Are your dogs allowed to play with sticks?

[corgipower]

morgan picked up a stick by the end, and as she ran with it, the other end jammed into the ground. thankfully she had super quick reflexes and let go before any damage was done. that was the last time any of my dogs were allowed to play with sticks.

but it is true that there are many other hazards, and it is impossible to guard against them all. i had to have $1500 surgery to get a tennis ball removed from a dog's stomach. i never allowed him to play with tennis balls, but he managed to get hold of one anyway. i had a dog spend half a day vomiting because he got into coffee and cigarettes. so...i don't fool myself into thinking all is safe because they don't play with sticks, but if i can eliminate a risk, it is one less chance for them to get injured or killed.

 

[Dizzy]

I TRY and keep sticks away from Bodhi.

Unfortunately she is unbelievably driven to finding them again..... The ONLY way I can keep Bodhi away from sticks is by having her on lead, or by actually physically putting sticks where she can't reach them.

And even then. She tries to climb trees/bushes whatever to get to them.

She LOVES searching and retrieving, so this is a game we have perfected. Unfortunately she doesn't distinguish between sticks and other toys, so if I discard a stick, she will HUNT for it.

I have had some luck in getting her to leave them, but it is hard work and I have to be very persistant and very dominant - I have to stand between her and the stick and tell her to GO and in which direction. She will stop every 5 yards to head back to the stick and again, I have to block her (not physically) and stop and tell her which direction to walk in.

It makes for a tiring walk, but I persist!!!!

I CAN just take the easy route and give her her own ball, but I don't like her having a toy on her on the whole walk.. The toys are my bargaining power and my training tool. So they are priviledges.

We'll get there one day

 

[Psyfalcon]

Buster does not carry small sticks by the end, and large sticks are dragged off to the side, so I'm not worried about that. He DOES eat them too, but he chews things into small bits first* so it pretty much gets semidigested and appears to come out fine.

*Well, except for the golf ball sized remnant of a large raw bone. That led to a few interesting, 100% bone poops...

 

[Dasher's Mom]

I don't let me guys play or chew on sticks. I do agree with others that technically any toy could be dangerous (i.e. swallowing), so I do monitor my guys with the ball or tug toy. For me the biggest difference between a stick and a ball it the sharp pointy edge. I don't want to take a chance of Dasher or Zip getting impaled in the mouth.

 

[Ilyena]

Dante enjoys fetching and chewing sticks. If it looks unsafe I trade it for one that is safe. It's hard to always keep an eye on him so he doesn't start chewing the splintery kind though. I've had to dig some sticks out of his mouth that he couldn't get out on his own so I know they can be dangerous, but there is really no way of removing all sticks that he can get his teeth on since there's forest pretty much everywhere.

 

[Brattina88]

The only time either play with a stick is if I throw it for them first, which Missy typically won't touch it anyway. Maddie will play with one only if I through it in the water, for her to retrieve. She grabs it so its perpendicular to her mouth, brings it back and gives it to me to throw again.
That's very scary - and I'm sorry ya'll have had to deal with stick injuries! (((hugs))

 

[brunosmom]

I'd say no...because when we go out he doesn't have any interest in them......he'd rather tackle & knock me over than play with a stick

 

[Scooter]

I think Zoe would lose her will to live if I didn't let her chew on sticks! But I don't let her do it for very long. While we're on walks she'll pick one up and carry it, and briefly chew on it while I catch up. As soon as we get back to the house, all sticks stay outside.

 

[mrose_s]

Mac used to, but she's very full on. One day we threw one and she grabbed it and went yelping like mad. She'd hit it as it bounced and ran it into the ground. Lost a big chunk from her tongue but was otherwise okay.

Now we will play with her if we mock throw it one way then throw it the otehr way or else we hold her back and throw it, that way its not bouncing when she gets too it.