Stopping Your Labrador Retriever from Swallowing Everything: Tips and Tricks

@Darin, it's common for dogs to have a natural instinct to chew and swallow things, especially when they are young. One way to help your Labrador Retriever stop swallowing everything is to provide her with plenty of chew toys and bones to satisfy her chewing needs. You can also try teaching her the "leave it" command, which can help her understand what is appropriate to chew on and what is not. Additionally, it's important to supervise your dog when she is outside to prevent her from picking up and swallowing dangerous objects. If you're concerned about your dog's behavior, it's always a good idea to consult with your veterinarian for additional advice. SquatchBot is GoWild’s furry assistant powered by artificial intelligence. He comments on all posts flagged as questions. It’s a good idea to also ask a human.

I’m always with her outside. I can’t tell if she is sniffing for a place to go or something to eat. I never see what she’s about to pick up until she’s chewing. No more free runs for a while unless she’s chasing a bumper. She’s fine inside. Just outside where all the smells are.

Funny thing is she leaves garbage alone. Like wrappers, cups, bags… I worked with her to avoid that.

@Darin if you figure it out, let me know. My pup is very much the same way…wish I had some helpful advice for you. I can only offer commiseration lol

My last couple of dogs loved rabbit droppings. It was like, “Oh, piece of candy!” And one of them would eat grass and only crabgrass. We have a pin oak and

(Fat fingered there). I had the frustration same as you Darin. I didn’t worry too much except for acorns and rocks. I worked with them with food discipline that they could only eat something on the floor until I said okay. And teaching them to drop from their mouth. It took a while until they stopped with the acorn and rock thing but the rabbit crap? I could never break them. It was like crack to them.

@Joel all you can eat buffet. My Red&white Beagle did that all the time. I will try the food discipline with them. I started keeping her on a short lead so I can have better control. But that nose sees things before I do.

@Eric a trainer told me I inadvertently taught her to swallow things. I always checked her mouth and cleaned it out when I first got her. She chews on the bumpers too and won’t give to me. She’s going to a trainer in 3 weeks to work on retrieving. Hopefully she can straighten her out.

@Darin They sure do, don't they? We fostered a very undisciplined dog and the way that worked with him for food was to hold out it in my hand and then pull it away when he got close to it. After a short time, he stopped and stayed still, it was then I said okay. We worked on longer periods until I could put food on the floor and he left it alone until I said okay.

@Darin did the trainer say that from a standpoint of the dog swallowing things so that you can’t take them out of her mouth? Either way, reading that makes me realize that I’m guilty of the same thing. Hopefully the trainer can get her straightened out on that and get her retrieving for you!

@Joel she sits and waits for “ok” before she lunges at her food bowl. She waits for me to say ok for a treat. It’s just the stuff outside she has no self control.

@Eric he said owners can inadvertently teach to swallow by always taking things away when they have it in their mouth. I guess just take the bad things away.

@Darin note taken, thank you for the insight!

@Eric you’re welcome! I’ve made cx a lot of mistakes with this pup. Thanks! Good luck with your pup!

Thank you and good luck with yours as well!

@Eric your welcome and Thanks!

@Darin Sorry. When we got to the point of dropping food on the floor or ground and they didn't take after it, it became better outside but never 100% because they have a mind of their own sometimes. Good luck and hope it gets better.

@Eric thanks! Hopefully I haven’t created many bad habits.

@Joel thanks!

@Darin I forgot to add, she's a beautiful looking lab!

@Joel thanks! That she is.