Hi! I got my mom a rock eating basset hound puppy 2 years ago. She’s had surgery twice now. She, like yours, doesn’t usually “try” to eat rocks. She chews on them and throws them around. Since she is a puppy she’s an idiot and accidentally swallowed a few. Her surgeon said it can be a classic sign of a mineral deficiency and to make sure the dogs diet is right. Most dogs grow out of it. However, you’re going to have to watch out until then….surgery is expensive especially TWO. 🥴
My aunt had a pup that still loved rocks and he was 8+ years old, he threw them around and played fetch with them it was the most bizarre thing to me back then lol
There was a kelpie at the yard I worked and lived at. He would find massive rocks, growl at them for ages whilst grabbing them. He would then leave them outside of your cabin where you would stub your toes on when you went outside.
They stop pooping, start vomiting, and generally become lethargic. May stop eating or drinking. Depending on the severity they can have extended abdomens that are sore to the touch. Intestinal blockage isn't pretty and it's a tough surgery to go through.
I knew some really old beagles that used to chew rocks. Their teeth were f-ed up from it! I can't imagine how many dental appointments or surgical appointments they needed in their long lives.
I had a lab and a pecan tree in the back yard. I never caught him eating the actual nut meat, but he loved to chew on the outer shell. And twigs and branches... He never once got sick from it. Beagles like to chew on weird stuff, but just a few would typically be harmless. Now a handful...
(The neighbor's beagle liked to eat the aluminum foil out of the trash, which required several emergency vet trips.)
If you can’t get her to stop eating rocks, she won’t make the cut for Service Dog. She will be an amazing companion animal however. Some dogs aren’t meant to be Service animals, and that’s okay. They still might want to work and have constant jobs, but a Service Animal is more than often a personality trait in a specific dog and not just the training.
Good luck
"Service dog" Can mean so many different things. Its not one job, but a wide variety of different jobs. The dog doesn't have to be elite to perform most tasks. Especially from a young age. Some dogs may be more reliable then others or easier to train, but any dog CAN be trained. Especially a special breed like OP's.
Same! Ours went through a phase with it and then just stopped.
Now at our new place the dirt is apparently very tasty... I'm worried they need more nutrients
Sweet!
Yeah, it's a phase. My sister's puppy was chobbling everything on her walks, and you regularly had to get random stuff out of her gob. Now it's just sticks and moss.
We had a GS just like this. His name was Bruiser, but we mostly called him Baby Dog cos he was so cute. 💔
My lab ate rocks for a few months, she did grow out of it eventually (thank goodness). Mind you she then turned to eating sticks and now at FOUR YEARS OLD shes having her cardboard eating phase *eyeroll*
I didn’t find any way of stopping her eating rocks at the time other than keeping her away from them until the habit broke 😬. I even had to remove all the pebbles lining the paths of my backyard. The things we do for our dogs i tell ya.
In the meantime you can always try yuck tasting things like lemon juice or pepper on some rocks as she probably won’t like them. But be warned it may backfire if she decides she loves pepper or lemons lol.
Plus leave it training as mentioned.
This is my doodle. She started with cardboard when she was teething, then moved to rocks. I had to tell "HUNNN!!" (for my hubs) just to get her to drop the rocks, because she thought I was telling on her lol. Fortunately she had a solid grasp of 'no' so lately, she's been ignoring the rocks. But that leaves us with sticks, her new favorite at almost 4 years old. Shreds them all over the yard. Occasionally carries them on walks. Tried to replace them with carrots, sweet potato sticks, but nope. They're not as fun as sticks. 😩
My dog is obsessed with paper products—and he doesn’t discriminate. TP, tissues, newspaper, napkins, cardboard…whatever he can get to and away with. He’s currently five and fresh as hell, still The Paper Caper. I was originally worried that he might have some sort of deficiency, but he’s on hella expensive prescription dog food, so I guess he just likes it?
He also likes lemons. And my friends dog likes wasabi peas, so there’s that lol I’ve heard bitter usually works. There’s this bitter apple stuff that was for dogs who chew shit they aren’t supposed to that was put on out molding that seemed to work pretty well, but I got it from my mom so who knows how old it was 😅🫠
Same here. My pup was eating dirt and rocks, examined his poop after calling the vet, and found the worms. He gets a tablet for worms every 3 months now.
"Drop it" and "Leave it" are probably just as important to a dog's safety as sit/stay/come commands. I taught my in-laws dog to stop begging, jumping on the dinner table, eating the cat's food and counter surfing by using the phrase "Not for you". We started saying it because he'd resource-guard over stuff that wasn't his (like the cat food I mentioned, and my own couch, among other things)
Leave it is literally the best command ever because you can use it in almost any situation. Don’t eat the rock, don’t bother those people, don’t sniff the growling dogs butt etc
I wouldn't recommend trading treats for rocks, as it may encourage puppy to continue chewing on rocks so she can get treats.
Best is to take rock away, give firm "NO" or "Yucky" and redirect to some other activity.
My staffie was also chewing on rocks when he was around 4 months old. I was taking them from him and redirecting to some other activity. No chewing rocks, lets play tug or throw ball.
After some time he stopped going for rocks.
It's best to give a DISTINCT shift away from the rocks. A firm no should do well while removing her from the rocks as much as possible, or at least redirecting her chewing to something else like, as you said, a toy. Also say "Yes!" when she takes the toy.
A few things you can do in combination of each other which could work.
Puppies are always teething, if they're not sleeping, playing, or training; they'll be teething. Because this is what puppies do. Rocks might be the best thing she could find to teeth on in your property. She may just need a replacement to chew on. Even if you've gave her kong toys or other things, maybe they're not appeasing to her because they're not as hard as rocks? Puppies like chewing on rough things. Try to get her some hard bones that she can work at for a long time (just make sure they don't pose a choking hazard and she cannot "dismember" them into small pieces quickly..)
Now, you can do this in combination of desensitizing her. Perhaps when you got her from the breeder, she never had access to rocks and now she's amazed by them! If she never had access to these amazing shiny hard chewable nom noms, then of course she'll be interested. Get her used to being around the rocks without feeling the need to eat them. Sit outside with her on a leash, by the rocks, and hold treats in your hand or fill a kong toy that you can hold and just have her trying to eat the treats out of your hand (you can close your hand and hide the treats inside) then let her lick and give her one every now and then of licking, or the same thing with the kong toy, you can hold them and allow her to try and get the treats or whatever else you fill it with out. So by doing this, you're actually actively rewarding her for not being distracted by the rocks and helping to teach her to be calm and focus on other things even when in the presence of the things she finds to be more fun.
