I'v got a problem, my dog loves to eat random peice of food, like chips, bagels, pizza, whatever off the ground when we are outside. in the house he's fine, but outside is another story.

I realise this is a simple fix, E-collar training, but right now I'm low on money, and can not afford one for the next few months.

Do you think there is a mothod I can use to get him to stop this while he is off leash, without an E collar?

The verbal No is working a little bit, not not enough to stop the eating the next time.

Thank in advance.

If he has to be let loose you could consider a wire basket muzzle, then he cant pick it up.

Why dont you keep him on a long line? Its a heck of a lot safer and you know that you will have complete control.

Ya, if you can't put him on an e-collar definitely use a long line. Do always have him off leash when you leave your home?

Mousetrap. If you insist on going off lead with no control. Just a suggestion. Just dont use one of those monster rat traps. Dont want to hurt junior. May or may not work depending how smart he is. J/K

wow, thanks for the advice.

He's an awesome dog, other than the random eating from time to time.

he's half black lab, so it's hard to control his stomach unless I am close to him.

My boy has the same problem - big time. He's a Rhodesian Ridgeback - certifiably one of the most food obsessed breeds on the planet! Whether out on leash or off, once his nose picks up the scent of a tasty morsel it takes a lot of diligence to redirect him (and "tasty" is really a pretty subjective word - I wouldn't use it to describe a lot of what he chooses to eat...).

My best defense is the "leave it" command. Oscar knows this word solid, the trick is to call it before he gets his mouth on something (which means YOU need to see the food FIRST). Once he's got whatever it is in his mouth, I have to physically pull him away and reach in to remove what he's chewing on. But if I can spot something before he does, even if off leash, I at least have a chance at keeping him away.

With my dog at least, I'm not sure I can ever train him out of following his nose to food, I can only work with him on not touching something I've called as being off limits. Even with that, he's a sneaky SOB and will remember where the food item is and make another attempt at a later time (after I've probably forgotten where it was). If your dog is often off leash in areas you can't control (parks, wilderness) than I'd try to keep him close enough that you can watch what he's doing at all times - long line is a great suggestion, especially if he doesn't know "leave it", or have a good recall. My dog gets a very special "look" in his eyes when he smells food, like he's possessed, and he starts sniffing like mad. When I see this, I know he's up to no good and I call him back or tell him to "leave it" (usually combined with me hot-footing it to him just in case).

~Natalya

I'd train Drop It and Leave It *while he is on a lead*.

 Quote: Connie Sutherland

I'd train Drop It and Leave It *while he is on a lead*.

Absolutely! It will be a whole lot quicker and easier this way...

Boy was I glad Oscar knew these 2 commands when I caught him coming out of our woods walk recently with an entire deer leg in his mouth! Totally unexpected, and pretty nasty - he obeyed immediatly when I asked for a drop, then gave me the saddest face when I said 'leave it' and walked over to collect him (if I didn't help him away he probably would have sat pining for that thing all afternoon!).

Very useful commands to know...

~Natalya

How dangerous are the mouse traps to their feet. I've heard of it before but my little one (the digger) has little feet and I don't want to hurt him, just deter him.

Hi Eric, I was kidding. It might work but more than likely he'll just avoid good smelling mouse traps. The e-collar is the way to go if you want to fix the problem. I've used the mouse traps to stop digging in specific places but all it got me was a new hole in the yard.

A regular mouse trap is going to sting a big dog some but may break bones in a smaller dog so I wouldn't suggest it. You can always try planting one of your snakes in the hole. That ought to make the little digger think twice :-)...BTW, I love snakes too.

Howard