# my dog is eating EVERYTHING....



## ou-glynn (Feb 2, 2011)

No lie....my dog is eating EVERYTHING!

Just now, he was out of my sight for 2 minutes and he ate a whole bar of soap! 

So...here's the story:

Almost two months ago, my Great Dane Norman (turned 1 year old Jan.9), got pneumonia and was in the dog hospital for 3 days...
Two weeks later, he was back in the vet because he was puking for a day and a half...turns out, he was backed up. The vet gave him and anti-inflamatory injection to reduce gut swelling and when we got home he pooped out a pair of my 2 year old daughter's tights!
That's where it all began (about a week before Christmas), since then he has eaten:
Crayons
Panties
Socks
a cloth pouch for holding diapers and wipes
soap

...and that's all the stuff that I AM aware of.

Not only is it annoying and extremely aggravating, it means I can't trust him for anything!

Our local dog trainer told me I was going to have to entice him into messing with stuff he wasn't supposed to (peaking in on him when he thinks we aren't there) and get him in trouble...however, that takes a substantial amount of time. He said doing that everyday for two weeks would cure it....again, that's a substantial amount of time.
He wouldn't think of doing any of this in our presence.
He also told us that if we cannot keep an eye on him to kennel him for that time...well, that's not ALWAYS feasible either. For instance, he just had dinner - my wife is bathing our daughter in the tub and I sat down at the computer. He was in here with me. I didn't realize he shortly left the room, and literally in the course of a couple of minutes I recognize he was coming back in the room smacking his lips. I opened his mouth and saw foam and could smell the soap!

The other day we had 'locked' him in our bathroom while gone. It keeps him kept up, but not in the incredibly confined space of his kennel. he has a crib mattress that he lays on. There was a brand new bar of soap my wife had next to her sink, still wrapped in a plastic package. He pulled it off the counter, unwrapped it and chewed all over it, so I threw it away. Tonight, it was this bar of soap he seemingly went straight to the closet to grab out of the trash can and ate it ALL!

So...
since this has become such a big problem, about a week ago, I started intentionally breaking his food into 3 feedings instead of two, hoping that would lower his hunger (obviously hasn't helped: tonight he did it within 10 minutes after eating!)
I also have made sure to play with him hard for about 10-15 minutes before leaving in the morning, play hard with him for about 30 minutes at lunch and another 10-15 minutes in the evening. Being a Dane, he tires pretty quickly. My hope was by exercising him more he would be less likely to act out (not working...yet)
I also felt like maybe, for whatever reason, he was leaving behind some of his training. So, during these play times I also spend sometime on the training measures. He still is doing very well at that stuff.

Lastly, my vet is wondering if through the heavy anti-biotics he was under with the pneumonia if he isn't having some 'gut bacteria' issues causing him to want to eat stuff. So, he suggested adding plane yogurt to his food at every meal for about a week. 
I know I did this for about 5 days after the first incidence with the tights.


So...that's a LOT to digest I know. But I NEED help and ideas....


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## luv2byte (Oct 21, 2009)

Google "Pica in dogs". Start reading.

ps...try adding canned pumpkin (not pie filling) to his feeding, 1/4-1/3 can a day should be sufficient I would think. It helps some forms of pica, helped us with our dog's poop eating (another form of pica)


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## poodleholic (Mar 15, 2007)

> So...that's a LOT to digest I know. But I NEED help and ideas....


Easy. Supervise him at all times, and when you can't, then contain him - in a room where he's safe, or a crate. Oh, and pick up the tights, the panties, the socks, etc., so that he doesn't have access to them in the first place.


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## Clamothe (Jan 20, 2011)

poodleholic said:


> Easy. Supervise him at all times, and when you can't, then contain him - in a room where he's safe, or a crate. Oh, and pick up the tights, the panties, the socks, etc., so that he doesn't have access to them in the first place.


