How to stop a dog or puppy from picking up food on the street

For the animal itself, the latter behavior poses the greatest danger, since under certain circumstances, food picked up from the ground can lead to death. For this reason, every responsible owner should know how to stop a dog from picking up on the street.

Why does a dog pick up everything on the street?

The methods of influence on the animal depend on the reason for the selection. Most often the problem lies in the following:

1. Curiosity. Typically for puppies who are just beginning to explore the world.
2. Teething. This process is associated with unpleasant itching, which can be easily relieved by massaging the gums using available materials.
3. Hunger. Some dogs pick up from the ground when they are on a low-calorie diet or are fed infrequently. Due to the acute feeling of hunger, they are attracted not only to fresh, but also to long-lost food.
4. Coprophagia. Eating your own and other people's feces is extremely rare. Its main causes are concomitant diseases or mental disorders.
5. Worm infestation. One of the symptoms of parasite infection is perverted appetite. In addition to excrement, sick animals may eat soil, stones, curtains, and other inedible objects.
6. Lack of saturation. Fixed for problems with the hypothalamus. Does not depend on the quality of the diet and is not treatable.
7. Lack of attention. Most four-legged animals cannot stand loneliness at all. If you don't spend enough time with your pet, he will try to attract any of your attention, including negative ones.
8. Avitaminosis. Vitamin deficiency is mainly diagnosed in pets on a natural diet. Pregnant dogs are also at risk.
9. Bad Education. Here we are talking about adult animals that were not weaned from picking up as puppies. If a curious child was allowed to eat from the floor and was not punished for it, then sudden indignation in adulthood will cause him sincere misunderstanding and even protest.
10. Experienced trauma. Often found in dogs that have been starving for a long time, taken from a shelter or from the street. Gleaning is their natural way of feeding. It is difficult to correct this situation, but with due attention and patience it is still possible.

Due to the variability of causes, it is best to consult a veterinarian before starting weaning. If the disease is confirmed, the problem will resolve itself after it is eliminated. The same applies to improper or poor-quality nutrition, as well as teething. In all other cases, the main emphasis will have to be on education.

Correct punishment

Do not forget that only an adult dog or a puppy older than 3 months is punished. A child under this age cannot correlate the measures taken against him with the offense. He simply will not understand why he is being punished. This method only works on adult dogs if action is taken immediately after the offense.

Suitable punishment for a puppy over 3 months and an adult animal:

• expression of obvious dissatisfaction;
• detached style of behavior;
• lack of affection;
• ignoring.

To wean your dog from picking up all sorts of nasty things on the street, it is better to use a combined punishment:

• If an animal sniffs something diligently and tries to take it into its mouth, it must be sharply commanded “fu” or “no.”
• If there is a weak reaction or its absence, you need to strictly pull the leash.
• Approach the dog and silently remove the piece from its mouth.
• If the dog resists or has already eaten garbage, you need to scold the animal.
• After bad behavior, play or walking should stop. The dog should be taken home and all its attempts to attract attention should be ignored.

If the method of punishment is chosen to correct behavior, it is important not to allow connivance. It is possible to wean your pet from picking up food on the street only when each attempt is followed by educational measures.

Why is picking dangerous?

The main danger is poisoning and subsequent death. On the street, a pet can suffer not only from spoiled food, but also from poison baits left by dog ​​hunters. Some products are simply sniffed, so spitting them out on command is not enough. Ideally, the dog should immediately avoid questionable objects.

In case of mild intoxication, a selected piece of food may lead to vomiting, diarrhea or constipation. The first 2 symptoms are fraught with dehydration, and the second - intestinal obstruction.

Another possible danger is injury to the stomach or intestines. It is caused by sharp objects such as bones. If they enter the gastrointestinal tract, their edges can pierce vital organs.

A high probability of infection by parasites, viruses and bacteria cannot be ruled out. This problem is typical for pets that pick up feces and soil.

General recommendations

It doesn’t matter which method the owner chooses when weaning an adult dog or puppy from picking up everything on the street. It is important to follow the general principles of raising the correct behavior of an animal:

• Train your puppy to refuse found treats from an early age. To do this, you can force someone to throw something out of his mouth with the command “fu”.
• Practice basic commands with your pet. During the walk, he must explore the world at the command “walk.” And if his attention is attracted by some object on the ground, call him with the words “come to me.”
• If you want to praise your dog for following a command, you don’t need to throw the treat on the ground. “Yummy” can only be given from your hands.
• Monitor the dog’s health, regularly carry out vaccinations and anthelmintic prophylaxis.
• Feed your pet a balanced diet high in protein, vitamins and minerals. If the animal is well-fed, it is much easier to wean it from collecting garbage.

It will be useful to take the advice of an experienced dog handler to help correct behavior.

How to stop your dog from picking up on the ground while walking

If you are convinced that everything is fine with your pet’s health and diet, feel free to proceed to training. Constant use of a leash and muzzle is not a panacea. Ammunition is good only as a supplement, and the main emphasis is better on practicing commands.

Team "Fu" and "No"

Ban commands are used for different purposes: for total (“Fu”) and temporary (“No”) ban. The difficulty of training also differs. First of all, it is recommended to master “Fu”. This word must be spoken every time the puppy tries to pick up something from the ground or floor.

They move on to teaching the order “You can’t” after consolidating “Fu”, “It’s possible” and “Sit”. In this case, the four-legged animal must be trained to perform sequential actions, for example, eating food after receiving the appropriate order. To do this you need:

1. Call the animal into the kitchen and order it to sit down.
2. Take out the food and, pouring it into a bowl, say “No”.
3. Wait 15-30 seconds and invite the dog using the word “Can”.

