How to stop a dog from picking up everything on the street

Dogs often grab garbage in their mouths and try to eat the scraps they find. They can significantly harm the dog's health. Therefore, pet owners are trying to figure out how to stop their dog from picking up food on the street. The problem is significantly complicated in cities, where sanitary services and local enthusiasts are involved in controlling the number of stray animals. There may be poisoned and toxic pieces of food on the street, and in this case the urgent question is how to wean a dog from picking up everything on the street.

Causes of bad habit

In addition to their innate instinct to search for food, dogs have curiosity. In order to wean your dog from picking up food on the street, you need to understand the motivation for this behavior.

Do you scold your dog for picking up everything?

Yes

97.39%

2.61%

Reasons that force a pet to pick up food from the ground:

Hunger. An animal that does not get enough calories from its diet will look for additional food while walking. An unbalanced diet makes the dog feel hungry and sniff everything in search of food. An adult animal or a puppy that does not have enough food will pick up scraps and bones on the street, regardless of their freshness and appearance. They are not deterred by bad smells, dirt or mold.
Avitaminosis. Regardless of the amount of food, a dog may seek additional nutrition outside when it is lacking any vitamin or mineral. Animals are not able to determine what the body lacks, and they pick up all sorts of rubbish in the hope of satisfying this need. The lack of nutrients is expressed in eating sand, stones, wood, and plants. Pets often eat fresh grass to naturally cleanse their intestines. It is better to satisfy your pet's need for coarse fibers by adding them to the diet. This will avoid having to eat dirty plants outside. Vitamin deficiency can also occur during pregnancy in bitches.
Coprophagia. Eating decomposed food and feces, including your own, may be caused by a mental disorder. It does not occur too often, but it also cannot be excluded. When diagnosing such a disorder, you need to carefully monitor the animal’s behavior, and in especially severe cases, walk the dog in a muzzle. If coprophagia is associated with anxiety or stress, then the symptoms can be eliminated using medications.
Teething. Teething puppies may pick up hard objects to stimulate teething.
Parasites. Malnutrition is also caused by helminthic infestation in the intestines.

It is quite natural for animals to explore their surroundings through their sense of taste. The danger is that the dog can get poisoned or damage the intestines.

Why can't your dog pick up food on the street?

Since childhood, all sorts of animals have lived in our family: a cow, a calf, piglets, cats, dogs, turtles, hedgehogs, there were chickens and ducks. All this was on the farm, and they had to be fed, looked after and ensured that everyone was healthy.

We all love to walk on the street, in the park or just near the house, to breathe in fresh air, although it can’t be called fresh in the city, but it’s still better than sitting in an apartment all the time.

There are especially many dog lovers walking; they can be seen in the mornings and evenings. The dog definitely needs to be walked, let it do its needs, and it will be very useful for it to run.

But walks can be fraught with a certain danger, because dogs get to know each other through their sense of smell. Even if there is no strange dog nearby, then, sniffing the ground, grass and everything that lies or has already been absorbed into the ground and dried, the dog will be interested..

All of this can be very harmful to your pet's health. In addition, dog hunters have now appeared - this is a monstrous phenomenon in our society. People who call themselves dog hunters are sadists who take pleasure in the brutal killing of dogs; I cannot call them anything else.

They do this either by shooting dogs, both stray and domestic, or by scattering food poisoned with cyanide on the ground, even on playgrounds. This poison even acts through the skin and can be fatal, not to mention sausages with nails and so on. And that’s why it’s important to find a way to stop your dog from picking up food on the street.

Re-education methods

There are not many basic methods that help stop a dog from picking up food from the ground. The most effective of them:

Use simple ban commands. Every attempt to eat something from the floor or pick up an object must be accompanied by the words “ugh” or “impossible.” The main condition is well-practised execution of commands.
Application of punishments. It is possible to wean a dog from unhealthy eating behavior using this method only after 3 months of age. In this case, punishment for eating food from the floor should be accompanied by prohibition commands. It is acceptable to use palm slaps on the croup or throwing a ball. The puppy should feel discomfort and dissatisfaction from the owner rather than physical pain when trying to eat everything on the street.
Correcting the behavior of an animal at home. When performing this skill, an important condition is the absence of concessions. Even if the dog is given food by hand, if it accidentally falls on the floor, it is prohibited to pick it up. You need to throw away the piece or exchange it for a new one.
Limiting the dog's movements with a leash. Restraining an omnivorous pet walking around in its gear will prevent it from eating garbage.
Eating on command. A young puppy must be taught this skill from childhood. To do this, the baby is prohibited from approaching the bowl for a few seconds and is allowed to eat after the words “eat” or “maybe.” By gradually making the training more difficult, it is not difficult to get the dog into the habit of eating only after the owner’s permission.