I agree. If you can not have eyes on him he needs to be kenneled or tied to you. He is an adolescent and sounds bored. I would also do all his meals in a food puzzle (food cube, kong wobbler, etc) so that he has to work for it. Have you taken an obedience class with him? Even if he knows all the commands it would be something to occupy his mind and increase his activity.


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## Tavi (May 21, 2010)

Adding into the bored side, lots of dogs particularly in their teens do stuff like this out of boredom. How much are you working with him? How much exercise is he getting daily? Great Danes can appear to be lazy dogs indoors but that doesn't mean he shouldn't still be getting a ton of exercise to keep his mind and body healthy and active! And we have a rule around our house, if you don't want the dog to eat it, then it should be locked up where they can't get it. ^^


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## ou-glynn (Feb 2, 2011)

k...it's obvious that some of you answering didn't fully read my post.

1.) did I not say: with a toddler (and sometimes being the only adult here), it's not possible for my eyes to be ON my dog 100% of the time. I know it sounds easy...but it really is NOT, because that has been my plan for the last two weeks for sure. And I have kenneled him when I know I can't watch him. The other part of that equation - so he'll be in his kennel 22 hours a day....I don't think that's good for his boredom either.

2.) We keep our house pretty well picked up. There are occasional things left lying around. And, HAVE YOU SEEN A GREAT DANE?!?!?! They grab stuff of the counters too! 
He know's he's not supposed to. And, again, with a toddler picking everything you don't want eaten sounds a LOT easier than it really is.

3.) I explained the activity my dog is getting in my first post. I won't re-hash it, but he's getting a total of an hour a day in exercise and working on training. Regarding that - we had a guy come to our house to train him. And...like I said above...I still work with him on that stuff and teaching him new stuff. He's doing well at that. And, the trainer is the one who suggested leaving stuff out, hiding, and using a dogtra collar to get his attention when he starts messing with any of it. But...again, that isn't really possible. That would take most of a day and for someone who has a job, that's NOT really possible.

Practicality, folks....


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## Clamothe (Jan 20, 2011)

I have three kids, I've had dogs before them and with them. Either watch him and give him what he needs by reconstructing your life or place him with someone who can and wait to get another until you have the time to do what needs to be done. I get it, it's not easy, but it was your choice. You volunteered to have a dog and a child. There isn't any magic and I'm sorry for that.


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## BmoreBruno (Jan 19, 2011)

ou-glynn -

I don't know much about dog psychology as I'm a new dog owner, but I am a mental health therapist with humans and my first thought while reading your post was Pica so I agree with luv2byte's post. I trust that as you say you are exercising your dog enough for his breed (that I know nothing about) and doing your best to keep things picked up. I think everyone knows it's impossible to remove of EVERYTHING. I would ask your vet about Pica and do some google research. Perhaps the canned pumpkin idea will work? I also agreed with someone's post to get food puzzles to serve his meals, the more complicated the better, to keep him distracted. I would have tried to exercise and tire him out first as you did, but that obviously wasn't the problem and seems like he needs more distractions to keep his mind off eating everything! 

Is looking into a crate for the times you can't observe him out of the question? If you do try it, I'd be really careful about what kind of bedding you put in it because it sounds like he might even eat a towel!


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## doxiemommy (Dec 18, 2009)

Oh, no, we read your post, fully. The thing is, you don't want to hear what we're saying. The easiest, easiest, easiest way to solve your Dane getting into stuff is to keep him away from the stuff and the stuff away from him. 

I don't mean to sound harsh at all, but dog ownership isn't easy.

1. Yes, you did say it's hard to keep your eyes on him, with a toddler and a busy family. BUT, some of the posters offered you practical advice on HOW to do that, like tethering him to you with a leash so that he doesn't wander off where you can't see him. Or, a safe room, or a kennel. 