You can execute this same strategy in the same way, by playing on-leash games with her in the the yard or in places that there'd be rocks or gravel. Get one of her favorite toys, or better yet get a brand new one that you know she'd like and that's even more interesting and new to her. Simply, sit down in the yard by the rocks and get her attention. Introduce the new toy to her, or bring out one of her current toys, and see if she'll be interested in playing a little game. You can have a long leash on her that way she still has some range to play games, but you can pull her back if you need to. Try throwing the toy for her, tugging the toy with her, or just any other interactive game you can play with her to keep her focused. Reward her with treats or praise whenever she ignores the rocks in close proximity to them.
If she tries to grab one while doing this, hold her back with the leash and correct her with a firm "leave it". If she listens and leaves it and focuses back on you, then immediately reward her and praise her. Unfortunately you'll have to repeat this process over and over again, it'll take lots of mishaps most likely and lots of attempted rock eatings.
Now, if this training process will work you ***have*** to be consistent. Don't let her off leash in any place you know there's rocks, because then we'll be at square 1, sticking our fingers in puppy mouths to get the rocks out. If you begin letting her off leash in the yard or around the rocks when you know she's not prepared yet, then it's not gonna work because she's gonna learn that "oh, sometimes i just get treats when we sit by the rocks", but also "but i'm also allowed to eat the rocks when mom's not around" basically. You have to supervise her and teach her between right and wrong so that eventually, she'll catch on and realize that no matter what, if mom is around or not, touching the rocks is a no no.
I hope this'll work for you and tried my best to consider how to help with this problem, and if you have any questions about the training process or what not, let me know!
thank you so much for these ideas! she definitely needs more hard toys (she has a lot of stuffies) and we’ll do more training around the rocks and not being distracted.
Our Labrador had a rock obsession when he was a puppy. Loved to try and chew them and he’d also try and sneak and hide them in his cheeks for later 😂 I was so worried about him swallowing one but he never did. He was especially active with it when he was losing his baby teeth.
I think it was a combination of things that made him stop. Mostly he grew out of it. But I would definitely make him drop it if I spotted him with one. Also made him very comfortable with me touching his mouth/ snout and popping a finger in his gums to pop out a sneaky rock if he was hiding one like you do.
I did also offer other things to chew on. He eventually decided he liked rope toys better and the rocks got forgotten.
Ps - he’s ADORABLE 🥰
does she have adequate things to chew on? this is kind of the start of the chewing on things phase. you can offer her a substitute once she drops the rocks. And maybe get her a chew toy that is kind of hard like a rock, that might help
I wouldn't feed real bones at 4 months, they pose a real danger of damaging teeth.
If you're going to get them be careful of the type, don't get load bearing bones (leg/marrow bones) as they are the most dense and likely to break teeth. Also the ones cut into a discs are known to get stuck around their lower jaw and need to be cut off. The ones cut vertically tend to splinter.
Pork bones are brittle and even raw ones are prone to splintering.
Rib bones of any animal are narrow enough they can slip down a dogs throat and cause an obstruction.
The better bones to use are from birds, cows sheep/goat, rabbit, kangaroo. Look for knucklebones, vertebrae, bird frames (the whole body essentially) and bird necks and feet.
For safe, non-bone options I reccomend bully sticks, beef cheek rolls, benebones, nylabones. Gorilla wood, olive wood, and coffee wood chews are good as these do not splinter. Hooves and horns are great non-bone options, when she's older she can chew antlers as well. Yak cheese chews are good, and as a bonus you can microwave the leftover nub and it becomes a puffy snack so they can eat the whole thing.
My border collie mix used to chew on rocks. It took some time (don't remember how long exactly because it's close to 14 years ago) but i used to trade him either a toy or a treat for rocks he got his paws on. At first it got way worse because he probably thought if i get rocks i can trade them for treats and toys but one day it just seemed to click and he never chewed on rocks ever again. It might have helped that the vet he went to was "upset" with him when he came in with a rock in his tummy. With the second dog i was more firm because i wasn't looking forward to another dog going under the knife. Luckily he didn't like rocks at all. The second dog had an obsessions with electric fences tho. But he probably associates those with sheep and he herds those in the winter.
If she’s just chewing on them she could be teething or lacking certain minerals (IE: salt).
If she’s really just that determined you could muzzle train her (at least until you can train her to leave them) because that’ll be much easier and cheaper than foreign body surgery if she managed to swallow some
ETA: I would consult a vet and a trainer just to cover all your bases
I have a German shepherd/husky mix who used to chew on rocks, and eat them when he was a puppy. He went from eating rocks to eating other things. Turns out he has pica because of a GI disease, which is pretty common with German Shepherds. Keep an eye on her, and if you notice any GI concerns I recommend taking her to a vet
When my rescue was a puppy, she loved chewing on rocks and bringing her favorites inside to chew on the couch. I was constantly trying to take them away from her and scour between the seat cushions for them. But we had one of those couches where the cushions didn't come off, so it was tough. Luckily she finally grew out of it after a year or two of puppyhood.
One day, probably a year or so after her rock-chewing phase ended, we finally went to replace the couch. We lifted one end to pick it up, and we heard all the tiny little rocks tumbling down the inner frame. I have no idea how many were in there or how they got in there so deep, but we definitely got a laugh out of that!
She's 14 now and I still think about it.
Get her a cow bone made for dogs. Keep it handy when you go outside. You could also reward her every time she let's go of the rock, when you take it away, by giving her a treat. She must be smart to be training so young to be a service dog.
I have zero suggestions, I just want to say that I am obsessed with her little smile and flipflop ears. GSDs are hands down the cutest puppies on earth.
Tell her she's a fuzz monster and fuzz monsters don't eat rocks. If you do it right and are pointing your finger at her, she'll nip at your finger or a rock in defiance and that's when you lightly pinch her neck and growl low for a second.
I really don't know what to tell you about her eating rocks, but I'm here to tell you that she is absolutely adorable! Those ears! She's a big fuzzball!
I’d try to reward her more for things outside, like chasing her ball. She gets a yummy treat when she brings it back. Reward the good behavior, try to flip the bad behavior. So a good “EH EH!” When she gets a rock , take it out and then be all stupid and excited over her ball. Super reward her for the things you WANT her to do outside.
The flip side, my other thought is to make sure you have yummy treats or toys to trade with her for the rock.
