scavenging constantly...picking up chewing gum! help!

So ever since diesel started goin out on walks she has had her nose to the ground almost constantly and picked up a very gross and unhealthy habit of picking up chewed chewing gum!! I keep a constant eye on the ground and try and guide her away but sometimes i miss bits and before you know it I've got my hand in her mouth tryin to dig out god knows whos manky chewed gum before she swallows it and either chokes or gets a blockage!

We stay next to a High school so as you can image there is always loads of rubbish, sweeties, half eaten sandwiches etc lying about, and she knows this, so is always scavenging for whatever she can find. I'v managed to train her to drop or leave most things, but would rather she just didn't act like such a scavenger??

Now that autumn is upon us its harder to spot chewing gum etc hidden in the fallen leaves and although i keep an eye on her sometimes by the time a grab her she's swallowed...whatever it was or she sees me coming so swallows it and a panic everytime because i dont image they can digest chewing guim and i dont want it to get stuck!
She will drop and leave things on command but when it comes to chewing gum her love of it is obviously too strong,
Any ideas on how a can stop this??

We carry a squirt bottle and spray her with water when she goes for something she shouldn't

We are still in the process of teaching Rocky a DROP command, it may work for you too in this case.

kathytake2 wrote:We are still in the process of teaching Rocky a DROP command, it may work for you too in this case.

Tried drop, she'll drop other manky stuff but not chewing gum. Honestly i've seen her trying to scrape up chewing gum thats been there for years of the pavement if we'r standing outside a shop or that, don't know what the obsession is!

so i saw "pet corrector" spray in pets@home its a bottle of compressed air that apparently stops barking/jumping up/stealing etc....
it makes a hissing noise that they don't like, so you spray it when they do the unwanted behaviour then reward when they stop it...

Has anyone used this before? Just curious what anyones thoughts are on it? is it cruel?
I have tried so hard with drop, leave and firm no's when she does pick up chewing gum and its just not working...

I personally don't like the pet corrector its soooo loud! Moo was right pavement hoover, I just had to be one step ahead and a firm no when she went for something, she soon learnt and we can now walk past half eaten things without a worry

i have pet corrector and it certainly does get Jelly's attention. I don't use it all the time though. I think it would be useful though. I didn't find it that loud Janey, but then, I'm usually surrounded by the two loudest kids on the planet so maybe it seems mild compared to them.

Had the same problem when I first got Bis the little terror, had to have eyes like a hawk and trained a firm "leave" command and haven't had a problem since (unless you count her trying to eat/roll in cat poo the other night!!!! ) She's always on a lead or long line though so I can imagine it would be a little more difficult to monitor off lead. Bis does "leave" at a distance though, took a week or so of full on training but she's pretty much 100% now

Eyes on a stalk and a firm leave command and a treat when it is left, Ledgers passion is Haribo (especially tangfastics) and bread i'm not sure if its my observation but he is getting better

Put her on a short lead so she cant sniff the floor, that will stop her picking things up

Hi,chewing gum does digest and pass through the system in small amounts, however a lot of gum contains xylitol which is toxic to dogs and causes low blood sugar which can lead to seizures. The odd piece digested won't hurt, but if your dog gets hold of a pack, its straight to a vets! Symptoms occur about 30 mins after!

dave g wrote:Put her on a short lead so she cant sniff the floor, that will stop her picking things up

I usual have her on a long lead when she's out for the toilet coz shes a total princess wen it comes to goin tothe toilet and paces back an forth back an forth til shes found the perfect spot so its easier on long lead..



Il keep perservering withthe drop an leave and hope she eventually gets it! An if all else fails try the pet corrector
thanks for all ur tips! Xx
Good to know am not the only one with a canine Hoover

dave g wrote:Put her on a short lead so she cant sniff the floor, that will stop her picking things up

I usual have her on a long lead when she's out for the toilet coz shes a total princess wen it comes to goin tothe toilet and paces back an forth back an forth til shes found the perfect spot so its easier on long lead..



Il keep perservering withthe drop an leave and hope she eventually gets it! An if all else fails try the pet corrector
thanks for all ur tips! Xx
Good to know am not the only one with a canine Hoover

try 2 staffs when they are in hoover, stop sniff and eat grass mode all at the same time

Dave wrote:try 2 staffs when they are in hoover, stop sniff and eat grass mode all at the same time

lol i can only image! Bad enough with one! Mayb i should be more strict with her, but well thats what dogs do - sniff, it's like asking seagulls not to poop on your car!

Lola was/is a bit of a scavenger too!
More so the first 6 months or so we had her, we also live by a high school & shops so same problem.
Lola is much better now, but she'll walk around fine & suddenly she's eaten something!
Like you said it's getting harder to see things now, but apart from training to drop there's not a lot we can do.
Lola will not drop food of any kind. She won't drop her frisbee if she's in 'that' frame of mind!!

Good luck xxx

Pixee has this thing about spat out chewing gum too. When we first had her, we didnt stand a chance, but as time got by and shes learned the leave command, I can now just say 'leave' and she will but I still have to be hawk eye. She is the same with grass. Ever leaves a uneaten sandwich now if I say leave, now thats a hard one to leave

You will get there.

Thanks, she's getting a wee bit better she will now sometimes drops it out her mouth instead of having to go fishing for it!
Just trying to be more positive and assertive, if i don't believe shes gonna leave it then she probably won't