2. Yes, we've all seen Great Danes. Yes, they can grab things off the counter. Actually, lots of dogs get things off the counter, Great Dane or not, some just hop on up. Do a search on this forum for counter surfing and you'll see. It's NOT a new concept here, we've heard of it, keeping things off the counter is the easiest way to deal with that.

You say he "knows" he's not supposed to: did you teach him or train him that? Do you use the "off" command or do you just yell at him when he does it? And, really, lots of folks say their dog "knows" their not supposed to do things like counter surf, but the thing is, it's a "self-rewarding" behavior. Dogs frequently persist in "self-rewarding" behaviors because, well, they get a reward.
When he chews or eats things, THAT is his reward. For whatever reason he feels the need to do it, he is rewarded by chewing stuff up. If you don't see him do it, you can't redirect him.

3. The only thing you said about the "activity" your dog is getting is "playing hard" with him before you leave, at lunch, and in the evening. Playing hard is NOT exercise, it's play. Playtime is different than exercise. It just is. Plain and simple. 
AND, you didn't mention any training in your original post, i.e. working with him on a little bit of training every day. You only said, in your last post: "I still work with him on that stuff and teaching him new stuff." That's not very specific. Exercise for your dog should be mental and physical.

As far as the trainer that said you should bait your dog by leaving stuff out and "getting him in trouble", I wouldn't put much weight in that. 

And, by the way, dog ownership is not always practical. BUT, the most practical advice, you've already been given, keep him away from the stuff by tethering him or crating him, or keeping him in a safe room. And, keep the stuff away from him the same way you would keep things away from your toddler.


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## FilleBelle (Aug 1, 2007)

I agree that this is primarily a management issue.



ou-glynn said:


> He also told us that if we cannot keep an eye on him to kennel him for that time...well, that's not ALWAYS feasible either. For instance, he just had dinner - my wife is bathing our daughter in the tub and I sat down at the computer. He was in here with me. I didn't realize he shortly left the room, and literally in the course of a couple of minutes I recognize he was coming back in the room smacking his lips.


Since you know he can't be trusted on his own, you need to put yourselves in the position where you DO realize when he's leaving the room. Tether him to you with a leash, close the office door, or put him in a crate when you sit down at the computer. One year is barely more than a puppy, especially in a large breed, and this puppy clearly needs your continued assistance with impulse control. Heck, my older dog is roughly 12 years and I can't leave anything even _remotely _resembling a food product _anywhere _in my home when I leave. I use baby gates and doors to section off safe rooms where I can keep stuff on the floor without worrying that he'll get into it and I'm hyper-vigilant about keeping the other rooms clean at all times. This means nothing on the coffee table; nothing on the counters; trash cans off the floor, under a locking lid, or behind closed cabinets; etc.

I don't know what "play with him hard" means, but an hour total of physical activity AND training each day does not sound like nearly enough for a healthy one-year-old pup. That same 12-year-old dog that likes to eat stuff also has a missing eye and arthritis in his hips. He gets a brisk 30 minute walk every morning and evening, plus a spin around the block right before bed, multiple training sessions throughout the day, and a game of fetch or find-it every once in a while. He eats his meals out of kibble dispensing toys. If an hour of walking a day plus all those other activities is only just enough for my elderly beast, it wouldn't seem to me that less would be enough for your healthy adolescent.

What does the dog have available to him that he _can _eat? Kongs? Bully sticks? Raw bones? Nylabones? Will he chew on them if redirected?


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## sandydj (Sep 27, 2010)

I agree..I have 2 large dogs and a 4 year old and a 2 year old. It is imperitive to contain the young dog if you aren't with him. 

We had the same issue with Bo , until he hit maturity ( when he was about 20 months I would say..he is 2 1/2 now) . Look , I know it is hard , near impossible to keep an eye on what toddlers drop and leave around..that is why you need to buy a big crate and take the dog out for supervised playtime when you can watch him and your kids. It is the only way to keep him safe , or you may find yourself on that new show "My Dog Ate What?!?!" 