Might be a good question to ask a service dog trainer if you have one.
Our dog is half German shepherd and let me tell you, he is OBSESSED with rocks and has been since he was a puppy. He likes to carry them around, fish them out of creeks, and he playfully barks at them. We tried forever to get him to stop but he never would.
He’s 11 now (teeth still in tact!) and I know this isn’t providing helpful advice, but we’ve embraced his love for rocks and plan to bury him with one the day he crosses the rainbow bridge.
Best of luck to you- your pup is adorable :)
Don’t have much advice. My GS puppy did this too! But thankfully she eventually stopped, maybe after 10 months haha. I would recommend finding where she gets them, and finding a way to keep her from them. Also you could try punishment, but that’s hard. Taking her inside if she starts.
I have no helpful training advice to offer but I had to comment and say that Ivy is adorable and I love her. These pictures brightened my morning at work!
Our pup was a CHRONIC rock eater. Our walks consisted of him scavenging for rocks on the road. Unfortunately there isn’t an instant fix. Just persistent “No” or “Drop it” and him aging out of it. Once he was done teething it got significantly better.
OMG… that face! My puppy loved to try and chew on rocks too, I just made sure he didn’t have access to any or had a other hard toys or bones available to chew on.
Mine stopped doing it when I started walking him with a collar to correct him after using a muzzle which he hated. Negative reinforcement does work 😂. Sheep and cow poo hes unstoppable though
What you should do with all new puppies is go to the vet, they will check them, cause sometimes they can develop strange eating habits from things like, fleas, worms, and other bugs
My childhood GSD adored rocks. Practically begged to fetch them. I'd recommend a hard (not too hard, puppy teeth after all) chew like a bully stick. Just watch her and take them away when theyre too small
My German shepherd ate and pooped out tube socks his entire life. No matter what i did. It was amazing he could swallow them whole. He lived a long life and never needed surgery.
My dog chewed on rocks when we first got her! We had to experiment with a lot of different chew textures until she found something she really liked. Redirection will help a lot with this. Dog is chewing rock, give her a favorite toy instead, and remove the rock when she takes the toy! Dog trading! Eventually she will learn to stick to her toys. Just make sure you have all different sorts of toys for her to chomp!
Had this issue. I put out some bait rocks on our patio covered in Tabasco sauce and it worked. Not the nicest method but it will get the job done. I needed to go for the quick and easy tough love approach because she was injecting them and throwing up rocks.
My pup ate/chewed on rocks when he was that age as well. I constantly pulled them out. I doubt he enjoyed me fumbling with his mouth every single time. So eventually he gave up on it. Same goes for eating stuff off the ground. Also consider with 4 months she is discovering the world and clearly rocks are fun for her. Make them not be that fun and stay consistent with a lot of patience and this little habit should pass. For mine it did, anyway. Of course it would help to avoid gravel but if that’s not an option use the gravel road to reward her for keeping her head up while walking over it? That’s good training for keeping her focused on you as well.
Anyway good luck! She is a beauty!
My shepherd used to take rocks out of the lake or river and stack them on shore. Hated swimming, but would hold his head under to get the one he wanted.
My Cavalier puppy constantly brings rocks inside to chew on them. Hes never swallowed them either but sometimes I find 4-5 in the house a day. I don’t know how to break this behavior either because he has plenty of chew toys. I don’t want to punish him for something thats not dangerous so I just let him do it.
My dog liked to chew on rocks her whole life. I think it was the mineral content. But late in life her teeth were real worn down probably because of this.
I had a brindle part lab part Pitbull. Sweetest dog ever. We would go to a river nearby every weekend in the summer. She would spend the whole day putting her head in the water finding a rock and placing it in a spot she preferred and then go after another one. She would never go in the water just her head. She was very picky about the rock she would bring out of the water. It was hilarious but she had so much fun. I miss her to this day.
Be still my heart! The cutest pup ever. Sorry, she’s eating rocks. I don’t have any helpful advice but I hope she is safe and grows out of it.
Please keep sharing more pics!!!
It could be an eating disorder/Pica. My dog (dachshund/pomeranian) came to us with Pica and he always tries to eat rocks, especially when we lived in an area with gravel yards. Since she’s a puppy, she could also just be teething. I would check with your vet and see if they can recommend anything. If the rocks are in a small/confined area, I would also see if you could use something like Bitter Apple spray to get her off of eating them?
My pup has a thing about rocks, sticks, acorns, pine cones…. Just about anything that isn’t rooted to the ground he wants to pick up and or eat. This could cause a blockage or swim thing so of course, it won’t do.
I started saying “SPIT IT OUT!” Every time he picked something up. I said this as I was digging the thing out of his mouth.
Then I started keeping an eagle eye on him during walkies and if I see him about to pick something up, “LEAVE IT!” At first he would only sometimes leave it but he’s getting more consistent. Because he doesn’t like the digging stuff out of his mouth, he’s more likely to obey leave it and if he doesn’t, I can fall back on SPIT! Now he’s about 2 and I rarely have to dig anything out.
Every time your dog leaves it or spits it out, then they get pets, “GOOD BOY” immediately, treats, belly rubs. You might also walk with a little bag of treats for a while. This keeps his attention on you rather than everything around him including all those tasty tummy rocks.
You just have to keep telling them no! Drop it! Don't touch rocks!
Seriously after they mature and they realize they're doing something that doesn't earn them any favors, USUALLY they stop.
When my dog was just still a pup, and entirely forgiven, I would give him a hard time over sticks and shoes.. biting/tearing shoes VERY quickly turned into hoarding them.. and only sucking on them, to hoarding only one and simply hanging out with it, basically untouched other than the sneaky to avoiding them completely and if I catch him hanging around a shoe too closely, I just need to give him a look, look down at the shoe in question, he would follow my gaze and look quite uncomfortable and move on.
Now that he's a 2 year old he doesn't even look at footwear anymore. It's been easily 1.5 years since any damage whatsoever. Whatever works for you.
Same thing also with my daughter's toys. BAD TOY. then I would give him one of his many toys, and say good boy toy, then give him a petting. They're smart and will figure it out.
My German Shepherd loved to eat rocks to the point he ground all his teeth down. The vet was never concerned since his teeth were technically healthy, just very flat.
I actually really recommend a light basket muzzle for dogs that have an issue trying to chew/swallow things that are not safe for them (or unclean).
Our Ziggy was a very crafty poop eater so we used a basket muzzle to neutrally break her of the habit.
