She eats EVERYTHING

[Jamilupine]

Okay, yes, she's a puppy, and yes, she's all nose! But Lucy eats EVERYTHING she can find. Poop, berries from trees (which aparently aren't poisionous...), scraps, leaves, spiders, spider webs, you name it and she's probably put it in her mouth at some point! I have a couple problems/questions:

1) What kinds of stuff will make her sick?

2) How do I get her to drop this stuff!? I offer a trade for a tastey treat, but the other stuff is SO much more appealing! I am having a hard time prying her mouth open, and accidently got myself bit once doing that with her (put my finger in her mouth as she was trying to chew the crap she'd picked up), plus I don't really want to get into this power struggle with her.

Thanks in advance for your responses!

[Kade]

Because of Winston's scare last weekend, and his tendency to nose around in the backyard and eat whatever he finds (and it being black widow season!), we're keeping him on-leash at all times, even for potty breaks.

I wish I had a better answer for you.

I think the ASPCA website has a link to their poison-control center, and there you can find a listing of plants that are poisonous to dogs.

As far as getting something out of the mouth, if the old "pry apart the jaws" technique doesn't work, we resort to the bully stick or the promise of chicken, for which he'll drop anything. A normal treat wouldn't do.

[Jamilupine]

Even for her most favorite treat, if the strange thing on the ground is yummy enough, she won't budge. I've had the spider guy here recently to kill the black widows, difinately something I'm worried about....

[Kade]

Yes, and then after the exterminator comes, there's the risk of chemicals! It never ends.

[Jamilupine]

Yeah, I asked about that, and he said that once they dry they are okay for her to be around. He said she'd have to drink some of the really concentrated stuff in order to get sick. Plus, he didn't spray much, just in areas he suspected the Black Widows (which I hate! I hate ALL spiders!).