It is not enough to simply take away food found on the street; you need to completely re-educate your pet.

It is worth taking your dog out for a walk only on a leash in order to be able to limit its actions. A halter is also effective, as it allows you to control the movements of the dog’s head.

Ways to stop your dog from picking up food from the ground

Jerks

The owner carries out instant punishment after unwanted actions. In this case - with a jerk of the leash. Strict collars are often used , since choke collars bring positive results only in mild cases. However, keep in mind that parforce can cause injury.

The intensity of the impact is selected experimentally: do not overdo it, but too weak jerks will go unnoticed. Do not pull your pet under any circumstances. Educational collars are designed for instant punishment.

When your pet begins to obey you, make the training more difficult. Exit to the empty area. Have a helper scatter your pet's favorite treat. You cannot place “traps” yourself, as your scent will remain on the treat, which will serve as a kind of marker for the dog. Constantly tease the animal and bring it close to the food. Most likely, the companion will grab the bait. Then say the prohibiting command and make a dash. Practice 10 minutes a day until you see results.

The method is effective in most cases, since it is accompanied by pain. In the case of parfors, it also resembles a mother’s punishment: a spanking on the withers. However, the method has obvious disadvantages. If used incorrectly, you can injure your pet's delicate neck when jerking. Time costs are average.

Pepper

One of the oldest methods. Several pieces of meat are generously sprinkled or stuffed with pepper, then “traps” are set. Experts strongly recommend using only ground black, as it is relatively gentle. Red peppers are dangerous for dogs.

The principle is simple: your pet will grab the bait, then feel a burning sensation and spit it out. After several repetitions, interest in the surrounding “delicacies” will soon disappear.

The method is sometimes effective. This is where the benefits end. The dog may see through your trick and not pick up only the peppery bits. Individual intolerance is not excluded. In particularly sensitive pets, even black pepper can cause burns to the mucous membranes and partial or complete loss of smell. Hotter spices will harm any animal.

Sound

The easiest option is to buy Fisher discs. They imitate the roar of the leader, so the pets understand well what they want to say. You can make a sound trap yourself from a tin can and any filler. For example, take metal buttons, walnuts, or a few coins.

At the moment of the “crime”, throw the projectile so that it lands not far from the animal. You cannot aim at a dog: this will greatly frighten it and may injure it. It is advisable to conduct the first lesson at home. This will speed up the learning process outside.

The method is suitable for behavior correction in most cases. However, you will have to find a secluded area for the first training, since the noise will create inconvenience for others. Sound punishment should not be used if the pet is elderly, small, cowardly, or has heart disease. Do not use excessive force: you may damage the animal’s hearing.

Shock collar

Disputes over the wisdom of using the device still continue to this day. Some argue that the collar traumatizes the pet’s psyche. Others say that if used correctly, the current will not cause harm. Who is right? It's up to you to decide. However, keep in mind that the device is a terrible weapon in the wrong hands. It is worth purchasing it only when you are confident in your abilities.

The principle is similar to “snatch” collars: the animal is immediately punished after an offense. However, there is no traumatic physical impact. The current discharges are quite weak; later it will be possible to manage only with vibration or a prohibiting command.

Please note that the signal is usually sent late, so if you make a mistake, misunderstanding is possible. For example, a dog grabbed the garbage, immediately spat it out and looked at you - it was at that moment that the signal came and the discharge was given. What will the animal think? Most likely, he will begin to be afraid to pay attention to you.

Shock collar training is a controversial method. It is effective, but you need to use the device wisely and carefully.

Flip flops

The easiest way, but which does not always work, is spanking. You can only slap your pet on the fleshy part of the thigh. Spanking should be fairly light. Remember: you are not causing pain, but simply making it clear that the dog is doing something wrong. If the intensity of the clapping is not enough, it is better to move on to another option.

Spanking is generally considered inhumane, although the same jerks are much more painful and dangerous. However, this depends on the temperament and endurance of the owner. If the claps turn into punches, there is a threat. It is fair to note that you can overdo it with other types of influence.