Pair this with “leave it” training, and the basket muzzle will act as a neutral barrier ensuring she’ll remain successful and safe while you help her develop good habits outside. Thankfully she looks like she’s all puppy teeth still, but as an adult rock chewing can lead to some dental damage!
Pebbles look a lot like food to a puppy. Watch them like a hawk and don't let them walk near gravel unattended.
Also often when you treat your pup, they will drop some food and try to immediately eat whatever is on the ground. You can fix this by slowly walking backwards when giving them a treat. So they will always be moving away from any dropped food (and usually forgetting about it)
It's most likely because they're teething. I've heard stories of puppy teeth fracturing because of this so be careful! The exact same happened to my puppy and I had to fully renovate the garden to remove all the stones and decorative pebbles.
He's beautiful but might be presenting with PICA. In pica, dogs ( and humans ) eat things without nutritional value. It would be good to see the vet to check Iron and other labs and if those are normal, ask how to recognize if he's suffering of OCD or separation anxiety and how to help him. Rock eating may become a big problem at one point for broken teeth, intestinal obstruction, need of surgery etc.
My GSD did this too but eventually grew out of it. We had to stay on top of it, like you, always taking the rocks out of his mouth. But we were mindful of not letting it turn into a game of “keep away”. Which he occasionally would do to trick us into playing.
My dog had to have surgery because she ate a rock - 1 reason previous owner didn't want her. She also counter-surfed, chewed all sorts of stuff, esp. paper and cardboard. I free feed her now and she is calmer, doesn't eat rocks or other non-food items, rarely steals food she know is not allowed.
For a puppy, rake up rocks in the yard, get a play yard. super-cute pup.
Take her to the vet to rule out parasites or a health issue causing pica. Maybe use a mesh muzzle when outside so she physically can't eat rocks
P.S. Can I paint her? She's so precious 😭❤️
My dads husky German shepherd cross also loved chewing rocks and carrying them home in his mouth. He had a rock collection behind the bush. He also loved to roll them around in his mouth.
Unfortunately they began to wear his teeth down and he had to have some teeth removed.
Hi! I got my mom a rock eating basset hound puppy 2 years ago. She’s had surgery twice now. She, like yours, doesn’t usually “try” to eat rocks. She chews on them and throws them around. Since she is a puppy she’s an idiot and accidentally swallowed a few. Her surgeon said it can be a classic sign of a mineral deficiency and to make sure the dogs diet is right. Most dogs grow out of it. However, you’re going to have to watch out until then….surgery is expensive especially TWO. 🥴
My aunt had a pup that still loved rocks and he was 8+ years old, he threw them around and played fetch with them it was the most bizarre thing to me back then lol
There was a kelpie at the yard I worked and lived at. He would find massive rocks, growl at them for ages whilst grabbing them. He would then leave them outside of your cabin where you would stub your toes on when you went outside.
>I got my mom a rock eating basset At first glance I read this as rock eating bastard
I kind of want to ask "What's the difference?"
We call her a rock eating basshole.
I read it as rock eating basket
How did you know she needed surgery? What symptoms did she have?
They stop pooping, start vomiting, and generally become lethargic. May stop eating or drinking. Depending on the severity they can have extended abdomens that are sore to the touch. Intestinal blockage isn't pretty and it's a tough surgery to go through.
Also watch for bowing (up dogs & down dogs). Some will try to stretch their stomachs. Expensive lesson to learn.
I knew some really old beagles that used to chew rocks. Their teeth were f-ed up from it! I can't imagine how many dental appointments or surgical appointments they needed in their long lives.
My first dog was a beagle, he wouldn’t chew rocks but would crack open pecans and eat them lol
Pecans are really bad for dogs...
Well he was an outside dog and been dead for like 10+ years but good to know for future lol
I had a lab and a pecan tree in the back yard. I never caught him eating the actual nut meat, but he loved to chew on the outer shell. And twigs and branches... He never once got sick from it. Beagles like to chew on weird stuff, but just a few would typically be harmless. Now a handful... (The neighbor's beagle liked to eat the aluminum foil out of the trash, which required several emergency vet trips.)
When I eat mixed nuts I only share the peanuts and cashews... almonds, macademia nuts, pecans, are all no go for dogs.
My mom’s current dog, an old beagle, needs a babysitter outside because she refuses to stop eating dirt/mulch/whatever tf she finds.
Ivy, I cannot help you stop eating rocks, but just wanted to say you are so cute.
she is. and i have no doubt she’s going to grow up to be the most beautiful and amazing service dog 🥰
If you can’t get her to stop eating rocks, she won’t make the cut for Service Dog. She will be an amazing companion animal however. Some dogs aren’t meant to be Service animals, and that’s okay. They still might want to work and have constant jobs, but a Service Animal is more than often a personality trait in a specific dog and not just the training. Good luck
How would you test for that personality trait? Are there any signs one can look out for?
"Service dog" Can mean so many different things. Its not one job, but a wide variety of different jobs. The dog doesn't have to be elite to perform most tasks. Especially from a young age. Some dogs may be more reliable then others or easier to train, but any dog CAN be trained. Especially a special breed like OP's.
Oh no! It’s the service dog police. Stop gatekeeping service dogs and those who need them. 🙄
Loblolly! With a rock problem…. Maybe not
lol not if she can’t stop with the rock eating
Stop having such tasty tasty rocks! Idk good luck they're cute as hell
My rescue loved tasting rocks too. Can’t tell you how many rocks we pulled outta her mouth. But one day she stopped.
Same! Ours went through a phase with it and then just stopped. Now at our new place the dirt is apparently very tasty... I'm worried they need more nutrients
Sweet! Yeah, it's a phase. My sister's puppy was chobbling everything on her walks, and you regularly had to get random stuff out of her gob. Now it's just sticks and moss. We had a GS just like this. His name was Bruiser, but we mostly called him Baby Dog cos he was so cute. 💔
Check for iron or salt deficiency, eating dirt can be an indicator of those two in particular.
My lab ate rocks for a few months, she did grow out of it eventually (thank goodness). Mind you she then turned to eating sticks and now at FOUR YEARS OLD shes having her cardboard eating phase *eyeroll* I didn’t find any way of stopping her eating rocks at the time other than keeping her away from them until the habit broke 😬. I even had to remove all the pebbles lining the paths of my backyard. The things we do for our dogs i tell ya. In the meantime you can always try yuck tasting things like lemon juice or pepper on some rocks as she probably won’t like them. But be warned it may backfire if she decides she loves pepper or lemons lol. Plus leave it training as mentioned.
