How do you get rid of a dog's stick obsession?

My 10 month old lab is obsessed with sticks/wood. If i leave him unattended in the backyard he finds old logs or chews the deck. When we walk him he is on a hunt for sticks, he rips roots outta the ground, gets branches that are still attached the tree. We give him lots of exercises-bike ride, roller blades, hikes. His worst is at the dog park, he%26#039;s territorial and growls at dogs near him and literally finds the largest, biggest stick there. Any help?

How do you get rid of a dog%26#039;s stick obsession?
Try carrying little snacks to distract him whenever you see him going for a stick - get his attention, feed him the snack, and keep walking as he%26#039;s chewing. That way, if he%26#039;s got something in his mouth, he can%26#039;t pick up a stick. As for the backyard, I%26#039;m at a loss for a suggestion, Sorry.





As for his territory issues, I would strongly suggest obedience classes - he%26#039;s only 10 months old now, and this is only going to get worse.
Reply:Sounds like my Blue Heeler Cross, he is obsessed with sticks, he destroys trees and plants and chews up the biggest sticks possible.


My dog is just over 12 months old and I have been doing basic training with him now for 9 months and he will now leave on command. So thats how I stop the stick behaviour when we go out, and at home, I have fenced him away from the gardens and the house because he liked to chew the steps. I just remove everything out of his reach. The growling at dogs it a scared thing, he needs to be socialized and shown that dogs arent a bad thing. Think about joining your local dog obedience club or send your dog along to a doggy day care centre for a couple days a month. It works with alot of dogs I train.
Reply:I tend to agree, sounds like he is asserting his dominance over the other dogs. I would definitely suggest more socialization for him. Make sure it is on a lead though so you can pull him back if need be.





As far as the stick goes, not a horrible thing...Is it possible to just give him a stick to carry around when you are out and about? Or does he just want to tear it apart instead of carrying it around?





He is still a baby at 10 months. They do like to chew!





Miss Lily Bug
Reply:it might not really be a serious problem but if you really want to get rid of this obsession then take him to a behavorist. you could also trick the dog and get a bunch of wood, spray them all with bitter apple spray or hot chili sause and wait for him to grab at it, he then might lose his obsession to sticks because of the weird and unappitizing taste. if not, then either use a hotter sause or just get rid of all the wood (which is litteraly impossible but its worth a try)
Reply:I think He%26#039;s trying to assert his dominance instinct. Is he ALPHA or just a wanna BE? That is the question.



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