In his crate give him a giant stuffed Kong ..watch what you put as bedding in his crate. My Bo would eat any kind of pad or blanket when he was younger.

Even with all my precautions Bo ate things I never would have suspected. Like , a trampoline and a stroller. Once that happened I realized I had to supervise him in the yard too CONSTANTLY, until he was trained. 

I worried about nutrition too..PICA , etc. I made sure he was on high grade food and gave him pumpkin too. He grew out of it with training. having toddlers and young dogs or puppies ups the training difficulty by 100 %..but it is that much more important to be on top of it.

Good luck , KUP.

Oh , and about the part about crating him for 22 hours a day...honestly , being in same situation I did not find it that difficult to crate him and I assure you the time never hit the 22 hour per day mark  

I use to crate him while I was doing something where I could not watch him..like when giving the kids a bath , or if I felt like web surfing while the kids watch a Sesame street. I don't know about you , but I sit in a room and play with my kids for most of the day. I would sit on the living room floor and do activities with my kids and Bo would be on a 6 foot lead participating and enjoying the family. It also gave me the opportunity to correct his interest in non chewable items.

I am a photographer and do spend time editing jobs..when Bo was in his chewing stage that meant the kids watched an educational video and Bo was either on his lead by my desk or in his crate.

If you are in a situation where you can't take measures like that , there is really no good advice to give you..just to hope your dog doesn't eat something that really hurts him before he outgrows chewing ( if he outgrows it..some dogs are lifelong object thieves and always need to be watched or put in a safe place when not being watched) .


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## amavanna (Nov 20, 2010)

When we first got Lela she never had any interest in chewing anything except her bone it was just too good to be true..well it was lol. after a few weeks she settled in and settled hard everything became game for chewing.

The rule in this house is if you don't want it chewed don't leave it on a floor, chair, table, or counter...in put where am I supposed to put anything right lol. Closests and places up high enough for starters. Stuff like bar soap you can make a switch to liquid soap maybe if he can't smell it , it won't be as interesting.

Lela is a cloth chewer. If it is made of cloth it is getting chewed, socks, undies, bras, pillows, blankets, rags, toilet paper, and paper books and mail are my biggest concerns. Now 75% of my issues can be solved by not leaving laudry on the floor ^_^ The other means putting my toilet paper in one of those toilet paper covers and keeping my bathroom door short and it meant moving my paper back books to a taller shelf. Now that still lves the pillows on the coach my daughter's stuffies and barbies and god forbid a pair of helpless sneakers. In which case if they are left out and she is not being watched might as well start picking up the pieces but if she is being watched you should have time to take what she is chewing ( a good drop command is vital here every dog should know drop it or leave it ) and then replace it with something she CAN chew, kong, bone, rope , ball, what ever.

It seems to me there should be more walking time, at least 2 times a day for 30 minutes to an hour on top of "playing hard" I got a boxer and I don't care how much you "play hard" with her she will still outrun anything if you let her outside. She is fast and full of energy. Most dogs are it just takes a different amount of time to expell it. All dogs need and want to run, some breeds 5 minutes is good to completly whipe them out for others it could take hours of hard work to really satisfy them.



> Living Conditions
> The Great Dane will do okay in an apartment if it is sufficiently exercised. It is relatively inactive indoors and does best with at least a large yard.
> 
> Exercise
> The Great Dane needs plenty of exercise. They need to be taken on a daily long walk.


There are a lot of breeds that are really quite calm inside but get them outside and BAM they are gone chasing running and jumping all over the place. I consider those dogs to be "naturally polite" lol they kinda get the jist that inside is not the best place to do those things cause these darn walls get in the way.