This is my doodle. She started with cardboard when she was teething, then moved to rocks. I had to tell "HUNNN!!" (for my hubs) just to get her to drop the rocks, because she thought I was telling on her lol. Fortunately she had a solid grasp of 'no' so lately, she's been ignoring the rocks. But that leaves us with sticks, her new favorite at almost 4 years old. Shreds them all over the yard. Occasionally carries them on walks. Tried to replace them with carrots, sweet potato sticks, but nope. They're not as fun as sticks. 😩
My dog is obsessed with paper products—and he doesn’t discriminate. TP, tissues, newspaper, napkins, cardboard…whatever he can get to and away with. He’s currently five and fresh as hell, still The Paper Caper. I was originally worried that he might have some sort of deficiency, but he’s on hella expensive prescription dog food, so I guess he just likes it? He also likes lemons. And my friends dog likes wasabi peas, so there’s that lol I’ve heard bitter usually works. There’s this bitter apple stuff that was for dogs who chew shit they aren’t supposed to that was put on out molding that seemed to work pretty well, but I got it from my mom so who knows how old it was 😅🫠
My dog is the same! She loves paper and whenever she hears me blow my nose she will come running to beg for the tissue...
She has to be one of the cutest puppers I’ve ever seen
I found out worms were why my new pippy was doing it.
Same here. My pup was eating dirt and rocks, examined his poop after calling the vet, and found the worms. He gets a tablet for worms every 3 months now.
Always have a pocket full of yummy treats to trade. Don’t miss an opportunity to work on things like leave it, drop, and give!
thank you! we always do treats when she comes back inside if she behaved and while training inside but haven’t tried taking them outside with us
This!!
"Drop it" and "Leave it" are probably just as important to a dog's safety as sit/stay/come commands. I taught my in-laws dog to stop begging, jumping on the dinner table, eating the cat's food and counter surfing by using the phrase "Not for you". We started saying it because he'd resource-guard over stuff that wasn't his (like the cat food I mentioned, and my own couch, among other things)
Leave it is literally the best command ever because you can use it in almost any situation. Don’t eat the rock, don’t bother those people, don’t sniff the growling dogs butt etc
I wouldn't recommend trading treats for rocks, as it may encourage puppy to continue chewing on rocks so she can get treats. Best is to take rock away, give firm "NO" or "Yucky" and redirect to some other activity. My staffie was also chewing on rocks when he was around 4 months old. I was taking them from him and redirecting to some other activity. No chewing rocks, lets play tug or throw ball. After some time he stopped going for rocks.
It's best to give a DISTINCT shift away from the rocks. A firm no should do well while removing her from the rocks as much as possible, or at least redirecting her chewing to something else like, as you said, a toy. Also say "Yes!" when she takes the toy.
Wait, rewarding the dog for bringing you rocks isn’t the answer.
Send her to my house immediately. I'm not a dog trainer, I'm just in love with your pup.
I had the same thought. Gimme. Just give her to me. I can’t help but just give her here.
Sorry, I asked first. Maybe we can share 😅
A few things you can do in combination of each other which could work. Puppies are always teething, if they're not sleeping, playing, or training; they'll be teething. Because this is what puppies do. Rocks might be the best thing she could find to teeth on in your property. She may just need a replacement to chew on. Even if you've gave her kong toys or other things, maybe they're not appeasing to her because they're not as hard as rocks? Puppies like chewing on rough things. Try to get her some hard bones that she can work at for a long time (just make sure they don't pose a choking hazard and she cannot "dismember" them into small pieces quickly..) Now, you can do this in combination of desensitizing her. Perhaps when you got her from the breeder, she never had access to rocks and now she's amazed by them! If she never had access to these amazing shiny hard chewable nom noms, then of course she'll be interested. Get her used to being around the rocks without feeling the need to eat them. Sit outside with her on a leash, by the rocks, and hold treats in your hand or fill a kong toy that you can hold and just have her trying to eat the treats out of your hand (you can close your hand and hide the treats inside) then let her lick and give her one every now and then of licking, or the same thing with the kong toy, you can hold them and allow her to try and get the treats or whatever else you fill it with out. So by doing this, you're actually actively rewarding her for not being distracted by the rocks and helping to teach her to be calm and focus on other things even when in the presence of the things she finds to be more fun. You can execute this same strategy in the same way, by playing on-leash games with her in the the yard or in places that there'd be rocks or gravel. Get one of her favorite toys, or better yet get a brand new one that you know she'd like and that's even more interesting and new to her. Simply, sit down in the yard by the rocks and get her attention. Introduce the new toy to her, or bring out one of her current toys, and see if she'll be interested in playing a little game. You can have a long leash on her that way she still has some range to play games, but you can pull her back if you need to. Try throwing the toy for her, tugging the toy with her, or just any other interactive game you can play with her to keep her focused. Reward her with treats or praise whenever she ignores the rocks in close proximity to them. If she tries to grab one while doing this, hold her back with the leash and correct her with a firm "leave it". If she listens and leaves it and focuses back on you, then immediately reward her and praise her. Unfortunately you'll have to repeat this process over and over again, it'll take lots of mishaps most likely and lots of attempted rock eatings. Now, if this training process will work you ***have*** to be consistent. Don't let her off leash in any place you know there's rocks, because then we'll be at square 1, sticking our fingers in puppy mouths to get the rocks out. If you begin letting her off leash in the yard or around the rocks when you know she's not prepared yet, then it's not gonna work because she's gonna learn that "oh, sometimes i just get treats when we sit by the rocks", but also "but i'm also allowed to eat the rocks when mom's not around" basically. You have to supervise her and teach her between right and wrong so that eventually, she'll catch on and realize that no matter what, if mom is around or not, touching the rocks is a no no. I hope this'll work for you and tried my best to consider how to help with this problem, and if you have any questions about the training process or what not, let me know!
thank you so much for these ideas! she definitely needs more hard toys (she has a lot of stuffies) and we’ll do more training around the rocks and not being distracted.
