It will be interesting to see if your dogs attraction for 'stuff' improves after treatment for the bacterial infection.

Was your dog on any type of med for the GI problem? I ask because my dog tends to have issues with his stomach and has had several small pancreatic episodes. I've learned that his symptoms include the desire to eat stuff he shouldn't, devouring his rawhide chews, pacing and licking surfaces. Currently, as long as he gets his daily Pepcid, and the food he tolerates well, he much calmer and no 'upset stomach' symptoms. He also loses interest in his rawhide chews when his stomach isn't bothering him.

It's actually a parasite/bacteria combo (crypto and Clostridial perfringens) which has caused colitis.

The treatment is long term but I need to be vigilant until then (and afterwards!). The vet said that there's no link between his behavior and the infection. He said he's a dog that gets a thrill from picking up things and eating them:(

I am sorry he has this, but his antics are so endearing! And, I know, frustrating and annoying! I had one too.

It sounds like the pup just needs some additional leash training so he'll focus on you and not the ground. A short slip styled leash that forces him to keep his head up may help. I did a search for youtube videos on how to train dog not to sniff while walking and several options were offered.

I'm just curious, is this the same pup that eats his bedding? LOL oh boy!

maybe he is bored. you should buy him toys. I bought my dog´s toys online, I bought them on www . kupiku (dot) com

Haha Lukki, yes it's the same one. He really keeps me on my toes:(

Thanks for the suggestion. We are trying a gentle leader this weekend. This is supposed to elevate the dog's head so it's impossible to sniff. He doesn't take kindly to things around his snout but it's worth a try.

Maria, he's got plenty of toys and loves playing with them. But he's just determined to eat everything!

I suggest positive reinforcement clicker training whereby you can reach a point where when you walk your dog, he will pay attention to you.

Your dog will have more structure and context, as well as be stimulated and rewarded.

It builds bonds and trust, and can be transformative.

This is a time and labor-intensive process, but well, well worth it.

We've attended (non clicker) dog training classes and the instructor suggested a private trainer because he's SO reactive. We had a very highly recommended trainer come out and he was stumped. He said that he's never seen a dog with such severe ADHD and to call him when Kirby is older and able to focus better. Needless to say, he will not get another chance to test his theory.

However, I have not investigated clicker training. Appreciate the suggestion, mimipadv.

By reactive, you you mean to other dogs?

Some dogs focus so much better than others. Taking our lab through clicker training has been 100x easier than taking our bichon!

I hope you find success in connecting with your dog. He just doesn't know what's expected and what you want- kind of a Helen Keller thing.

Hang in there and keep trying. You'll find what works for him!

He's reactive to everything--people, dogs, cats, bikes, loud noises, things blown about by the wind etc. He flings himself around and barks and lunges. If it wasn't so frustrating, it would be comical as he morphs into a mini-tornado.

Interestingly, his brother (who has been raised outdoors since birth) has a calm, steady, friendly disposition with robust good health and vigor. Really an astonishing contrast.

But I will definitely check out the clicker training.

Thanks so much for your research!

I've watched "The Dog Whisperer" and forgotten about his methods to troubleshoot my issues. But you are right, it really must be about my energy because he's exactly like the frenzied dog in the clip. I will certainly utilize the tips, especially the one about controlling the doorway.

Hoping to have the same outcome as yours!

Nanny I have two of those dogs. Actually had three (one passed last year at 16 years old) so I have been at this awhile. The dogs get a two mile walk every day so they are not too bored. But they like to eat junk such as small pebbles, sticks, mud, you name it. I swear they have PICA but the vet disagrees. One dog can pick up and eat goose poop on a walk so quick that it is like a blur of activity. That's the one who has had hemorrahagic gastro-enteritis twice and pancreatitis three times. The mini-schnauzer had an obstruction two years ago from small pebbles he dug up in the soil. He was unsupervised for about two minutes while I harvested some veggies from the garden. Sometimes I do not see that they have eaten anything that should make them sick. But they got sick anyway. We did the usual things such as replace their food bowls with stainless steel that is easy to sanitize and clean the yard frequently. But they still got sick.