The described exercise excludes eating treats without your permission. This skill is very effective in situations where something falls on the floor. Such food is not always dangerous in itself, but may not fit into the daily caloric intake.

Command “Come to me” or “Nearby”

The “Fu” command is good when the dog is already trying to grab something, and “Come to me” is good when he just intends to sniff a foreign object. It also helps to call your pet closer if he is walking without a leash.

The Nearby team has a slightly different goal. It is necessary to control the pace and direction of walking. After receiving this order, the animal will walk as close as possible to your leg, which will make it much easier to suppress any unwanted actions.

Methods for raising adults and puppies

Familiarization with the rules of behavior should begin immediately after purchasing a puppy. Kids are easier to train, but not because of their intelligence, but because of the lack of established habits. The hardest thing is with animals taken from a shelter or straight from the street.

First of all, it is necessary to train the puppy to carry out the “Fu” order. Training begins at 2-3 months. After consolidating the skill, the remaining orders are introduced.

Raising adults and puppies differs not only in the time required, but also in the methods of punishment and motivation. For babies, a light click on the nose and a rewarding treat are enough. When working with animals older than 1 year, the list of acceptable actions is longer:

1. Punishments. Non-painful tugging of the leash, distraction by loud noises, and a slap on the butt with a rolled-up newspaper are allowed.
2. Incentives. In addition to treats and joint games, adult pets can be motivated by regular praise.

Please note that compliance with prohibition orders should not be encouraged. In this case, the motivation is the absence of punishment.

If you neglect this rule and regularly give out treats, then over time the dog will pick it up from the ground on purpose - in order to receive a treat for subsequent spitting.

Home workouts

When training, it is very important to remember the taboo on picking up from the ground and floor. To consolidate skills, training should be carried out not only on the street, but also at home:

1. Don't let your puppy eat directly from the floor. Serve food only in a bowl or by hand. If it accidentally falls, immediately throw everything in the trash and replace it with a new one.
2. Feed your dog strictly on command and do not allow food to be given out of schedule.
3. Do not allow treats to be taken from someone else's hands. This will help avoid intentional poisoning while walking or guarding your home.

To finally consolidate the skills, it is recommended to conduct periodic training. Place pieces of forbidden food throughout the house or apartment and let your pet go for a walk. If he tries to grab something, punish him.

Repeat this exercise until the dog gets used to eating only after receiving the appropriate permission.

Practicing the commands “fu”, “no”

Teaching general commands will greatly help in correcting dog behavior. The simplest of them, which will wean your pet from picking up leftovers, are “ugh” or “no”. You should start training your puppy from a very early age, so that later he does not pick up carrion, bones and garbage on the street.

For classes you will need a handful of the animal’s usual treats and the same amount of cookies. The command is tested using the following technology:

• Cookies that are unusual for the pet are thrown on the ground.
• When the dog reaches for the confectionery product, they press it with their foot and give the command “fu” or “no”.
• If the puppy looks up, he is given his favorite treat.
• Repeat the exercise every time you go outside, changing the place and time.

When walking on a leash, if the dog reaches for food, it must be pulled back, and the garbage must be kicked or crushed, accompanying these movements with the command “no”.

This simple exercise, if performed regularly, will help quickly wean your dog from picking up all sorts of nasty things on the street. In addition, the puppy will learn obedience, which will prepare him for further training.

Aids

Auxiliary equipment includes the ammunition already mentioned above. At first, the use of a leash and muzzle is a must, especially within the city. If your pet likes to pull and you are afraid of injuring it, replace the leash with a halti or halter.

Another useful tool is a dog whistle. It helps in forming the desired reaction without uttering an order. In this case, the animal reacts to a stimulus (whistle) and subsequent coercion (pulling the leash when executing the command “Near”).

Don't let strangers feed your dog

First, determine the circle of people whom you will consider “yours”: these could be your close friends, relatives and family members living with the pet. All others should be strangers to the dog. This does not mean that your pet should react aggressively to them, but you should not accept treats from such people. The dog should not accept any treats, even harmless ones approved by the owner.

Photo by Tahoe on Unsplash

When to contact a dog trainer

The help of a dog handler is necessary when all of the above recommendations do not work. It is also worth using if you want to get quick results.

After the meeting, the dog handler will definitely tell you how to wean your dog from eating from the ground and demonstrate basic exercises. Classes are available individual and group. For frequently distracted puppies, it is better to choose the first option.

Prohibited and ineffective methods

Dog owners often make mistakes in their educational work. Ineffective methods include:

• Using treats that have an unpleasant taste. It is believed that a dog will experience discomfort from food not eaten from a bowl. Actually this is not true. You risk triggering allergies in your dog. After all, you never know how an animal will react to certain fillings.

• Use of repellers. With severe stress and fear, your pet may completely lose its appetite. You cannot correct your puppy's behavior. On the contrary, he will become wary and fearful.

• Using a shock collar. This is a very aggressive punishment. It can cause harm to the animal and also provoke aggressive behavior. At the same time, the puppy will continue to pick up inappropriate things on the street.

All of the above methods lead to the dog secretly consuming prohibited foods. This will be accompanied by severe stress and fear for the owner. However, she will not understand what exactly the punishment is for.

You can teach your dog not to pick up foreign objects on the street or on the ground at all times, regardless of age. However, you will have to be patient and also choose the appropriate learning technique. It is important to develop respect for the owner in the puppy. Only then will he obey.

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