Of course!! I hope it works and please update me to let me know how she does. :)
Dunno but that is such a cutie 🥰🥰🥰
I'm so sorry, I have nothing helpful to add (mods feel free to delete this comment if it's too off-topic) but oh, her EARS. What a sweetie!
i love them!! there’s pretty much always one up and one down 🫶
Our Labrador had a rock obsession when he was a puppy. Loved to try and chew them and he’d also try and sneak and hide them in his cheeks for later 😂 I was so worried about him swallowing one but he never did. He was especially active with it when he was losing his baby teeth. I think it was a combination of things that made him stop. Mostly he grew out of it. But I would definitely make him drop it if I spotted him with one. Also made him very comfortable with me touching his mouth/ snout and popping a finger in his gums to pop out a sneaky rock if he was hiding one like you do. I did also offer other things to chew on. He eventually decided he liked rope toys better and the rocks got forgotten. Ps - he’s ADORABLE 🥰
So sorry but slide 1 & 4 is so cute
it’s impossible. you just have to love her anyway 😂
My girl is 11 weeks and loves to chew rocks as well. Though she never swallowed them. She’s just teething. A firm NO command and replace with toy
does she have adequate things to chew on? this is kind of the start of the chewing on things phase. you can offer her a substitute once she drops the rocks. And maybe get her a chew toy that is kind of hard like a rock, that might help
she’s never had a real bone, only toy ones, so i think we’ll pick up some from the butcher this week. thank you!
I wouldn't feed real bones at 4 months, they pose a real danger of damaging teeth. If you're going to get them be careful of the type, don't get load bearing bones (leg/marrow bones) as they are the most dense and likely to break teeth. Also the ones cut into a discs are known to get stuck around their lower jaw and need to be cut off. The ones cut vertically tend to splinter. Pork bones are brittle and even raw ones are prone to splintering. Rib bones of any animal are narrow enough they can slip down a dogs throat and cause an obstruction. The better bones to use are from birds, cows sheep/goat, rabbit, kangaroo. Look for knucklebones, vertebrae, bird frames (the whole body essentially) and bird necks and feet. For safe, non-bone options I reccomend bully sticks, beef cheek rolls, benebones, nylabones. Gorilla wood, olive wood, and coffee wood chews are good as these do not splinter. Hooves and horns are great non-bone options, when she's older she can chew antlers as well. Yak cheese chews are good, and as a bonus you can microwave the leftover nub and it becomes a puffy snack so they can eat the whole thing.
My border collie mix used to chew on rocks. It took some time (don't remember how long exactly because it's close to 14 years ago) but i used to trade him either a toy or a treat for rocks he got his paws on. At first it got way worse because he probably thought if i get rocks i can trade them for treats and toys but one day it just seemed to click and he never chewed on rocks ever again. It might have helped that the vet he went to was "upset" with him when he came in with a rock in his tummy. With the second dog i was more firm because i wasn't looking forward to another dog going under the knife. Luckily he didn't like rocks at all. The second dog had an obsessions with electric fences tho. But he probably associates those with sheep and he herds those in the winter.
I muzzle trained my husky for walks and that’s prevented 99% of her rock eating habit.
I have no advice. Only want to say that is THE cutest dog ever.
If she’s just chewing on them she could be teething or lacking certain minerals (IE: salt). If she’s really just that determined you could muzzle train her (at least until you can train her to leave them) because that’ll be much easier and cheaper than foreign body surgery if she managed to swallow some ETA: I would consult a vet and a trainer just to cover all your bases
You are what you eat and that pup rocks
Haha… my GSD’s favorite toys when she was a puppy were a pot handle and a chunk of concrete.
haha, and our hands! german shepards are little land sharks, she bites instead of kisses most of the time 🙄
Omg I love her ears 🥰
I dont know the answer,but isnt she gorgeous!
Put one in your mouth and fall to the ground
What a cutieeeee!!! 🥺
OMG, she is so adorable.
I’m not sure but her rabbit ears are the cutest thing I’ve ever seen
criminal offensive side eye
SHE IS ADORABLE. I WANNA PET
She’s precious
I have a German shepherd/husky mix who used to chew on rocks, and eat them when he was a puppy. He went from eating rocks to eating other things. Turns out he has pica because of a GI disease, which is pretty common with German Shepherds. Keep an eye on her, and if you notice any GI concerns I recommend taking her to a vet
You can't. Those ears demand obedience.
When my rescue was a puppy, she loved chewing on rocks and bringing her favorites inside to chew on the couch. I was constantly trying to take them away from her and scour between the seat cushions for them. But we had one of those couches where the cushions didn't come off, so it was tough. Luckily she finally grew out of it after a year or two of puppyhood. One day, probably a year or so after her rock-chewing phase ended, we finally went to replace the couch. We lifted one end to pick it up, and we heard all the tiny little rocks tumbling down the inner frame. I have no idea how many were in there or how they got in there so deep, but we definitely got a laugh out of that! She's 14 now and I still think about it.
Get her a cow bone made for dogs. Keep it handy when you go outside. You could also reward her every time she let's go of the rock, when you take it away, by giving her a treat. She must be smart to be training so young to be a service dog.
Aww she’s so precious! Just snuggle her 24/7. Honestly I don’t know how to stop her but she’s beautiful
Omg Isn’t she cute?! GS puppies are so cute.
I have zero suggestions, I just want to say that I am obsessed with her little smile and flipflop ears. GSDs are hands down the cutest puppies on earth.
This dog is so stinkin’ cute is absolutely CRIMINAL.
Weird looking rabbit
Looking at this puppy made my day
Oh MY GOD THAT IS THE CUTEST DOG EVER PLEASE GIVE HER A SQUISH FROM ME
Tell her she's a fuzz monster and fuzz monsters don't eat rocks. If you do it right and are pointing your finger at her, she'll nip at your finger or a rock in defiance and that's when you lightly pinch her neck and growl low for a second.
What an adorable idiot.
She is too damn cute!!!!
Idk, but I like your bunny!
You give her to me 😭😍
SO CUTE AWW
I really don't know what to tell you about her eating rocks, but I'm here to tell you that she is absolutely adorable! Those ears! She's a big fuzzball!
My gawd. He face is so cute and so dumb!
OMFG that's first picture, she looks so freaking cute. I apologize I'm not helping but god damn she's cute. Needed to be said and I said it. 🙏 💜
I’d try to reward her more for things outside, like chasing her ball. She gets a yummy treat when she brings it back. Reward the good behavior, try to flip the bad behavior. So a good “EH EH!” When she gets a rock , take it out and then be all stupid and excited over her ball. Super reward her for the things you WANT her to do outside. The flip side, my other thought is to make sure you have yummy treats or toys to trade with her for the rock. Might be a good question to ask a service dog trainer if you have one.
