We’ve all seen those photographs of happy dogs prancing around the yard with huge sticks in their mouths. The havoc that this practice can play on the health of your animal family members is not immediately apparent.
Consuming wood or other foreign objects on a regular basis might lead to a variety of health problems for your dog. Your dog may develop tooth decay and require a root canal, and he or she may also experience digestive problems related to the food or treats they consume.
There are other options, such as providing your dog with a teething toy or a tougher toy as they reach adulthood.
Why is my dog eating wood chips?
It’s in our DNA to do so. To satisfy their natural instinct to chew, many dogs and pups turn to wood, which might be problematic if you play fetch with sticks. Similar to humans, dogs can use chew toys for mental stimulation.
Dogs, especially those who are left alone and have nothing to do, may resort to chewing as a way to relieve their boredom. It’s possible that they’re eating wood as a coping mechanism since they’re bored or lonely from being confined to the house or backyard all day. A dog who eats dirt may be doing so to satisfy an unmet need for nutrients.
5 easy ways to stop your dog from eating wood chips
This blog is written in good faith by its author with the intention of spreading knowledge. This information is not meant to replace the advice of a veterinarian. If you have any health concerns, a trip to the vet is in order.
Many individuals consider their dogs to be an integral part of the family. Many people include their dogs in their family units because they are so devoted to them. It’s obvious that your dog requires supervision for its own good, no matter how much you love it.
Dogs don’t always have the best judgment, and sometimes they do stupid things that hurt themselves. Leaving mulch unattended in the yard increases the risk of your dog eating it. Dogs are curious creatures that will try to eat just about anything, even if doing so could cause them serious harm.
If your dog has started following you around, you might be wondering why. Seek out the most prevalent explanations. If your dog has a habit of eating mulch, read on to find out how to stop him. Your dog’s safety outside shouldn’t be as much of a concern if you implement these measures.
1. Do not allow your dog access to the wood chips
An English Bulldog in a Fenced Area. You should try to prevent your dog from getting to the wood chips. There are actually various ways that you may approach this, but it isn’t going to be that tough no matter what you choose to do.
If you put up some low fencing (like this), the wood chips won’t be that easy to get to. If you do this, your dogs will have to make an extra effort to access the wood chips you’ve placed there. Some folks will make the wood chips fully unavailable by erecting a barrier between the garden area and the locations where the dogs roam outside. In some cases, you may be able to confine your dog to a section of the yard where there are no wood chips.
As an illustration, you may use the fence to section off a portion of your backyard specifically for the dogs to run about in when they need some exercise. The dogs won’t be able to travel beyond that area, and this means that they won’t be eating wood chips when they go outside.
While it’s true that you’ll have some costs if you choose this path, they shouldn’t be prohibitive. Numerous hardware stores carry fencing for reasonable costs. You might also find a creative way to prevent your dogs from accessing the wood chips. It could be feasible to think outside of the box and come up with a solution that is perfect for your situation if employing fencing doesn’t appeal to you.
2. Train the dog
Have you considered putting in the effort to train your dog to behave properly and refrain from misbehavior? Dogs can be trained to be well-behaved and avoid potentially dangerous situations. You may use traditional training methods to try to instruct your dog to keep away from things that it isn’t supposed to get into.
People are able to utilize training to keep dogs from getting into the trash, and the same type of training can be used to keep your dogs away from your garden area. However, not every dog owner will be able to successfully train their pet. Because you don’t know how to tackle the problem, you may find it challenging to complete this.
You may enroll your dog in a training program or hire an expert to assist you with the training process. This could be a nice thing to look into if your dog has other behavioral difficulties. This might not be possible for everyone since it can cost a fair chunk of cash to employ a dog trainer. Remember that you should try to teach dogs while they are merely puppies to make it easy on yourself if you’d want to attempt to do it alone.
