# He ate trash...did I do the right thing?



## stealthq (Aug 4, 2011)

Nope, you can use 'out' or 'drop it'. Couple of ways to train it - some people do a trade for a better item. I ended up saying 'out', then digging in my pup's mouth to get the item, but he had a habit of trying to swallow rotten pecans, which are all over my yard and can be very poisonous. I wasn't taking the chance he'd swallow it instead of going for my trade item.


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## lily cd re (Jul 23, 2012)

Leave it is different from out or drop it. Leave it is for "I see you eyeballing that empty coffee cup, just pass on by." Out or drop it is for "you didn't listen when I said leave it, here is your last chance to fix this situation on your own." The next step is that you take the object from your dog. I would suggest telling the dog to sit and stay. Most dogs will sort of give up on whatever else they are thinking about when on a sit or down stay. Reach in and take the coffee cup. You have to train for this. Get your dog very comfortable with you having your hands on the muzzle and in and around the mouth.

In another thread that is active right now on resource guarding treats I wrote about the benefit of being able to reach into your dog's mouth to be able to take a forbidden thing away. I described in more detail things we do with our dogs that they think is play, but is really training the acceptance of hands all over them. There is another post there about doing same with a rottie.

See this thread for some insights about getting prized objects away from your dog, as well as training them to have your hands on them under all conditions. 

www.poodleforum.com/23-general-training-obedience/34258-puppy-very-protective-her-treats.html


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## MaryLynn (Sep 8, 2012)

I think when you see your dog eating something that may cause a blockage, and they don't drop it on command (assuming it's safe to do so) you may want to fish it out of their mouth. You can work on leave it, and drop it inside the house with safe objects


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## ChantersMom (Aug 20, 2012)

thank you so much! Fortunately, I am able to put my hand down his throat (which I've done to fish tissue and plastic out) and he just sits there. whew! I will work on those new commands and check out that other active thread.


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## lily cd re (Jul 23, 2012)

Why are poodles so obsessed with eating paper? Lily will eat tissues, napkins and paper towels whenever she gets the chance. Thankfully (I think), she only eats used ones. Otherwise I suppose she would be pulling paper towels and tp off the rolls and emptying my tissue box on my night table. I wish I could say that I had a better track record on catching her at it. I've pulled lots of those things out of her mouth, yet when I clean up in the back yard I often find recycled paper goods in her poo. Thank goodness her obsession isn't for paper clips or tacks.


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## SusanG (Aug 8, 2009)

That is the only thing Callie will fish out of the trash too, kleenex and napkins. My last poodle loved loved loved stealing kleenex and shredding it in the middle of the floor. (But she didn't eat them like Callie does!)


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## ChantersMom (Aug 20, 2012)

My dog LOVES tissue and anything paper..all our waste paper baskets at home are on our dressers. My co-worker just told me that her choco lab love p-o-o...bag and all...maybe tissues are not so bad afterall.


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## JudyD (Feb 3, 2013)

Jazz is a tissue/paper towel shredder too, but she hasn't, so far, taken to eating them. She also has an unfortunate fetish about poop of any kind, but she's always on leash when she finds it, and usually I'm quick enough to keep her away from it. I've been reading Lew Olsen's Raw and Natural Nutrition for Dogs, and somewhere (I can't find it just now) she says poop-eaters may be trying to replace missing nutrients--I just can't remember which ones.


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## lily cd re (Jul 23, 2012)

I don't know about dogs, but coprophagia (poo eating) is common in cows (and other herbivores) who do it to get minerals that are not readily obtained in plant based diets. German shepherd dogs are notorious poo eaters. We are diligent in cleaning the yard to take away the opportunities from Peeves who loves to sample Lily poo (tissues and all).


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## Vixen (May 31, 2011)

JudyD said:


> Jazz is a tissue/paper towel shredder too, but she hasn't, so far, taken to eating them. She also has an unfortunate fetish about poop of any kind, but she's always on leash when she finds it, and usually I'm quick enough to keep her away from it. I've been reading Lew Olsen's Raw and Natural Nutrition for Dogs, and somewhere (I can't find it just now) she says poop-eaters may be trying to replace missing nutrients--I just can't remember which ones.


Unfortunately, Misha has discovered kitty poo. Our neighbor has a cat which Loves to use our yard as a litter box and I don't see them before Misha does most of the time. Those are the worst to fish out of a dog's mouth. Yuck! Both he and Vixen love Kleenex, Vixen even tries digging them out of my pocket or purse.


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