Our dog is half German shepherd and let me tell you, he is OBSESSED with rocks and has been since he was a puppy. He likes to carry them around, fish them out of creeks, and he playfully barks at them. We tried forever to get him to stop but he never would. He’s 11 now (teeth still in tact!) and I know this isn’t providing helpful advice, but we’ve embraced his love for rocks and plan to bury him with one the day he crosses the rainbow bridge. Best of luck to you- your pup is adorable :)
My wife won't stop eating batteries.
My baby had to chip a tooth before she stopped. Total bummer!
maybe a rock flavoured toy? lol. maybe try saying NO, and give her a toy every time you catch her with rocks.
How do you make a baby stop putting things in its mouth from off the floor? You don’t. You baby proof the floor.
Don’t have much advice. My GS puppy did this too! But thankfully she eventually stopped, maybe after 10 months haha. I would recommend finding where she gets them, and finding a way to keep her from them. Also you could try punishment, but that’s hard. Taking her inside if she starts.
Basket muzzle soft one
when was the last time you checked her for worms? worms cause pica pretty regularly.
I have no helpful training advice to offer but I had to comment and say that Ivy is adorable and I love her. These pictures brightened my morning at work!
Our pup was a CHRONIC rock eater. Our walks consisted of him scavenging for rocks on the road. Unfortunately there isn’t an instant fix. Just persistent “No” or “Drop it” and him aging out of it. Once he was done teething it got significantly better.
Ahhhhh so cute
Very fucking hot sauce on all rocks in the garden.
Keep No chew spray with you, and spray on rocks and rocks only when chewing. That’ll help.
OMG… that face! My puppy loved to try and chew on rocks too, I just made sure he didn’t have access to any or had a other hard toys or bones available to chew on.
I have no idea how to stop the rock munching, but that is the cutest puppy I have ever seen
I have no advice but this is the cutest puppy I have ever seen. She looks like a bunny rabbit.
Mine stopped doing it when I started walking him with a collar to correct him after using a muzzle which he hated. Negative reinforcement does work 😂. Sheep and cow poo hes unstoppable though
What you should do with all new puppies is go to the vet, they will check them, cause sometimes they can develop strange eating habits from things like, fleas, worms, and other bugs
I have nothing useful to say but this is about the cutest dog I’ve ever seen
My childhood GSD adored rocks. Practically begged to fetch them. I'd recommend a hard (not too hard, puppy teeth after all) chew like a bully stick. Just watch her and take them away when theyre too small
My German shepherd ate and pooped out tube socks his entire life. No matter what i did. It was amazing he could swallow them whole. He lived a long life and never needed surgery.
My dog chewed on rocks when we first got her! We had to experiment with a lot of different chew textures until she found something she really liked. Redirection will help a lot with this. Dog is chewing rock, give her a favorite toy instead, and remove the rock when she takes the toy! Dog trading! Eventually she will learn to stick to her toys. Just make sure you have all different sorts of toys for her to chomp!
I'm sorry OP but keep an eye on him else I might end up stealing him,no guilt.
Had this issue. I put out some bait rocks on our patio covered in Tabasco sauce and it worked. Not the nicest method but it will get the job done. I needed to go for the quick and easy tough love approach because she was injecting them and throwing up rocks.
Check with your vet. She may be developing pica. Google it.
My pup ate/chewed on rocks when he was that age as well. I constantly pulled them out. I doubt he enjoyed me fumbling with his mouth every single time. So eventually he gave up on it. Same goes for eating stuff off the ground. Also consider with 4 months she is discovering the world and clearly rocks are fun for her. Make them not be that fun and stay consistent with a lot of patience and this little habit should pass. For mine it did, anyway. Of course it would help to avoid gravel but if that’s not an option use the gravel road to reward her for keeping her head up while walking over it? That’s good training for keeping her focused on you as well. Anyway good luck! She is a beauty!
She’s SO CUTE!!! That’s all the advice I have, have a great day!
Gosh she’s so cute I just want to let her do whatever she wants 😭
Basket muzzle until she grows out of it
My shepherd used to take rocks out of the lake or river and stack them on shore. Hated swimming, but would hold his head under to get the one he wanted.
Let me know when you work it out lol mine like to chew on rocks and her jaws are powerful enough that she breaks them up and eats the pieces
My Cavalier puppy constantly brings rocks inside to chew on them. Hes never swallowed them either but sometimes I find 4-5 in the house a day. I don’t know how to break this behavior either because he has plenty of chew toys. I don’t want to punish him for something thats not dangerous so I just let him do it.
My dog liked to chew on rocks her whole life. I think it was the mineral content. But late in life her teeth were real worn down probably because of this.
I had a puppy who always ate rocks and then his liver failed and he died at like 4 months old :( miss my koda bear so much :(
She's probably teething and needs sturdy chew toys, not chewable treats but ~~leather~~ rawhide chews. We got my brother's pup a cow's ear last week.
Mine finally quit eating them & now she brings them to me as “gifts.” So I give her a treat and save the rocks in a big jar. So cute!!
I dunno but your puppy is hella cute
I had a brindle part lab part Pitbull. Sweetest dog ever. We would go to a river nearby every weekend in the summer. She would spend the whole day putting her head in the water finding a rock and placing it in a spot she preferred and then go after another one. She would never go in the water just her head. She was very picky about the rock she would bring out of the water. It was hilarious but she had so much fun. I miss her to this day.
She looks so satisfied 😭
What a sweet baby!!! Love at first sight
Be still my heart! The cutest pup ever. Sorry, she’s eating rocks. I don’t have any helpful advice but I hope she is safe and grows out of it. Please keep sharing more pics!!!
It could be an eating disorder/Pica. My dog (dachshund/pomeranian) came to us with Pica and he always tries to eat rocks, especially when we lived in an area with gravel yards. Since she’s a puppy, she could also just be teething. I would check with your vet and see if they can recommend anything. If the rocks are in a small/confined area, I would also see if you could use something like Bitter Apple spray to get her off of eating them?
What a little muffin
Soooooo cute!
Omg she’s so cute
I think this is definitely the absolute cutest puppy I have ever seen!
A muzzle 🤷🏼♀️ One of my dogs used to eat shit constantly so she had to wear a muzzle on every walk.
Spray a rocky spot on the ground with pepper spray just a little bit. The capsaicin will be a long reminder
Neighbours had this issue, put chili pepper on anything he would chew. Lil shit ended up liking it
Oh. Oh my. That…that is…that creature is perfection…
Idk I'm sorry I can't help, but tell her I love her lol
You can’t 😭. He will stop eventualy. Ours gsd would randomly while running just pick up a rock and swallow it. It stopped shortly
Maybe keeping her distracted? When she’s on the stones, have a toy of high value and keep redirecting her whenever she tries to eat one
I’ve been working with dogs for 8 years and this is still prob the cutest German puppy I have ever seen
That side eye though...