Practicing the commands “fu”, “no”

Teaching general commands will greatly help in correcting dog behavior. The simplest of them, which will wean your pet from picking up leftovers, are “ugh” or “no”. You should start training your puppy from a very early age, so that later he does not pick up carrion, bones and garbage on the street.

For classes you will need a handful of the animal’s usual treats and the same amount of cookies. The command is tested using the following technology:

Cookies that are unusual for the pet are thrown on the ground.
When the dog reaches for the confectionery product, they press it with their foot and give the command “fu” or “no”.
If the puppy looks up, he is given his favorite treat.
Repeat the exercise every time you go outside, changing the place and time.

When walking on a leash, if the dog reaches for food, it must be pulled back, and the garbage must be kicked or crushed, accompanying these movements with the command “no”.

This simple exercise, if performed regularly, will help quickly wean your dog from picking up all sorts of nasty things on the street. In addition, the puppy will learn obedience, which will prepare him for further training.

Dog breeders' experience of teaching dogs not to take them on the street

Keep your pet on a leash, especially near trash cans. This technique sometimes works, but there will always be a case where he ends up without a leash.
Keep near you a slingshot with pebbles, a small plastic bottle filled with a large number of small objects (bolts, nuts and anything that makes a sound), a handful of pebbles. At the moment when the tailed creature has found its prey and has already opened its mouth to eat, throw the object at it. It is necessary that the animal does not realize that the message is coming from the owner. The pebbles should scare the dog, not harm it. At the same time, you will practice your accuracy and throwing accuracy.
Place some tasty treats with a surprise inside in the form of mustard in advance along the walk. An effective method. But there are a couple of “buts”: someone else will find the treats before you, or your pet will like the mustard.
Exchange. When the dog has already grabbed the prey, call him to you and offer him your stored food in return. First the pet will eat its own, and then yours. If you have enough patience, the moment will come when he puts the “prey” near his feet (no one takes it away) and starts eating your food. It is precisely in these moments that you need to stand on the found muck with your feet and pretend that everything happened like that.
Training. The animal knows well and listens to commands: “fu”, “stop”, “drop” or “give”. A lot depends on the character of the pet and your authority. You can start at home: you put a bowl of food and say “ugh”, not allowing you to eat it for a few seconds. By increasing the time interval, you come to the conclusion that she will do the same on the street.
Give treats from your hand to your pet and “accidentally” drop one of them on the ground. When your pet tries to pick up food from the ground, use the “fu” command to prevent it from doing so. This way the dog will understand that food cannot be taken from the ground.
Walk your pet without a leash, but wearing a muzzle. True, some dodgers even here will be able to at least lick something or push something into their muzzle.
A mousetrap with a weak spring. Test it on yourself, that is, on your fingers. This method only helps a couple of times, no more.
Playing guerrillas. Suitable for private home owners. You are in ambush so that the dog does not see you. At this time, your friend throws something tasty over the fence. As soon as he tries to eat the treat, you run out of the ambush and scold the offender.
Constantly communicate with your pet while walking. Load her with commands, in between which she carries a toy in her teeth. If the dog is always busy communicating with the owner, then he will have no time to climb through trash cans.

When a dog picks you up on the street, it is not only unpleasant, but also dangerous. The pet may be poisoned or infected with worms. How to get rid of worms is written here. If the animal is well-mannered, not hungry, but still eats all sorts of nasty things, then this is a reason to contact a veterinarian. This happens due to a lack of vitamins or minerals.

I hope you found something useful in this article. If you have other methods and know how to stop a dog from picking up everything on the street, then write in the comments.

And in this short video, look at a pet who hates litter and makes the street cleaner.

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Correct punishment

Do not forget that only an adult dog or a puppy older than 3 months is punished. A child under this age cannot correlate the measures taken against him with the offense. He simply will not understand why he is being punished. This method only works on adult dogs if action is taken immediately after the offense.

Suitable punishment for a puppy over 3 months and an adult animal:

expression of obvious dissatisfaction;
detached style of behavior;
lack of affection;
ignoring.

To wean your dog from picking up all sorts of nasty things on the street, it is better to use a combined punishment:

If an animal sniffs something diligently and tries to take it into its mouth, it must be sharply commanded “fu” or “no.”
If there is a weak reaction or its absence, you need to strictly pull the leash.
Approach the dog and silently remove the piece from its mouth.
If the dog resists or has already eaten garbage, you need to scold the animal.
After bad behavior, play or walking should stop. The dog should be taken home and all its attempts to attract attention should be ignored.