So after a few years of monthly trips to the vet for GI issues we found out what works pretty well. The dogs are on an RX diet that is called Digestive Care I/D by Hills. It is a high fiber, low fat diet. In time we added a supplement of homemade dog food but the RX diet in itself was a great help. They get 25% of the supplement food which is lean chicken or turkey, vegetables, and herbs (a variation of the dog anti-cancer diet) which is somewhat liquidy for lack of a better term. They also get 500 mg fish oil twice a week.

If a dog does not eat or throws up any given day they are started on 10mg Pepcid daily and only fed boiled chicken or canned RX food (both watered down) for the next two days. After this we start their regular diet and add powdered dog pro-biotics for the next three days. This has greatly reduced the number of trips to the vet for GI issues.

What made things worse and did not work was feeding them boiled hamburger or chicken and rice when they first appeared sick. The vet decided that the hamburger at 90% lean was still to high in fat and the rice too hard to digest.

Good luck with your pup. GI issues can be life threatening. I hope you find out what works best.

Acadiafun1, thanks so much for posting! I can finally breathe a sigh of relief --I was feeling like an irresponsible owner as it seemed that Kirby was the only dog that had this issue. He's lightning fast and finds things where there were none before. Other than 24/7 surveillance, there seemed little I could do to prevent this behavior.

The boiled chicken/rice diet did not not work for him either. His new vet placed him on Tylosin powder, probiotics and 33% Purina DCO (similar profile to your food) and 66% grain free Canidae Salmon.

He's still snatching up leaves, twigs etc but has had no repercussions. If his GI issues reoccur, I will ask the vet about following the regime you described.

Really appreciate your thoughtful advice!

Oh good! I'm glad you're a Cesar fan too and it's making sense. I can only speak from my own experiences with Ellie and it worked wonders for us. Just remember to be as consistent as possible with the training so he won't get confused about what you expect from him.

If you read through some of the comments on that video, it looks like a lot of folks have benefitted from it.

Lukki, I'm walking (or rather, dragging) and doing sharp turns with him throughout the house. It's really frustrating and my hands are getting raw from the leash (note to self-wear mittens!) I did read the comments and am determined to continue adhering to the program.

Your timely words of encouragement are just what I needed!

OMG, Nanny!!!! I wish we lived close by, I'd be so happy to help you out. I was thinking about you earlier today. Where we are in Michigan, it's been in the 50's and all the snow is melted. Today the ground is actually dry and it would have been perfect for a training walk on the path.

Yes, mittens probably sound like a great idea, and don't forget the treats for him so he knows when he's done good. Do you have a Costco close by? I was at Costco the other day and found a great new treat for our dog. They are chicken chew strips and my dog is nuts about them. Unlike others I've seen, these are made in the USA with only a couple of natural ingredients in them. I cut them up into little bite size pieces and Ellie will jump through hoops for them and I bet your little guy would too. The bag is 19.99 but it's 3 lbs, if you cut them up, it will last a good six months.

My dogs LOVE the jerky from Costco. The pizzles, too.

Mimi, I was so glad to finally find a good jerky treat that wasn't made in China and/or out of questionable ingredients. Costco is the bomb!!! (Haven't heard of pizzles...hmmm.)

Pizzle is bull penis. My dogs love them and so do I because it keeps them occupied and quiet for awhile.

Costco's price can't be beat. They are pricey.

lukki, I'd brave the snow to have your help:)

I don't want to give Kirby treats because I want to teach him that it's NEVER acceptable to eat anything from the ground (and he's on special rx food) because that's our other huge issue. In the past, I've tried giving him treats mid air but that seems to promote constant jumping during "walks".

None of our previous dogs had so many medical and behavioral issues, so he's been very challenging.

