Tricks to prevent your dog from picking up things from the ground
This natural exploration behaviour can hide other problems behind it
WHY DO DOGS PICK UP THINGS FROM THE GROUND?
Reading time about 8 minutes
It is a very common situation to have to go after our pets to prevent them from picking up pieces of food or other objects they may find in the street. Dogs are curious and exploratory animals, so their interest in picking up whatever they may find in their path is, to a certain extent, normal. The problem is when, instead of dropping the item once they have inspected it, they try to eat it. Whether it is food or other waste, this canine habit can put the animal at risk of choking, food poisoning or digestive disorder, among other problems.
Table of contents
1- Techniques to stop your dog from picking up things from the ground
2- Is it advisable to use a muzzle?
Techniques to stop your dog from picking up things from the ground
If your dog picks up things from the ground but drops them, there is nothing to worry about. This is very typical puppy and young dog behaviour, and we recommend that you don't restrict your pet's natural instinct to explore. If every time your puppy picks up something with its mouth, you run to snatch it away, the dog is more likely to try to swallow it quickly so that you don't take it away from the animal. On the other hand, by continuously taking things out of the dog's mouth it could be interpreted as a game and become more powerful; another risk in this is that often when we take it away the "game is over" so the dog learns to run away when we try to take it away, in the end it becomes a real odyssey to remove things from our dog's mouth, who has misinterpreted the gesture. However, if you let the dog satisfy its curiosity, the animal will surely put it back in its place. This isn't always the case, but it is worthwhile, as long as the objects aren't dangerous, to test the dog's behaviour in order to react correctly and prevent the animal from picking up everything with the intention of starting a game each time.
On the other hand, if your pet tries to eat the food the animalçº finds on the street, or even other inedible objects such as paper, poo, sticks or plastic, it is important that you redirect this behaviour to prevent your dog from running risks. As for leftover food, it could be spoiled and cause food poisoning in your dog. However, if your dog picks up things from the ground and tries to eat other non-digestible items, this is pica, an eating disorder that may be caused by physical problems, a lack of stimulation or stress, hunger or a shortage of specific nutrients. This problem may cause your dog digestive disorder, intestinal blockages and other pathologies. With these two exercises you can teach your pet not to pick up things from the ground and keep the animal safe from these problems.
Exercise with the "No" command
First of all, you should know that in order to teach your dog not to pick up things from the ground, you must have practised with the animal the obedience commands "no" and "drop it". Focusing on the first of them, you may use it to prevent your dog from picking up the object or food. To do this, you will need to keep your eyes wide open and read your pet's intentions to tell it the command before the animal gets carried away by its curiosity.
But before that, try practising with your furry friend at home. For the first few times, we recommend making things very easy for our dog. With a short leash, use an object as bait that is attractive to your dog, but not food, since the impulse to pick it up would be too strong for this initial phase of training. Walk your dog at a distance that isn't too close and, when you see the animal trying to get closer to pick up the object, give it the command "no" and gently pull the animal towards you using the leash. As soon as you detect that your dog loses interest and continues walking by your side, offer it a treat or some strokes as a reward.
The idea of the exercise is that you progressively increase the difficulty, varying the objects from less to more attractive (the final step would be the food) and the distance from greater to lesser so that the temptation becomes greater and greater for your dog. With this exercise, as well as training on the "No" command, you will be working on your dog's self-control. Remember that the dog only learns when you tell the animal how things should be DONE, so: positively reinforce it with a reward whenever your pet does it well and, as a final phase, practise the off-leash exercise. When your dog no longer tries to pick up anything from the floor at home, continue practising with the animal on the street, restarting the level of difficulty and the use of the leash and moving forward progressively.Exercise with the "Drop it" command
In some situations, no matter how much you supervise your dog, the animal will be faster than you and end up with an unwanted object in its mouth. For these situations, you can practise the "drop it" command. This same command begings by training with two identical toys (usually two balls) or one toy (ball) and treats. The idea is to show our dog that we have both things (with the intention of arousing its interest in coming back when we give one) then we should throw the toy so that the dog will go and pick it up. Next, we will call our dog by showing the animal very well this time what we have in our hands which will make it easier for our pet to come. Once the animal reaches our side we will show our dog the other toy or treat, placing it at the level of its muzzle, causing our pet to drop the one it has in its mouth to pick it up. As soon as the animal drops the one it is carrying, we will say "drop it" and we will give the animal the treat. This should be repeated several times in succession during the training sessions, until by simply saying "drop it" the dog leaves the toy and then we reward it. Time to work with more complicated objects, using an object or material that is interesting to your dog, such as a ball of paper or a squashed plastic bottle. When your dog picks up the object from the ground, tell the animal to "drop it" in a firm but calm manner while showing it a treat. If the dog drops it, offer the animal the reward and congratulate it. If your pet resists, don't worry, every dog has a learning pace. Keep trying, using different objects and in various environments, starting at home and progressing to places with more and more stimuli will ensure that the animal learns it and that it is generalized to other environments.
In this exercise it is also good to increase the difficulty. Ultimately, you can replace the bait object by some food. If your dog continues to resist its natural impulse, you will have reached your training goal: if the animal ever picks up something dangerous from the ground, your pet will leave this immediately on hearing your command "drop it".
Is it advisable to use a muzzle?
In some extreme cases where the dog eats everything around it, the muzzle is recommended by the professional (vet/ethologist/dog trainer) and it may be a temporary solution, while the reason for this behaviour is corrected, since the aim is always to get to the cause of the problem. If the vet rules out a physical origin, it isn't realistic to expect to keep an eye on the animal 24 hours a day, so if your pet has this tendency, it is best that you visit an ethologist or dog trainer to find a solution.