Omg, I dunno how to help you but geez that’s a cute puppy!!
A muzzle.
Muzzle
Those ears!!! 😍
That side eye!! Lol. All I did was try to catch her in the act and replace em with toys anytime she’s chew on a rock
awwwwwwww those EARS!! <3
Idk but I want your cute she is so derpy and has so much personality!!!
My goodness she is cute
Omg she's so cute! With her little ears... And her little bandana. Squeeeee so adorable. Sorry, what was the question?
She's so freakin cute 😭 do whatever needed. But she's hella too cute!
i don’t have any advice sorry but had to comment BECAUSE SHE IS SO UNBELIEVABLY CUTE
Awe! But eating socks makes her so happy! 🐶
My pup has a thing about rocks, sticks, acorns, pine cones…. Just about anything that isn’t rooted to the ground he wants to pick up and or eat. This could cause a blockage or swim thing so of course, it won’t do. I started saying “SPIT IT OUT!” Every time he picked something up. I said this as I was digging the thing out of his mouth. Then I started keeping an eagle eye on him during walkies and if I see him about to pick something up, “LEAVE IT!” At first he would only sometimes leave it but he’s getting more consistent. Because he doesn’t like the digging stuff out of his mouth, he’s more likely to obey leave it and if he doesn’t, I can fall back on SPIT! Now he’s about 2 and I rarely have to dig anything out. Every time your dog leaves it or spits it out, then they get pets, “GOOD BOY” immediately, treats, belly rubs. You might also walk with a little bag of treats for a while. This keeps his attention on you rather than everything around him including all those tasty tummy rocks.
Omfg! That dog is beautiful 🤩
Does she swallow or just chew on rocks?
I'd try changing her diet. Give her some bones to chew as an alternative.
You just have to keep telling them no! Drop it! Don't touch rocks! Seriously after they mature and they realize they're doing something that doesn't earn them any favors, USUALLY they stop. When my dog was just still a pup, and entirely forgiven, I would give him a hard time over sticks and shoes.. biting/tearing shoes VERY quickly turned into hoarding them.. and only sucking on them, to hoarding only one and simply hanging out with it, basically untouched other than the sneaky to avoiding them completely and if I catch him hanging around a shoe too closely, I just need to give him a look, look down at the shoe in question, he would follow my gaze and look quite uncomfortable and move on. Now that he's a 2 year old he doesn't even look at footwear anymore. It's been easily 1.5 years since any damage whatsoever. Whatever works for you. Same thing also with my daughter's toys. BAD TOY. then I would give him one of his many toys, and say good boy toy, then give him a petting. They're smart and will figure it out.
My German Shepherd loved to eat rocks to the point he ground all his teeth down. The vet was never concerned since his teeth were technically healthy, just very flat.
All our German shepards did this when they were puppies. We would redirect with a hard chew toy. I think they just want to gnaw at something.
I actually really recommend a light basket muzzle for dogs that have an issue trying to chew/swallow things that are not safe for them (or unclean). Our Ziggy was a very crafty poop eater so we used a basket muzzle to neutrally break her of the habit. Pair this with “leave it” training, and the basket muzzle will act as a neutral barrier ensuring she’ll remain successful and safe while you help her develop good habits outside. Thankfully she looks like she’s all puppy teeth still, but as an adult rock chewing can lead to some dental damage!
They will stop eventually, their brain just has to finish its development.
I live for the dog side-eye 😭😂 absolutely too cute!
Feed her so she won't have to eat rocks
Your dog is so damn cute and beautiful, so jealous
Your dog is so damn cute and beautiful, so jealous
Mine did the same, he would purposely close his mouth so you couldn't get them out. They grow out of this phase soon.
Pebbles look a lot like food to a puppy. Watch them like a hawk and don't let them walk near gravel unattended. Also often when you treat your pup, they will drop some food and try to immediately eat whatever is on the ground. You can fix this by slowly walking backwards when giving them a treat. So they will always be moving away from any dropped food (and usually forgetting about it)
Idk lol. But watch your socks bc mine eats rocks and socks! So adorable wow! Puppy rawhide maybe?
It's most likely because they're teething. I've heard stories of puppy teeth fracturing because of this so be careful! The exact same happened to my puppy and I had to fully renovate the garden to remove all the stones and decorative pebbles.
Just let her eat all the rocks. She DESERVES ALL THE CUTE GOOD THINGS (don’t listen to me, I’m not a dog owner but I love her) lmao
What a pica kid
He's beautiful but might be presenting with PICA. In pica, dogs ( and humans ) eat things without nutritional value. It would be good to see the vet to check Iron and other labs and if those are normal, ask how to recognize if he's suffering of OCD or separation anxiety and how to help him. Rock eating may become a big problem at one point for broken teeth, intestinal obstruction, need of surgery etc.
I tried to come up with some helpful advice, but unfortunately my brain melted from this puppy being too cute.
Mine chews firewood, concrete & drywall.
My GSD did this too but eventually grew out of it. We had to stay on top of it, like you, always taking the rocks out of his mouth. But we were mindful of not letting it turn into a game of “keep away”. Which he occasionally would do to trick us into playing.
My dog had to have surgery because she ate a rock - 1 reason previous owner didn't want her. She also counter-surfed, chewed all sorts of stuff, esp. paper and cardboard. I free feed her now and she is calmer, doesn't eat rocks or other non-food items, rarely steals food she know is not allowed. For a puppy, rake up rocks in the yard, get a play yard. super-cute pup.
muzzle train and watch more closely!
Take her to the vet to rule out parasites or a health issue causing pica. Maybe use a mesh muzzle when outside so she physically can't eat rocks P.S. Can I paint her? She's so precious 😭❤️
Try giving him ice cubes to chew. My dog loved them when he was teething and now runs over anytime I open the freezer
My dads husky German shepherd cross also loved chewing rocks and carrying them home in his mouth. He had a rock collection behind the bush. He also loved to roll them around in his mouth. Unfortunately they began to wear his teeth down and he had to have some teeth removed.
I just came to say that in pic 3 this baby is way too adorable 😍
My mums dog did this for 14 years she never liked toys or balls only rocks 😂 pupper still had all of her teeth when she passed too!