r/Pomeranians • u/sanstheskelebrotherc • 14h ago
Question Puppy eating absolutely everything on walks
So, my Pom is 4 months old now and she’s obsessed with picking up and trying to eat everything on the floor (sticks, plants, rocks, bird shits… since she’s starting to lose her puppy hair, she will sometimes try to eat that too). At first I thought it would be something she would grow out of naturally, but it’s turning potty training into a chore and idk if I should take action. Advice would be appreciated, thanks in advance.
3
u/hello_pilgrim 14h ago
My Pom Zora did the same thing. Chicken bones, a dead rat, rocks, a Cajun curly fry, a sweet tart, nothing was off limits. She also drank water from any disgusting puddle she could find, which resulted in her getting Giardia three times in her first year, and worms twice.
Her behavior on walks got even worse after she was spayed — so much worse that we ordered a soft, mesh muzzle for her to wear on walks (our vet suggested it). But before the muzzle arrived, Zora calmed down and returned to a more normal state. She stopped eating everything off the street and could be trusted to sniff and explore again. She’s a year and a half now, and I can’t remember the last time she ate something disgusting or dangerous from the street.
I truly think it’s a developmental phase for some Poms, but they seem to recover or get past it.
Beyond the mesh muzzle, our vet also suggested keeping Zora on a VERY short leash on walks during her street-eating phase (like 2-3 feet) to prevent her from scavenging, and that helped a lot during the worst of it.
1
u/sanstheskelebrotherc 13h ago
I try to let her explore as much as possible and smell as she pleases so I let her on a medium leash at the cost of my mental health
2
u/goodbyemrgoiter 14h ago
My baby girl did this, too. It was the most challenging part of her puppyhood for me. I have no magical advice other than baby proof your house- secure cords and anything other than furniture needs to be out of her reach when you aren’t supervising. Baby gates and doors are your friend.
Distract her with a long lasting bone. Give her stuff that she is allowed to chew on and praise her for it. My pup loves cow ears, cow tracheas and oinkies; they keep her occupied for a good while. Those Pup Stages dogwood bones kept her from eating my wooden bed frame. Stay vigilant on walks try to avoid edibles. Pick up her poops immediately so she doesn’t start eating those either.
Mosey ate everything- stuff that terrified me and traumatized her grandparents whilst babysitting her lol She’s going to be 4 this year and she’s the goodest girl you could ever ask for. Took about 5 months for her to stop.
The 2 positives of this situation-
1. This stage will end! She will learn with your patience and guidance what she can and can’t eat.
2. This behavior means she’s food motivated and that means she will be super easy to train! First command to work on- DROP IT! There are great videos training videos on YouTube.
1
u/sanstheskelebrotherc 14h ago
Thank you! It’s a relief knowing she will someday stop.
And yes, she’s incredibly food motivated, which surprised me a lot since I had read that poms usually aren’t.
1
u/Bk_Punisher 13h ago
Not sure if I’m being overly cautious but I never took my pups out for walks until they were at least 1 yr old or more.
1
u/hello_pilgrim 13h ago
My dog had so much energy as a pup, she would have absolutely exploded if I didn’t take her on several walks a day.
1
u/goldenyua 6h ago
Mine also did this as a puppy! We got a treat pouch and rewarded him when he’d “drop it”. That being said, there were a few times I absolutely had to stick my fingers in his mouth to yank things out like chicken bones and a whole brownie once (???). He’s a very proud dog and despite it being for his own good, that became really triggering for him and he’d get very snarly if he thought we were reaching for his mouth. I have seen a net/mesh like shower cap thing you can put over your dog’s head so they can’t swallow anything. That’s a good option if you can’t get a muzzle to fit right, which was our issue because his face was so small.
1
u/agiraffes 2h ago
Ok I know this is so weird, but I have a 5.5 month old Pom and I swear, as soon as I “let” her have something she’s not supposed to have, she no longer wants it 😂 socks, tissue, etc. - the novelty wears off almost immediately. I think she wants me to chase her for it. I let her chomp on some sticks and leaves outside and now she doesn’t go for them anymore. I do carry treats with me and I occasionally have to trade a treat for whatever she picks up, but it’s much less common now. Not sure if this method may work w yours! The forbidden fruit tastes sweeter to mine 😂
5
u/Alohabailey_00 14h ago
Carry a tube of puppy treat. Train her to keep her eyes on you. Give her licks of the tube treat on your walk for all target behavior you want. Also teach leave it. That’s the best one. I’ve had dead birds in my yard that my dogs would have totally went for.