Hi everyone, I’m writing because my 10-month-old puppy (?) scavenges anything and everything when we're out on walks. It’s mostly discarded food (bones, bits of bread, cat poo, rabbit droppings in the woods...). She knows 'Leave it', but during walks, she lunges at whatever she finds if I don't notice it before she does. I tell her to 'Drop it' and if she doesn't (she never does...) I'm constantly forced to fish it out of her mouth, but now she's started rushing to swallow it... (I know you shouldn't take things back, but it's dangerous if she swallows it, yet now she's developed this habit of gulping things down as fast as she can...)
She knows 'Drop it' with her toys or sticks, but it just doesn't work with food... when I give her a chew, she drops it when I ask and I give it back to her, but outdoors? No chance, she won't budge. I often do 'leave it' training exercises.
Once I let her off-lead in the woods; usually everything goes fine, but she found a dead bird and wouldn't let go of it. She was running around with it, so I walked away and she followed but kept a certain distance from me. As soon as I got close, she’d bolt off again with that BLOODY CARCASS IN HER MOUTH. I just snapped, I couldn't take it anymore; I had a bit of a shout and a cry, I felt so pathetic at that moment. Every day I have to be so careful on walks; as soon as she eats something it makes me so cross sometimes, but then I give her a command which she follows, I forget what she’s just done and we carry on with our walk.
Do you think this behaviour will last forever? What should I do to stop this? Is this behaviour normal at 10 months old?
Just to mention, she's on Royal Canin Puppy Medium dry food, about 0.4 lbs twice a day (morning and evening). I don't think it's due to a nutritional deficiency, she’s just greedy.
A photo of my little glutton.
Translated from French
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Hi there, we’ve got a right little foodie on our hands too!
I’d say the thing that works best with ours is staying one step ahead. We try to spot any "treasures" on the ground before she does! So, every bit of horse poo or banana skin becomes a little exercise where she has to "leave it". Every success is rewarded with verbal praise and a really high-value treat (we use dried herring, for example). If she does manage to find a treasure before we do, we give her the "leave it" command and she usually listens—then it’s the same again: lots of praise plus a top-quality treat! Horse manure is the only thing she won't give up... so we have to fish it out of her mouth and then give her a massive "YESSSS!" and a lovely treat!
She’s only 6 months old, but we’re already seeing some brilliant progress! Plus, we’re working on "leave it" drills at home, along with little games using food scraps on the floor that she has to ignore...
And just like with Bandji, some things are fine—bones, sticks, pine cones—we let her pick those up and have a play with them.
Keep the faith... With my girl in the city, I felt like I was sounding like a broken record for ages, and then one day, it just clicked almost overnight (even though I swear I felt like I was talking to a brick wall and she just kept at it regardless!). I suddenly realised I wasn't having to say a word anymore...!
She was just walking past without giving it a second thought, other than a quick sniff...!
The most difficult one was my girl when we lived in the city. There weren't really any "good things" to let her carry around, play with, or eat there. So, like you, it was a real struggle constantly chasing after her...
But by constantly saying "no, leave it", followed by a big "Aaaah that's disgusting!" or "Oh no, look, that's yucky!" and really showing my disgust (even if I had to put on a bit of an act), she eventually gave up.
It's like when you're house-training them and you give them plenty of praise; at the start, you go a bit overboard with the "well dones" 😅.
Even my big ones now are sensitive to the tone I use. If I keep on at them when it's something bad—"aaaah gross, yuck yuck yuck"—with disgusted faces and all that... it helps them understand. Mind you, I do talk to my dogs a lot 😅.
As for bird carcasses, I don't usually let them have those 😅.
I'm more likely to let them have deer carcasses (with my little trick so they don't actually end up eating them) and any bones my youngest finds for me everywhere, as long as they're big enough (fine bones = danger).
