do, is teach him that it is wrong to eat rocks, when you catch him doing it, sit him down and firmly tell him no! Keep with it, and eventually it will stick that he isn't supposed to eat the rocks!!
That is VERY bad behavior for a couple of reasons.
1. He can break his teeth off and get tooth infections.
2. He can swallow a rock and get an intestinal obstruction, which is fatal without surgery, and surgery for it runs about $500-$800.
3. He can attempt to swallow a rock and choke to death.
You should discourage this behavior...everytime he does it, take it away and say "NO" sturnly, then give him something acceptable to chew on, like a kong stuffed with peanut butter. If he can't learn not to chew on rocks, you should have him leashed and under supervision at all times.
Fiber.
give him treats!
If the vet said its normal, try not to worry about it. I would try & stop him from chewing on rocks - could be dangerous. Give him some chew toys and just keep telling him no when he goes for the rock.
Change his food.
I've noticed that some foods (Iams and Eukanuba mostly, but others too) cause some dogs to eat rocks.
As soon as these dogs are switched to a different, high quality dog food, they immediately stop.
I think it has something to do with nutrition content and vitamins.
Maybe consider a vitamin supplement.
Good luck
Some dogs do just chew on rocks.. I wouldn't allow him to do it tho. You are going to end up with a dog that needs alot of work done on his teeth if you allow him to continue to chew rocks.. He'll wear them down before you even know it.
give him some probiotics like natural yogurt, unflavored. he maybe experiencing some chemical embalance in his system. if its a behavioral problem, control his rock eating, by giving it a command. for ex...fetch rock--dog fetches rock= a ball or a nice treat from you, keep at it till you get the behaviour in "control" ( he's fetching every time you say the command.) its important that you don't let him initiate the game. if he does, you walk away with all the loot! a five min timeout and then start over again. a behavior thats in control will never happen if it doesn't get rewarded! what im getting at here is a common law in learning. a behavior thats not being rewarded will die out! a little bit tedious to explain but let me know what happens...
well , no my boxer don't do that , but she loves to eat paper... i have to run after her to get it from her.
More Questions & Answers...