3. You should distract your dog
If you take your dog for a walk in your yard, you can try to prevent it from digging in the mulch by diverting its attention. As you walk your dog, it’s important to keep it away from the mulch.
If you put in the effort, dogs can be easily diverted from their focus on you by other things. To keep their pets engaged, some folks even bring along chew toys and the like. You can help your dog stop chewing on the mulch by giving it something it enjoys chewing on more. Rather than gnawing on wood chips, your dog will probably choose its favorite toy.
Further, if you keep a close eye on your dog, you can prevent it from ingesting wood chips if it ever tries to. If you keep your guard up like this, nothing awful will happen to you. When dogs are allowed to roam the yard unattended, the situation quickly escalates. When this happens, you’ll be glad you invested in dog training, though it could be easier to just keep an eye on your pets while they’re outside.
4. Bug sprays
Dogs typically don’t like the smell of wood chips, but you can acquire sprays that will deter them. You can sprinkle something on the mulch that will modify the way that it tastes. Dogs and other animals can be deterred from trying to eat it with the help of a harmless spray.
When the spray is applied to the wood chips, they will take on a very pungent flavor that dogs will find unpleasant. Your dog won’t be harmed if it tries to eat a wood chip, and neither will the wood chips be harmed by the sprays. If you’re willing to spray your mulch down, it could be the right answer to your problem.
DIY versions of mulch spray have been produced by some people, and they tend to work just as well. Dogs will be discouraged from eating the mulch if you spray it with a solution made of equal parts vinegar and water.
A citrus spray or something similar can deter your dogs from digging through the mulch. If the pungent odor of vinegar bothers you, this option may be preferable to utilize a vinegar spray.
5. Increase the dog’s activity level
Running Brown Dog Catching Ball in Park If your dog gets regular exercise, he or she is less likely to misbehave. If you want your dog to relax while you’re watching TV, you’ll need to put in some additional effort to wear it out.
Your dog may still like eating mulch, but remember that regular exercise is important for his or her health. When dogs have too much energy, they may act destructively. Just a little bit of time spent each day playing with your dog may turn your fortunes around. Just go outside and play fetch with Fido or take him for a stroll.
Your dog’s excess energy will be burned up in this way, reducing the likelihood of undesirable behavior. If you combine this with prevention tactics like the one above, then you won’t need to worry as much about your dog moving forward.
Eating paper in dogs
Numerous foods are suitable for canine consumption. Either they are playing with something alien and accidentally swallow it, or they are actively searching out that material with the intent to absorb it. Strange objects, including paper, have been found in their stomachs.
When dogs exhibit this unusual habit and eat something other than food, it might cause problems with the digestive tract. You may have noticed that your dog has started chewing on cardboard or wooden items that resemble paper. It’s possible he’s also consuming other things, like plastic, socks, and toys. Make sure to take note of these patterns of behavior so you can share them with your vet. Some of the reasons why dogs eat things like paper.
Preventing and repairing wood damage created by dogs
Find out why your dog started eating on the deck so you can stop it from happening again. Dogs of all ages, from pups to senior citizens, may exhibit a new and puzzling behavior: chewing on hard or soft woods. Even so, there are a few typical reasons why dogs chew on wood.
Both the flavor and the consistency are well-received. Chewing is a means of discovery for young dogs. However, even senior dogs can still be curious chewers. If they are feeling bored, lonely, or stressed, it’s possible that they will start chewing on random objects. Puppy teething is a common problem.
Your dog’s health is a much more pressing problem than the aesthetic value of your deck if he or she is constantly chewing on wood. Sharp splinters and other wood debris can easily lacerate their soft tissues, including their lips, gums, esophagus, and intestines. With any luck, the following advice will help you sidestep either scenario.
Use a bitter spray on the areas they like to gnaw on. Be sure to keep an eye on Fido when he or she goes outside. If you notice that they have begun chewing on the deck, stop them immediately. This will need to be a consistent routine until the undesirable behavior pattern is broken.
