Eating grass and barking at me

Hi,

Just wondering if any of you could answer a query for me please?

I have an 11 week old labrador puppy who in general is very good however every time I take him in the garden he loves to eat the grass. We all constantly tell him to stop and keep moving him away from the spot he chews on just for him to go and find somewhere else immediately. We have had him 2 weeks and he has done this all the time so its not that he has an upset tummy I just think he likes doing it. Any ideas to make him stop please?

Also he has started barking at us. Anyone know why he does this?? He might be just being playful/cheeky but we are trying to teach him that its not right. So far we have just been staring him out until he gives up so that we win. Just wondering if we are doing the right thing or will we aggitate him??

Any advice will be greatly appreciated.
Thanks from a tired new first time puppy owner
Marie
x

Just do something to distract him from eating grass. He will outgrow it.

He found his voice! Let him enjoy it for a while but try teaching him a "quiet" command. (If he barks, say "Quiet!" and he will probably stop barking and look at you. Give praise and treat. Repeat as necessary.)

Good luck!

My dog and cats have all loved eating grass. Not because of upset tummies . . . they just like the taste. I would be careful not to let him have any grass where you don't know if there's pesticides on it, but if there's no pesticides in your own yard, I would let him do it there.

I agree with Boemy. As long as it doesn't have pesticides on it or it isn't that wide, crab grass that has sharp edges, I wouldn't worry about it. Dogs eat a little grass. It is not wrong, morally or otherwise. It would be hard to teach a dog that it isn't "right." LOL. It's what they do. They like a little vegetation. My dogs all nibble on a little grass from time to time and I don't think a thing of it. If you think it's excessive and the dog is throwing up all the time....regularly, then I'd take another look and see if your dog has some kind of digestive upset which may be making him want to eat a lot of grass. Sometimes I think they do that to make themselves throw up. But a little bit isn't going to hurt him.

I have a dog (Tillie) that is a little over a year. She loves to eat grass. Every since I got her she has loved it. She will nibble on some and not like the taste of that and move on to another spot that suits her better. I agree with Boemy and Doberluv. Don't worry about it too much. Just keep an eye out and don't let him eat grass that is not yours.

My dogs eat grass all the time! Just when I think they've stopped I look over at them in the yard and they're chewing on it like bubble gum. It hasnt hurt them, but yes, it is aggravating to find it later regurgitated in the corner of the room!! LOL

As far as the barking, I just posted a thread about excessive barking. It was the best advice I've ever received! Check it out and let me know if it works for you too. I also agree with the person's advice above about the "Quiet" command, however, I was also given this advice: whatever you do, when the dog is barking, do not yell or raise your voice. Keep it stern, but do not yell. When you yell, it makes them think you're joining in. And, well, frankly, if someone wanted to yell and be obnoxious with me, why in the world would I want to stop!? LOL. So, if you're going to use the command of "quiet", just say it in a calm and in a stern "you have no other option" voice. Good luck!

Hi everyone,

Thank you so much for your replies. I will check out the barking post now but have also been using the "quiet" method today. I didnt want to get in the habit of accknowledging him for barking by speaking to him but he seems fairly satisfied when I say quiet and also stare at him until he looks away first. Hopefully he will know who is boss.

I wont worry too much about the grass but will try to distract him. Hopefully he will ease off it once we can take him for walks.

Thanks again
Marie

Oh i always thought if a dog ate grass it means shes sick?

Mine has been eating grass all day and I have no idea why.

Because he's a puppy and puppies do weird things.

Almost all of us can say that our puppies have indulged on grass at one point or another. They're just exploring the world with their mouths, not trying to help their digestion.

Oh ok good, thought maybe it had to do with me transitioning her to new food.

But she still eats the food just seems to have wet poops. The again maybe thats from the grass?

Are you overfeeding? What kind of food is it? Does she have worms? (If she hasn't been dewormed then she may very well have them)

for grass eating--I have sucessfully used the "leave it" command, especially when on a walk, or at the dog park.
for barking--using the "quiet" command has worked well.

Orson was a major 'grazer'.............He wanted to eat grass so much that I asked my vet about it. She told me that some dogs are just natural grazers and they enjoy it. He was on a good food, but still wanted grass

I slowly got him away from grass by giving him lettuce and things like that instead...........he really LOVES lettuce and don't really care much for grass anymore, I guess he got to "see" what salad is SUPPOSED to taste like and prefers that more

One issue with grazing that the vet warned me about..........Most parasite eggs stay in grass and soil for a long time. Heartworm meds DO NOT protect against every type of intestinal worm.......so do be careful where your doggie chews on grass!

Not sure if im overfeeding... guess i didnt know there was a limit. She used to eat puppy chow from the breeder but now I am giving her Purina one puppy.

She has been dewormed.

Recently she had a Giardia Vaccine... if that matters.