I also think if he dosen't have one already he needs a kong and a great big one. and you need to put in high value treats that are somewhat difficult to get to. I also think you should consider using the lead inside, you can get them up to 100 feet long if u want so he can still go where he wants but it gives you the chance to reel him in and it lets you know he is on the move. Lela is a big chewer and I know Danes are huge dogs but surley even 20 seconds of time is enough time to catch him in the act and redirect him to something appropriate.


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## poodleholic (Mar 15, 2007)

> =ou-glynn;957914]k...it's obvious that some of you answering didn't fully read my post.


Oh, I've read what you've had to say, but here's the deal - when you have an infant/toddler, you baby-proof your home for their safety. You do the same for a puppy/young dog. It's also a good idea to be prepared for the huge committment of your time, effort, and patience when you bring a child and/or dog into your life. Many of us have raised children and dogs, so you're not unique or unusual, and it's not really hard to do when you provide structure and routine in daily life, being mindful of safety measures. When you don't, you have chaos. 

I have 3 Standard Poodles, a cat, am dogsitting a young (untrained!) Mastiff, and have my 6-yr. old grandson for a week. I work full time, have a cast on my dominant hand, and I'm in my 60's. Is it easy? Not always, but very manageable because I don't set myself up to fail by failing to be proactive. No counter surfing, garbage tipping, panty eating, or other mischief because nothing is accessable for the Mastiff to get into. My Poodles are well trained, because of the investment of my time, effort, and patience when they were young. Being PERSISTENT and consistent is key, so if you can't keep up, maybe it's time to rehome the dog, before ingestion of panties or socks or other inappropriate items results in tragedy.


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## xxxxdogdragoness (Jul 22, 2010)

If you can't tether him to you have a drop lead with a snap on the lop end of it (the end you hold) & if you are working on the computer or tending to baby you can wrap it around a piece of sturdy furniture whi,e you are preforming whatever task it is & just pick him up when you leave the room again & repeat as needed.


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## winniec777 (Apr 20, 2008)

IME there is absolutely nothing _practical _about living with a dog. They are totally impractical and if you can't deal with that, it might be time to consider rehoming. When I think about our dog's puppy days (until she was about 3) I still shudder and wonder how the heck we survived it. But we did and things are not nearly so crazy because most of the training took and we've incorporated managing her silliness into our lives. Closing doors and toilet lids and putting things up has become 2nd nature. We just always do it. 

When she was a puppy the #1 rule in our house was "eyes on dog." Always. No exceptions. She was never allowed to wander off into a room by herself unsupervised. She still isn't. If no one is upstairs, she's not allowed up there. I always know where she is. Listening for her and knowing what she's up to have become totally ingrained habits. Just like you would do with a child. Because mentally she is a child, one that doesn't always make the best choices.  That's why living with a dog is so impractical.

Trust me, I know how utterly frustrating it is to try to get a little work done on the computer or do the dishes or whatever and have to break off every 60 seconds to see what the darn dog is up to. It seems like you can never finish anything. And it gets real stressful real fast. Especially if your dog is getting into things like that.

Sorry to ramble. Just trying to make the point that most people need to check their expectations about dogs and think about the day-to-day reality of living with them before they get them. After they have them, acceptance of what they've gotten themselves into, with the realization that there is no easy fix, is in order. JMO. I wish you the best of luck. Danes are beautiful animals, but not so easy to live with when they do their thing at 4x the normal size!


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## xxxxdogdragoness (Jul 22, 2010)

Totally winniec, I get what your saying, Josie is never allowed out of sight as she is in the wondering stage & she will wonder off, following the scent of something. So when I can't babysit her or watch her, she is tethered to my older dog who is a wonderful babysitter who really helps me out when I need it lol. Josie also wears a collar with a bell during the day so I can hear where she is & what she is doing lol... crazy I know but it works


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## amavanna (Nov 20, 2010)

my dog's dogtag jangles on her collar that acts as a "cowbell" you really cant miss it when she is on the move


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## winniec777 (Apr 20, 2008)

dogdragoness said:


> Totally winniec, I get what your saying, Josie is never allowed out of sight as she is in the wondering stage & she will wonder off, following the scent of something. So when I can't babysit her or watch her, she is tethered to my older dog who is a wonderful babysitter who really helps me out when I need it lol. Josie also wears a collar with a bell during the day so I can hear where she is & what she is doing lol... crazy I know but it works


LOL - I know what you mean! Isn't it funny how you can tell if they're up to no good just by the sound of the collar tags or bell?


