Eating (swallowing!) socks & stuff
We've had to gate him off some areas of the house as he does this when we are looking and when we aren't. My kids also aren't good at getting their socks in the laundry, or keeping bedroom doors closed. Someone suggested he didn't get enough to eat and that big dogs need to keep something in their stomach's, but free feeding hasn't made a difference. I feel badly that he now enjoys less time sitting with us, etc. but I would feel worse if we lost him to an obstruction. I keep finding things that have (thankfully) passed or been thrown up when cleaning the kennel. I don't even know how he gets some of them! He has cloth toys he doesn't eat, but seems to think gloves, socks, etc. are fair game. Any suggestions to stopping this behavior? Why does he do it? |
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| Socks, washcloths, underwear, small towels etc are some of the most fascinating household objects for our dogs. They all have the scent of their people on them and so when this is combined with the dog's natural inquisitiveness then mouthing, chewing and ultimately eating these items is inevitable. It is also a very dangerous habit that has killed many a dog, OES included! Rarely is this behaviour a case of the dog being hungry.
This is a case where both the family and the dog need to be trained! The biggest part of training a dog to forsake unwanted behaviour is to remove the temptation and means by which the dog can accomplish the unwanted activity. Martin Zephram loves socks, underwear and face-cloths. As a puppy was very good at hiding the fact he was chewiing on them. One day he was happily muching on one of our daughters pink socks in our bedroom when Michele walked in on him. He very quickly put his head on the floor disguising the sock as his tongue!! He almost got away with it as well, until Michele noticed that it just didn't seem like the right colour for his tongue and looked closer!! He did a similar thng with white underwear one day. Happily chomping away until Michele walked in on him, he quickly hid the delectible dainteies under his hand and did a first rate impression of a seal (head and chin on the floor)!! Again Michele of eagle eyes noticed something not quite right and investigated, found and removed his treasured morsel!! "Oh mom how did you know" was written all over his face. We implemented a no tolerance policy both towards our dogs' chewing and the children (now 9 and 10) leaving clothing on the floor and their bedroom door open. The dogs still try to "laundry surf" if they get a chance but they are simply not allowed and anything they might sample is immediately removed and they receive their standard "no surfing" lecture. I strongly recommend that you work with both your dog and children to stop your Bobtail's surfing and eliminate the opportunity/temptation for him. Be loving but firm in breaking this habit. While perhaps not as visibly apparent, swallowing socks, underwear etc is just as dangerous as chewing knives. Intestinal blockages require major surgery to clear and are frequently fatal. Good luck Carl |
| Yes, please work on this with your family. Frank's breeder told me a story about one of the families that she let purchase a pup swallowed panty hose and subsequently died. It is very serious, especially if your pup is swallowing them I would say it's a matter of time before something gets lodged.
I had a cat swallow a cat toy once and it ended up in exploratory surgery since it got lodged it his colon. Then after the surgery the cat wouldn't eat his food so it took 3 more weeks of him being on a feeding tube until he got better. |
| You, the only way to stop a dog from eating paper and chewing socks is to keep them away from them as possible. Sofa loves to eat those things, and fortunately we haven't had an accident, so we keep a very close eye on her.
If you sheepie is out of sight and wouet, he's probably to some mischief!!  |
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