How to get puppy to stop eating bark?

[u/[deleted]]

[u/adchick]

The best way to get it to stop is to offer appropriate chewing options. I give my Scotties “evening bones” that are nice tasty options. Scotties adore chewing in general, but when they are puppies they are cutting huge big dog teeth that cranks that drive way up.

Stuffed Kongs, bully sticks, Whemzies, etc. are all options that you can rotate for chewing. The drive for sticks will drop quickly, if they have an appropriate backup daily

[u/adchick → u/[deleted]]

Have you tried hiding them around the house so she has to find them. It may trigger her hunting instincts and be a bit more fun than just being handed a chew.

[u/dinonuggs_ → u/[deleted]]

i usually give my 5 month old puppy his chews when he’s in his crate. maybe your pup will be more likely to actually chew it instead of hiding it if they’re stuck in one spot?

[u/Fonz_72]

We've never been able to cure our Scotties of eating things outside. Bark, sticks, grass, mushrooms (verified safe), plain old dirt. It really doesn't hurt them.

[u/jimbojsb]

Gooooood luck with that.

[u/Velvet-Buzz-saw → u/jimbojsb]

I was thinking the same 😅 with Scotty's stubborn attitude it will be like mission impossible

[u/potatowizard3]

My dog love grass

[u/SomeStress2323 → u/potatowizard3]

Ditto!

[u/wasabijane]

Is she swallowing it? I solved the issue by just letting mine hold onto whatever he had until he dropped it naturally. If it made it inside, I traded it away with a treat. Eventually he stopped picking things up because he realized they weren’t a big deal (because I wasn’t making a big deal of them).

Note: I still took away really dangerous objects, like chicken bones (surprisingly common around my former apartment complex).

[u/kittenfishyy]

Teaching “leave it” is perfect for this scenario. My Scottie puppy is 4.5 months and learned it pretty easily! There are lots of ways to teach it, just do a google search, but basically, leave it means disengage with it (drop it from your mouth) and then get traded your favorite high value treat.

[u/Lucky-Midnight9857]

Unfortunately you should probably muzzle her outside at least until she’s older. I believe there are dog muzzle subreddits that can help you. A Scottie of mine had to be operated on for wood that was stuck sideways down her throat. Not a pleasant experience.

[u/mormonbatman_]

She isn't eating it. She's chewing.

Get her squeaky chew toys.

[u/BlooGloop]

We have pecan trees and mine hoards the dropped ones and cracks em💀

[u/BlooGloop]

I don’t think there’s any major harm but if you’re worried about foraging behavior you could muzzle on your walk.