If the method of punishment is chosen to correct behavior, it is important not to allow connivance. It is possible to wean your pet from picking up food on the street only when each attempt is followed by educational measures.

Behavior correction at home

When an adult animal has the habit of eating everything, it will be difficult to wean it. However, with due diligence and a careful approach, it is quite possible to rehabilitate a pet.

It is easier to correct an animal’s behavior within the home. You need to distract your pet from the object on the floor with your voice, trying to concentrate his attention on you. It is not enough to simply give a treat in return for the found garbage, as this will provoke the prankster to look for scraps for reward.

To stop your dog from picking up trash and leftover food from the floor, you need to do proper training at home.

First lesson

To begin the exercise, the animal must be hungry. First, they show him his favorite treat. When the dog begins to fawn and beg for food, you need to wait until it calms down and sits down. Then the pet can be rewarded. This exercise is carried out until the dog itself begins to sit down at the sight of food.

Lesson two

For the second exercise, you need two types of food - human food and the animal’s favorite treat. First, regular food is placed in front of the dog, and when it approaches, the forbidden food is covered with the palm of the hand and the strict command “fu” is given. Wait until the pet calms down and sits down. After this, you can give him a treat. The exercise is done until the animal stops reacting to thrown food.

Lesson three

This exercise is similar to the second. The only difference is that the dog is kept on a leash and when he tries to grab the thrown food, he is pulled back and given the command “fu”. The correct response is always accompanied by encouragement.

Lesson four

The last exercise at home is also done on a leash. Pieces of food are laid out around the house and the animal is led past. When reacting to food, the dog is punished by pulling the leash and saying the command “fu”. If the animal is distracted from the food and returns, it is given a treat. When the pet calmly passes by the food, the exercise is continued without a leash.

Effective methods

There are several effective methods that, if used consistently and comprehensively, will give excellent results and will once and for all stop you from picking up anything from the ground:

At home, a dog should never eat from the ground . This applies to both regular food and treats. Buy a deep bowl from which the food will not fall out onto the floor. When giving something tasty, make sure it doesn’t fall. If this does happen, either quickly pick up the piece and feed it again from your hand, or cover the food with your foot and say the command “Fu,” but do not let the animal pick it up.
Walk only on a leash. For every attempt to take something in its mouth, the dog must hear a strict prohibiting command and feel a tug on the leash. If he tries again, repeat the procedure stronger. The jerk must be noticeable so that the animal understands that the behavior is not approved by the owner.
If you decide to let your dog run and let him off the leash, and then you see that he is eating some kind of nasty thing, immediately command “Fu” and punish him. The punishment must be very noticeable so that the prohibition is fixed in the animal’s head. For such cases, it is better to take with you a thin stick - a doggie, and if there are problems with obedience, it is easy to whip the dog with it in the croup area. The main thing is not to overdo it. The beast should feel the prohibiting blow, but not the pain from it.
Conduct training on your site . When you are sure that you have weaned your pet from a bad habit, start checking. Place pieces of food over a certain area and let the dog go for a walk. If he tries to eat what you left, severely punish the mischief-maker. Repeat this procedure until the pet remembers that it can eat only after your permission.

Training a puppy is relatively simple, but adult dogs are much less amenable to behavior modification.

General recommendations

It doesn’t matter which method the owner chooses when weaning an adult dog or puppy from picking up everything on the street. It is important to follow the general principles of raising the correct behavior of an animal:

Train your puppy to refuse found treats from an early age. To do this, you can force someone to throw something out of his mouth with the command “fu”.
Practice basic commands with your pet. During the walk, he must explore the world at the command “walk.” And if his attention is attracted by some object on the ground, call him with the words “come to me.”
If you want to praise your dog for following a command, you don’t need to throw the treat on the ground. “Yummy” can only be given from your hands.
Monitor the dog’s health, regularly carry out vaccinations and anthelmintic prophylaxis.
Feed your pet a balanced diet high in protein, vitamins and minerals. If the animal is well-fed, it is much easier to wean it from collecting garbage.

It will be useful to take the advice of an experienced dog handler to help correct behavior.

How to stop a dog from picking up from the floor or ground

Raising a dog must begin from an early age. To begin with, the puppy must get used to eating only from a bowl, which must be placed on a stand that matches the pet’s height. You must not throw treats or food on the floor, allow them to pick up pieces that have fallen from the bowl from the floor, or allow them to graze. They must be removed or covered immediately.