Cow pats and horse muck don't worry me too much. Sheep or fox ones, on the other hand...! I really don't like those! So those are a big "no"! And "aaaah that's gross, don't eat that, it's nasty...!"
Then there's empty litter. I have a bit of a moan, but they can play with it, and especially carry it for 30 seconds to the bin and—presto. "Good dog, we're recycling!"
Result: happy human, happy dog!
The secret is that sometimes they’re allowed to keep their "treasures".
So I just ask them to come and show me. I walk over saying "What’ve you found?" in a non-bossy tone. I have a look, and if it’s harmless, I let them keep it.
If they’re on the move, I’ll say: "Dingo, come and show me, let me see" and I have a look. Usually just by eye if I can. Otherwise, obviously, I’ll use my hand to take it and check.
For a while, I’d decided to ban everything... and then it was a completely different story! 😂 They would hide so I couldn’t take their finds, rushing to wolf it all down just like yours do, and I’d end up having to chase after them...
And then, I have my little tricks 😁
My big lad and my little girl don’t eat while they’re moving. So sometimes it’s okay, but I don’t really want them eating it... So I check, don’t say anything in particular, and just carry on with my walk. My little one, if we don’t play chase (as a game, mind you—if I demand to see it, she’ll come and show me), she just gives up on the thing. My big boy, he’ll walk around all proud with a deer’s trotter or half a spine for the whole walk. And I’ll say things like "You’re a handsome big mucky pup!" and he’s happy as Larry.
When we get home, I toss it into the river on the way past and that’s that. So he doesn't end up eating it.
My big lad used to bring me rubbish too. Biscuit wrappers, beer cans... Instead of telling him off, I’d let him carry it to the bin. Then I’d throw it away and tell him "Good boy, we’re doing our bit for recycling!"
I’m relieved to know I’m not the only one going through this. This morning she found some poo and dropped it, which is a huge step forward—it’s given me some hope!! You’re right, with enough repetition, they do eventually get it.
I’m going to take your advice and try not to panic so much when she picks something up or finds a carcass.
How do you actually get your dogs to show you what they’ve found?
The solution? Keep repeating it, over and over, until it finally sinks in 😅
With my dogs, I ask them to come and show me whenever they find something. If it's okay, I let them keep it. That way, they know I won't take it away every single time, so they're happy to come over and show me.
Regarding the dead bird and your girl's behaviour, my youngest does the exact same thing. She doesn't eat bones she finds on walks; she just wants to play. She wants me to chase her. It's our little game.
Anyway, don’t stress too much... don’t get yourself in a state about it. Dogs have much tougher digestive systems than we do.
I’m not saying you should let her eat any old rubbish 😅 but don't panic... just keep telling her "no, leave it!"
Maybe try having a high-value treat ready, or a toy to swap for whatever she’s got in her mouth. You want to show her that it’s worth her while to give you "her treasure". Then you take the thing and bin it well out of her reach.
I know the treasures they find can seem pretty gross. But it’s their world 😅 and to them, it’s wonderful. They don't catch a disease from every single thing they put in their mouths... If I reckon it’s safe, I let them play with it.
My big lad is always lugging around bits of deer left behind by hunters. I let him have it after checking what state it’s in, and then I bin it once we get home.
Yours is still a baby 🙂 my youngest has grown out of her "love" of poo as she's got older... and obviously because I kept telling her 😅
Hang in there 🙂 and relax... our dogs are just right little mucky pups! 😁
My youngest is a massive fan of finding "treats" when we're out on walks. I don't live in town, so she doesn't really have access to human leftovers.
But cow pats, delicious cat/fox/rabbit poo and so on... she’ll scoff the lot!
I say my youngest... but my previous dog, who I adopted at 2 years old from a rescue centre in the city, was all about leftover kebabs, sick under cars, you name it...
Then there’s my dog adopted at 6 months—human rubbish, bits of bread, cake wrappers, etc.
And obviously, they all love feasting on deer carcasses left behind by hunters.
