My dog puts everything in his mouth. How to stop him eating it?

Question

my dog will put anything in his mouth. he has eaten 2 whole socks once, and we only found out because he either pooped it/threw it up. is there any way to stop him from doing this? (we now know dogs will put anything in their mouths so we constantly check to see if nothing is om the floor). Pet's info: Dog | Mixed Breed | Male | unneutered | 20 lbs

Anna M., DVM · Accepted Answer

Hello, and thanks for your question. Sounds like Alex is quite the trouble maker! You're right - the best way to prevent them from eating material is to simply keep the house as spotless as possible. Dogs naturally explore the world with their mouths, and some are more prone to eating what they find than others. Teaching Alex the "drop it" or "leave it" command will help when you see him getting into something he shouldn't. I would also recommend crate training Alex and keeping him safely confined when he's alone. In a few extreme cases, I have had patients wear basket muzzles to prevent them from eating what they shouldn't - but this is not usually necessary and is only something I usually consider after a dog has had multiple foreign body surgeries! If you are thinking about going this route with Alex, I would definitely touch base with your vet for guidance. It's important to make sure it's an appropriate fit so dogs can still pant, drink water, etc, and they need to be properly trained to wear the muzzle to minimize stress. Hope this helps!

My dog puts everything in his mouth. How to stop him eating it?

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