Skinny dogs - all gannets???

[quirky]

As you may know, I have an IG puppy, he is now 15 weeks old.

He is an absolute gannet and will eat anything and everything given the chance. When I take him for a walk/let him out the back, he attempts to eat soil, leaves, stones, pretty much anything that isn't bolted to the ground.

My friend has a whippet puppy who is a couple of weeks older and he is the same.

Do we happen to have 2 very greedy dogs, or is it typical of the breed/type?

We do pop him in his crate whilst we are eating but what to do when we are out?
I'd like to try and cure rather than prevent (by shutting him away) his behaviour seeing as he is still young.

Oh yes, I don't believe it is a hunger thing as he has enough food and doesn't tend to wolf it all down in one go, he'll leave it and go back to it.

Any suggestions?

 

[cobgirlie]

Before getting the whuppet lurcher monster I could leave a plate on the floor and my dogs absolutely would not touch it!! NOW I can barely eat my dinner before the skinny one has his nose on the plate!!!! He nicks food wrappers, will raid the bin if he could reach it, he eats the other dogs food (if they let him), if he so much as smells chocolate he goes into whippet melt down (and those with whippets know that...dance, spin, warble!!??). He is fed twice a day and gets the same amount of food as my huge standard poodle gets (and the poodle is a working dog so needs alot of energy!!!).

I've had staffies all my life which are supposed to be greedy dogs but they have nothing on this thing!! Love him to death though, he's the funniest creature I've ever seen!!

 

[BigRed]

I would say it is good to have a puppy with a healthy appetite and you need to make sure he is being given several small meals a day at his age, but it's not "normal" for a puppy to eat soil and stones.

I have a young whippet and she will taste leaves and when the blackberries were out, she kept lagging behind because she was grazing on them. Unfortunately most dogs seem to love eating pretty much any animal poo. Rabbit, sheep, whatever all seems to be delicious to them.

 

[haycroft]

yes yes
some skinnys are gannet and i have two..will eat anything edible and non edible given the chance
my young 10 tmh old whippy pup is just as bad...cant leave anyhting ot ,quite often ive found bread,which shes nicked from the side..and some lovely beef...turned me back for 5 mins and it was gone(there was only few slices left though)
and the other both had got hold of a tub of camrose ointment and had the whole lot..luckily its came out the other end

out and about ive used muzzles or just put the dogs in room with nothing they can get or in their cage when at home

they are soo naughty

then you also get skinnys..fusy at foods..so not all are like this

i always wanted to try a spray collar when out..havent round and getting one..as this may help at least you can remote the spray while the dog is ahead

 

[Brownmare]

lol I had the worst of both - a fussy feeder who wouldn't eat his dinner but stole everything in sight He is better now but the new boy Dash will sit down and eat haylage from the bale, dig up bulbs and balance like a meerkat to nibble from the bird feeder. He has done this much less since changing his food to one containing herbs etc...............but nothing will stop him eating horse poo Yuck!!

 

[quirky]

Thankfully, he eats his 3 meals a day no problem. He sometimes doesn't finish in one sitiing but it is always eaten.

He has just jumped up on a chair in the kitchen and launched himself towards the worktop that was nearly 2 foot away to get some bread ..... needless to say he missed and ended up in a heap on the floor.

He has been sent to try me