Eating Sticks
Hi all you great advice givers! A new obsession foe my Sassafras has become trying to eat as many sticks as possible! We go outside and all she wants to do is hunt for sticks and down them. She even trys to bite branches right off the bushes/tress! I have been redirecting her to toys that I bring out with us and tell her "No sticks!" But, man alive, she is persistent!!! I have read horror stories of dogs eating wood and getting infections and blockages. I certainly don't want that to happen. It took her so long to be comfortable outside and now I feel like it's a danger zone. We have lots of trees so getting rid of all sticks is impossible. Any suggestions or tips would be wonderful! She does have a plethora of chew toys, both hard and soft. Thanks in advance!
Comments
I neither have a master plan for it, nor have I ever encountered such a situation myself in reality.
Out on the street you likely do not have very good chances to avoid the situation OR to use it for training.
Far too distracting.
So, outside for now I would try to find areas - fenced dog parks, beach etc. - that do not provide a lot of sticks by nature for my entertaining walks. And I would make it a habit to clean present sticks up, so my dog doesn't get them. Always have other toys ready and try to engage her in playing together. But even if she refuses - live with it.
IF doggie usually is interested in the slightest way in sticks in those surroundings as well, inside at home or in my yard I would start training at the same time.
First, she should be reliable on "let go" and "leave it" - ideally trained with several other objects in the past.
Now I would hold a stick ready, let her sniff it and even play with it and reward interaction that does NOT involve chewing. Once she starts chewing, I would use my "let go" or "leave it", depending on the situation that second. That training with the stick within the calm environment of my home gives me much better chances to show her effectively that I do not want the chewing and get her attention for learning.
As soon as chewing starts she has to "let go" - gets a reward for letting go - and interaction with the stick ceases for a moment. Then I start over. After lots of repetition, she should get it that NOT chewing brings a reward, letting go brings reward, leaving it brings reward - chewing brings ... nothing!
Once we are through this phase and the exercise is working pretty reliable at home, I would take the training outside. Still keep my walks in calm areas without sticks lying around. Maybe have her on a long training leash temporarily to have a "longer reach". And I would have one stick ready myself to test and train her outside.
Same procedure. If she only carries it or brings it - reward. Once she starts chewing again - "leave it" > reward. Maybe another try. If the chewing gets out of hand again outside, the stick is gone, because she obviously needs some more training at home under controlled circumstances, before we try outside again.
But, number one: It is very important that she has a good chance in the timeline of events to realize that she is being treated for "letting go"! and NOT for the chewing, which basically happens split seconds before. Timing is vital here!
Also she gets something after the stick has been taken away ... another toy, a hug and cuddle, doing a trick that gets her a reward ... anything positive that takes her attention off the lost stick and also leaves her with a good feeling. Because if that is missing, she may connect a feeling of loss to giving up the stick after the "let go" and that might inspire her to obey when in sight, but sneak away and chew secretly when unseen - just because it makes her feel better.
I think all of that sounds pretty psychological and theoretical. I can't try the approach myself. But maybe there are some ideas in it for you. I don't think that we have to be psychologists to see that - similar to children - our dogs have a pretty straightforward and to a certain point predictable mindset. Just like kids they do get funky ideas and they need to learn rules, which is far more effective when we get them to understand instead of just demanding them to follow. Also learning that giving up things does not necessarily just mean loss, but can lead to even BETTER things can be a very important lesson in the life of a dog - also for other situations. This way is often longer than just taking away or forbidding. But the effects usually last an entire life.
I hope I was able to help a little. Maybe others will weigh in with some different ideas.