No treats? Do you do basic training? Dogs love to work for rewards and having them focus to get rewarded can help with leash walking and all sorts of unwanted behavior.

Think about having to do certain behaviors where people have high expectations of you, and you NEVER got rewarded for it, at least not with something of value to you.

I know my motivation would be nil. It's no wonder your dog isn't progressing.

Again, clicker training will establish a much needed language so you can clearly communicate what you expect of your dog. I hope you avail yourself.

Yes, I use treats for basic commands and he's learned them. But as described upthread, they don't work well for our walks.

Right now, I'm trying Lukki's method which doesn't utilize treats. If that's unsuccessful, I will explore the clicker method.

Why can't you give him a treat from your hand during walks? When we were leash training our pup, I'd walk with a handful of kibble in my pocket - and take that out of his daily ration, so he didn't get fat.

He's a small dog, low to the ground and I can't stoop due to back surgery. I could only offer them mid air which causes him to endlessly jump up during the walk in expectation of a treat. Or I can throw them on the ground which is counterintuitive as I never want him to eat anything there.

Smaller dogs are hard to treat constantly, so I hear you. Training our bichon was much harder than our lab because of that. Constantly bending over can put anyone's back out.

Some suggestions off the top of my head are using tongs to reach your dog with a treat, or use a long plastic spoon with peanut butter which gets offered in the same manner as a treat would (that would really get a dogs attention!).

Granny, Mimi is right, the treats are going to be his motivation to do a good job for you. A tiny bit of peanut butter, yogurt or pumpkin on a spoon is a great suggestion, even a couple of pieces of his kibble (if he enjoys it) would be good but for the training to work, he needs to get rewards. If you watch the video again, you can see the guy has a little pouch on his side that he uses to keep the treats in and every time the dog retreats and waits or is walking well he gets a treat.

When it comes to his training, it may be easier to focus on one thing at a time. If dropping the treat to the floor is the easiest way for you to reward him, then do that. Besides, once he learns to focus on you while he walks (which the treats will help with) he won't have his nose to the ground anymore. You just have to reward him with something he's really excited about!

I'm sorry, but I don't recall if you've been able to participate in any training classes with him yet? If not, is it possible for you to do that? Ellie was a real handful for us so I actually worked with her at a couple of different places. The first was a more expensive privately owned school, the other was Petsmart!! I was so surprised but we actually got more out of the Petsmart classes than the privately owned ones. The techniques were similar to Cesars too, and were all puppy friendly and treat based. She's wearing the cap, but I learned so much!!!

Lukki, I didn't notice the treat bag when I initially viewed the clip. But now I see it.

We've attended puppy and adult classes at PetSmart and the trainer recommended a private trainer because he was so contrary (even with treats) and disruptive during classes. The private trainer said to re-contact him when Kirby was older and better able to focus. At this point, we cannot afford to hire another one because his medical expenses are ongoing.

Our new vet said it was absolutely imperative that no treats be dropped on the ground. In addition to not wanting to reinforce that behavior, he's so fast that he'd pick up some garbage too. He's also on a very strict rx diet so I couldn't use the spoon treats. Because the treatment is working thus far, I don't want do to anything to jeopardize it.

However, I like the suggestions and would use it after his regime is finished. I'm trying to visualize how use a spoon--it would have to be an extremely long one because he's very low to the ground. And how to replenish it?

Oh my gosh, Granny, I'm so sorry. Of course Kirby's health comes first and if the Vet is saying not to stray from the diet, then you shouldn't. Because the treats are such a crucial part of any training, if it were me, I think I'd probably hold off until after his regime is finished too. Maybe it's for the best since it'll give you time to get everything figured out before you start. I wanted to discuss something with you that I don't feel comfortable saying here in the forum. I'd send you a private message via Garden Web but you don't have it available in your profile. If you don't mind, would you send me an email instead? lukkiirish at gmail dot com - thanks!

Hi Lukki, I sent you the email last night. Let me know if you got it or not.