How to Train Your Dog to Not Eat Everything
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Introduction
If your dog's favorite menu consists of just about anything he can get in his mouth, you might have a problem. Most of us really don't need to have half-eaten birds, sneakers, or any other type of trash laying all over the yard, not to mention the fact the other half is somewhere in your pup's digestive system. More importantly, swallowing anything that is not intended to be food can be very hazardous to your furry friend's health.
The good news is that you can teach your dog not to eat everything. There are ways to train him not to scavenge and other methods, such as using a muzzle. Many dog owners feel that using a muzzle is mean or could lead to others thinking their dog is aggressive. However, if you buy a muzzle that fits properly, your dog won't be uncomfortable, and it could save his life.
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Defining Tasks
One very important thing to note is that as with any type of training, teaching your dog not to eat everything is going to take time. This is even more the case when you are trying to teach your dog to 'come away' from something he believes might be the tastiest treat he has ever seen. The challenge with teaching him to come away from his perceived treat is to teach him that he wants to leave this treat in order to get a better one.
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Getting Started
If this sounds confusing, it really isn't that bad. It simply means you must be prepared to offer your pup something of equal or greater value, such as his favorite puppy treat. While it is quite natural for a dog to move towards the item he wants, it is just as natural for him to come to you when called, especially if you have a treat. The following training methods make full use of this concept and should help you to train your dog not to eat everything he comes across.
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The Going for Walks Method
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Go outside and play
Take a ball or one of your pup's favorite toys along with you and play fetch. This will keep his mind focused on the game and not on finding garbage to eat.
Teach tricks
Teach him tricks he can perform along the way, such as jumping or how to walk to heel along your left or right side.
Change routes
Change routes regularly as the change will give him something new to smell.
Take something to play with
When you go to the dog park, be sure to take a ball or frisbee to play with you.
Talk to your dog
Talk to your dog as you are walking, this will help keep his interest and let him know you are still there
The Start Inside Method
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Place a treat
Start by placing a treat on the counter or trash can or whatever your dog likes to get into.
'Leave it'
Take your dog over to the food and leave him standing there after telling him to "leave it."
Walk away
Walk a few steps away and call your dog.
If he walks away
If he walks away from the food and comes to you, take him over to the food and give it to him along with plenty of praise.
If he grabs
If he grabs the treat instead of coming to you, repeat the process until he follows your instructions. Patience is a virtue with this type of training, but perseverance will eventually win out and your pup will 'come away' from perceived foods each time you recall him.
The Moving Outdoors Method
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Place a few treats
Start by placing a number of his favorite treats in different locations around your backyard and mark their spots so you can see when your dog is getting close to them.
On the long lead
Hook your pup to a long lead and let him start roaming around the yard
Hold him back
As soon as he indicates he has smelled a treat and reaches a point where you think he is close enough, keep him from proceeding.
Call him back
Don't pull him back, call him back and let him make up his own mind to obey.
Treats for success
When he does, make sure you give him a treat and plenty of praise. The importance of teaching him to make the right decisions cannot be stressed enough. If you can't get him to make the right decision when he is on the lead, how do you think he will ever do it once he is off the lead?
Written by PB Getz
Veterinary reviewed by:
Published: 01/31/2018, edited: 01/08/2021
Training Questions and Answers
Larry
Pit bull
One Year
Question
0 found this helpful
0 found this helpful
Sorry last question how do I get him to calm down when he gets crazy running thru the house so insane and fast don't know what's the reason maybe we'll I need to get him fixed I think that's the issue
Dec. 5, 2022
Larry's Owner
Caitlin Crittenden - Dog Trainer
1133 Dog owners recommended
Hello, Does he seem playful and happy when he does it? If so, what you just described is commonly called the "puppy zoomies". It's normal, although a bit tricky to deal with in the moment. I suggest practicing something called "Jazz up and Settle Down". Which is a bit like red light, green light for dogs. During training, get him just a little excited, then command "Stop" or something he knows like "Sit", and freeze. Wait and completely ignore him until he calms back down. As soon as he gets calm or sits, praise and give a treat. Tell him "Let's Play!" again, and start playing and getting him a bit excited again. As soon as he starts to get a little worked up (not too much at first), command "Stop" or "Sit" again, then wait, reward with a treat when he calms down, then continue the game after he is rewarded. Repeat this a few times each training session, then end the session (have lots of frequent shorter sessions throughout the day at his age). As he improves and can really calm down quickly, let him get a bit more excited before calling Stop. Gradually work up to him becoming more and more excited and having to calm down quickly from a higher level of excitement as he improves. Also, understand that this will take some time and practice. Puppies and young dogs have to learn self-control just like any other skill, while young. This game can help him develop it sooner though. I also suggest teaching the Leave It command from the article linked below: https://wagwalking.com/training/train-a-shih-tzu-puppy-to-not-bite At this age, the excitement can also be from arousal. When that's the case, neutering can help decrease it a lot but training is usually also needed as well. Be careful when practicing the training to keep excitement minimal and at a level he can handle at that stage, then practice stopping from that. If you get him too aroused, it will be harder for him to be in the mindset to think until he has built up his self-control skills overtime with practice. If he becomes too aroused that playfulness can also turn to real aggression if a dog lacks impulse control. If you find that's the case with your pup, I would hire a professional trainer to work with you on this in person, taking additional safety measures like a basket muzzle too. Best of luck training, Caitlin Crittenden
Dec. 5, 2022
CAPTAIN
Golden Retriever
3 Months
Question
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He grabs and eats everything. Today he grabbed everything from dustbinand was growling when we try to Take things
Nov. 2, 2021
CAPTAIN's Owner
Caitlin Crittenden - Dog Trainer
1133 Dog owners recommended
Hello Anwita, First, check out this article. I recommend teaching Drop It from this article. When you teach it, always trade pup with something like a treat or other toy, to also build trust right now. Second, I also recommend teaching Leave it from this article, and checking out this article in general for some tips on dealing with the chewing. https://www.petful.com/behaviors/train-dog-not-to-chew/ Third, I would keep a drag leash on pup right now when pup is free and supervised (to ensure it won't get caught on anything don't have pup wear one at night and when not home). This helps you calmly step on the leash then reel pup in to you when pup has something they shouldn't, without the intimidation or excitement of having to chase pup down and grab their collar. Right now pup probably anticipates whatever they get being immediately taken away through an intense process of having to chase pup and quickly grab - which is increasing defensiveness and thus aggressiveness. Instead, work on building a habit of pup being willing to give you things and leave things alone through proactively practicing Leave It and Drop It with rewards during calm periods. I would practice those commands for 10-15 minutes at least a couple of times every day right now. You can also keep a treat pouch or little bowl of treat out of pup's reach and just randomly practice telling pup to Drop It or Leave It, then give pup a treat when they do, then let them pick up the item they previously had again after (if it's something they can have like their toy). This helps pup see that sometimes you are taking something just to give them a treat and not because it's gone for good. Additionally, I would work on getting puppy used to touch and handling. Use puppy's daily meal kibble to do this. Gently touch an area of puppy's body while feeding a piece of food. Touch an ear and give a treat. Touch a paw and give a treat. Hold his collar and give a treat. Touch his tail gently and give a treat. Touch his belly, his other paws, his chest, shoulder, muzzle and every other area very gently and give a treat each time. Keep these times calm and fun for pup. Best of luck training, Caitlin Crittenden
Nov. 3, 2021