This way the puppy will form the habit of taking food only from a bowl or from the owner’s hands. If the puppy discovers but ignores the pieces lying on the floor, you need to reward him by treating him with a treat, praising him and petting him. You cannot hit or scold the baby.

From 3 months, you can teach your puppy to take food from a bowl on command. The food is placed in a bowl, the puppy is held for a few seconds and released, accompanying the action with the permissive command “You can”, “Take”.

You can also teach a puppy not to pick it up from the floor by deliberately dropping a piece on the floor, and when the baby reaches for it, you can easily press it or move it away by hiding the bait. You should offer him another piece from your hand, giving the command “Take.”

Starting from 6 months, it is necessary to teach the dog to perform the commands “Fu”, “Give”, “Come to me”, “No”. Restrictive commands will help control your pet’s behavior, its movement on the streets and prevent it from being picked up from the ground. Since training prohibitive commands is based on negative stimuli (punishment), they cannot be used at a very early age, so as not to “break” the dog’s character or cause aggression or fear.

You should not hesitate to give prohibitive commands, since even a well-mannered dog, having taken a “yummy” in its mouth, is unlikely to spit it out upon hearing a shout. The command must be given before the action is performed. Until the dog masters prohibitive commands, you should avoid unwanted situations - walk the puppy on a leash, in a muzzle or in “clean” places.

The “dummy” situation method

To eliminate the risk of poisoning or injury, you can use the “dummy” situation method during training. The assistant lays out the bait in the form of pieces of food. The owner, leading the pet on a leash, slowly approaches the bait, and when the dog rushes towards the food, they give the command “Fu” or “No” and sharply pull the leash. The situation is repeated 4-5 times.

As a negative stimulus, you can use a light slap on the back of the dog’s croup or nose, holding (press on the back or withers with your hand). A negative stimulus should alternate with a positive one. After the dog has moved away from the bait, it is rewarded with a treat, praised or stroked. Gradually, food rewards should be completely replaced by tactile or vocal ones. You should not abuse the “Fu” command and prohibit all potentially dangerous actions.

Using a “dummy” situation, you can also wean your dog from taking treats from someone else’s hands. You need to ask several helpers to offer a treat to the dog, and when it reaches for it, squeeze your hand, hiding the “bait”. The pet must firmly understand that he will not receive treats from a “stranger”. The owner should encourage ignoring the “handout”. Thus, the owner does not cancel eating behavior (it dominates in animals, especially young ones), but only reorients it, otherwise, by forbidding them to eat treats, they can provoke a search for “goodies” on the street or in the trash.

Distraction method

You can distract your pet from an “illegal” action with a sharp sound - a clap, the ringing of a bunch of keys, a whistle. Throwing a plastic bottle filled with small pebbles, coins or other “rattling” objects also works. The main thing is not to harm the dog or scare him too much.

Another method of education is to wear a retrieval item throughout the entire walk. A dog occupied with an attractive object will be less tempted to pick up something less tempting from the ground.

Shock collar

In particularly difficult cases, an electric shock collar is used. This collar is equipped with a control panel, which makes it possible to dose the impact and correct behavior at a considerable distance. The main thing is not to overdo it with painful effects. The dog should experience discomfort, not injury.

By quietly operating the remote control, the owner avoids forming a logical connection between the negative impact and his person, which will maintain a trusting relationship with the pet. The disadvantage of this method of influence is the inexperience of the owner. To use the collar, you need to train with an experienced instructor.

Prohibited and ineffective methods

Some dog owners use inappropriate methods to stop their dogs from picking up objects and scraps from the ground. Among them:

Treats with an unpleasant taste. The bait is supplied with an unpleasant taste filler so that the dog experiences negative sensations from food not from the bowl. The danger lies in the filling, which can cause an allergic reaction in the animal.
Repellers. When experiencing stress and fear, a dog may completely refuse food, especially food that is used as bait. And instead of correcting behavior, the pet will become wary and timid.
Electroshock collar. The most severe punishment, which can harm the pet and cause uncontrollable aggression, but will not get rid of the habit of picking up leftovers on the street.

All these methods will only lead to the dog eating all sorts of rubbish in secret. She will experience constant stress, be afraid of her owner and not understand the reasons for the punishment.

Correcting a pet's eating habits is possible at any age. Having put in enough effort and started training your dog, there is a chance that you will wean it from picking up anything. Constant exercise and training will help correct the dog’s behavior in the right direction.