Provide them with a wide variety of chew toys and lavish praise on them whenever they use them. If your dog is teething, rather than chewing up your deck, give him some teething goodies. Dote on them and give them some extra cuddling time. In other words, use them more.
TimberTown Austin will help you repair the chewed wood on your deck. If you need a few pieces of wood for a repair but don’t need much, you might be able to locate them in our “scrap pile” for a low price.
Is eating wood chips dangerous for my dog?
Wood chip is inexpensive, simple to clean up, and provides a cushioned surface for dogs to run and play on. However, it does pose health dangers, especially if your dog is an indiscriminate eater. Your dog’s health and safety are at stake if he treats wood chips as food rather than a cost-effective alternative to other types of landscaping mulch.
The moisture content of wood chips rapidly rises. It quickly becomes a muddy mess after rain because the little pieces of wood absorb the water. Aspergillus fumigatus is a fungus that grows well on wet bark and wood chip. Your dog’s liver could be severely damaged if it ingests or breathes in this fungus. Wood chips can come in wide varieties, and some of them have been chemically treated. Ingesting chips that have been chemically processed could be harmful.
Potential for Oral Harm Wood chips can become brittle and prone to splintering after drying. A dog’s teeth and gums can be injured if the chip splinters and enters the mouth. In addition to the discomfort and infection that can result from oral injuries, a dog may also lose its appetite and become lethargic or even malnourished as a result.
Digestive Issues Your dog might be able to stomach the fungus, toxins, and splinters, but once that wood chip reaches his digestive tract, he’s putting himself in danger of a whole host of problems. Wood chips pose a major hazard to animal health and life and, at the absolute least, will necessitate an expensive trip to the vet.
Watch 22 foods that will kill your dog | Video
In what ways can I discourage my dog from trying to chew on the wood chips in my yard?
When they come close or start eating wood, say “no” to encourage undesirable behavior. If they come anywhere near the woods, you should give them a good shake with a can full of coins. If they manage to get ahold of a piece, lock them up in their “bad room” and ignore them for a time. Treat them while they’re good.
My dog has a bad habit of barking and chewing on random objects; how do I stop him?
Dogs who often eat sticks can be dissuaded from this bad habit by being given safe chews. Particularly affected are “chewy” dogs and puppies in their initial or second stages of teething. Dogs are less likely to play with sticks if they have more interesting things to do.
What’s wrong with my dog that he keeps trying to chew on wooden furniture?
Anxious dogs often resort to biting and gnawing on wood as a kind of stress relief. Your dog may, for some strange reason, find the bark and twigs in the yard to be irresistibly appetizing. It’s possible that the bark is a tasty part of their diet.
To what extent can woodchips affect canines?
Wood chips can become brittle and prone to splintering after drying. A dog’s teeth and gums can be injured if a chip splinter off and lodges in the dog’s mouth. In addition to the discomfort and infection that can result from oral injuries, the dog may also lose its appetite and become lethargic and malnourished as a result.
My dog doesn’t know any better, but he keeps chewing on this piece of wood?
Why Is My Dog Chewing on Wood A dog’s destructive chewing habits may be an indication of boredom, anxiety, or separation stress.
Conclusion
Now that you have more information about how to protect your dog, you can make better decisions. Avoid giving your dogwood chips because doing so could lead to a host of health issues. You care deeply about your canine companions and wish for nothing more than the best for their long and happy lives.
They don’t realize the discomfort and illness that can result from eating mulch, but you can teach them to avoid it. The first step is to restrict your pets’ access to the mulch. To keep your dogs from digging up your mulch, you might install barriers. It’s also a good idea to investigate dog training facilities to ensure your pet learns quickly not to act in such a way.
Another way to prevent your dog from eating something it shouldn’t is to keep it under close supervision whenever it’s outside. Whatever strategy seems most appropriate to you should be used. In the end, your dog won’t be in as much danger, and you won’t have to worry as much.
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