Gum on the pavement & my puppy

minimoneysaver

As above. My puppy is obsessed with trying to eat gum off the pavement and tries to scoop it up as we are walking. I keep her on a short lead, but can't seem to stop her from at least trying to get it off...grrrr. Anyone else had this problem as i'm sure it isn't good for her and I don't want her 'blocking up'?

Caroline_a

A friend of mine gave me a good tip - if there's anything that your pup likes chewing/eating, spray it with Ralgex spray. I know that you'll feel a bit daft spraying chewing gum with it, but I think you'll find that if you can spray before he gets to it (maybe take a family member to go on ahead) you'll only need one walk to put him off!

sarabe

How old is puppy?

I would consider driving to the park or wherever you are heading and avoid the gummy pavements for a while.

Meanwhile you could teach her to look at you every time you say her name by tossing her a treat as you say it or use a different word that means 'look at me, something wonderful is going to happen'. Then you should be able to keep her attention when walking.

The more you try and stop her the more attractive it will be.

minimoneysaver

She's four months old now. Thanks for the advice.

minimoneysaver

Ralgex, is that like Deep Heat? Is that safe to use?

Caroline_a

i would think that if the pup ate it in quantity it wouldnt be safe, but I've found that they find the smell so horrible that they don't get any closer than a cursory sniff! Obviously, in a walk the pup would be supervised so no danger of him chomping on it anyway.

minimoneysaver

Thanks for that suggestion. I'll pick up a can of it and give it a go. Thinking it may be a good deterrent within the home too if that is the case. I purchased some of the non chew bitter spray, but it doesn't have any effect on my dog what-so-ever!

Beckyy

Does she like picking things up? You could keep a toy in your pocket and give it to her to carry sometimes.

Also try teaching a 'leave it' command, really hammer it, and use very high value treats when it comes to the real thing. I'd try that over sprays, as it's actually teaching your dog when you want her not to eat something.