How can I get my dog to stop eating rocks?
I have a new daycare dog, a 3 year old boarder collie mix, who is an absolute sweet heart. He was very obedient except for one issue: he kept sneaking off to eat rocks!
There is a small patch of pea gravel in our yard and several times he picked up a pebble and tried chewing on it! He did it when it was just me and also when his owner was present. His owner said this is a problem she hasn't had any luck correcting. I think I can get him to eventually leave that area of my yard alone (though he tries to be very sneaky about it) but even if I get him under control in my own yard I worry that it's not correcting the problem overall and I'm worried about the damage he could do to his teeth. Any thoughts?
Always have treats on you when walking your dog. Whenever your dog is about to eat a rock and get his attention on you. Give him a treat when he's paying attention to you and it will take a while for him to get the hang of it. This is teaching the dog that whenever I see a rock i don't eat it because I am going to get a treat for it.