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## luv2byte (Oct 21, 2009)

dogdragoness said:


> Totally winniec, I get what your saying, Josie is never allowed out of sight as she is in the wondering stage & she will wonder off, following the scent of something. So when I can't babysit her or watch her, she is tethered to my older dog who is a wonderful babysitter who really helps me out when I need it lol. Josie also wears a collar with a bell during the day so I can hear where she is & what she is doing lol... crazy I know but it works


We don't have collars with bells but the dogs do have 2 tags that jingle together - and it is often very helpful, which is why we haven't put the little tag silencers on them. 

I am also one that has learned (thought not 100%, guess I am a slow learner) - to pick things up. Our puppy has chewed over $500 in shoes (most were in the $50-100 range), I've learned to pick up my shoes and I bury my dirty undies in the laundry basket each day. Our laundry basket has a HEAVY lid, its actually an outdoor storage tub. Unconvetional but doesn't look bad at all, we can sit on it and it works for us.


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## Dog101 (Jan 18, 2011)

Hey my dog had the same problem. What did we do? Well make sure every thing is picked up.I would really suggest picking up socks or things with strong smells because he'll probably be more atracted to those. I know he's a dane and their tall, But maybe you should block off your child's/children's room(s) with a stylish gate.


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## amavanna (Nov 20, 2010)

I am not sure the OP has come back since the thread didn't go as he expected it's a shame cause I think we all offered sound advice. Hopefully he comes back and we found he took some advice and is just putting it in motion


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## xxxxdogdragoness (Jul 22, 2010)

Either that or it wasn't a real post lol. But if it was a sorely hope that they consult someone or take the sound advice they got here because as I can say from experience as the owner of a pup who likes to out naughty things in her mouth, luckily she knows leave it & will drop the offending object out of her mouth & not go back for it. But it was a bit of a battle of wills tp get this far lol.


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## beverley (Oct 7, 2010)

branston too eats everything! not as in the op, but as a 6mth old pup he wants to eat everything! the problem i have is that where he goes to the toilet is a small area by the side of my house that is stoney and while he is supposed to be 'going' he is always looking for things to eat, moss off the roof etc although he has realised that stones are not edible he just jangles them around his mouth for a bit before he will go to the toilet! as he has never ever gone to the toilet with a lead on im going to buy a basket muzzle for him to wear when he is outside in the garden and see how he gets on


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## xxxxdogdragoness (Jul 22, 2010)

Don't fret, I think its a puppy thing at that age, all of my puppies have gone through what I call the 'garbage disposal' mouth stage... where they are like bull sharks & will put anything in their mouth once!. 

You can try spraying a few of the stones with bitter spray before he goes out to deture him, that worked in getting Josie to stop touching the rain boots we leave outside on the porch.


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## Cracker (May 25, 2009)

Yeah, he didn't like the advice he got. 
I also can't believe his "trainer" (using that word loosely) recommended following him around and punishing him constantly..that is not gonna stop pup from getting into stuff when Dad's not around...Dogs are too discerning for that. He also doesn't seem to realize that his 100 lb dog is a PUPPY still..and adolescent with a need to chew and ingest. No mention of bones or chew toys. And how the hell do you not notice a dog of his size leaving the room????
If he has this much difficulty managing the dog how is he going to be able to keep his toddler safe when he gets into stuff?

Sorry about the rant. But this stuff just friggin bugs me.

Management is 90 percent of teaching a puppy.


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