[Lardman]

Try as I might I can't stop Max eating sticks, not just chewing - eating them. He's done it since I had time and over the past 12months I've tried just about everything I can think of other than a muzzle. He knows he shouldn't do it and when he's on his sort lead I keep his head out off the ground as he doesn't pull to get them but as soon as he can he'll eat anything around 2inches long.

I really didn't want to muzzle him as people will assume he's aggressive but I can't allow him to keep hoovering up every stick in sight when we're out, I'm fresh out of ideas and open to suggestions 

[snowdrops]

Can you distract him with a treat when he sees one. That way you are praising him for leaving them alone. I'll ask my son they have just seen a behavioural therapist for a few problems they've had with their dog, even though most of the time she's very well behaved. I posted a photo of her on the today at the plot thread earlier. She was so good a chap made a point of coming up & saying how good she was.

[Lardman]

I've tried the positive reinforcement thing (my preferred way to train him  ) but it's a constant snuffle along the floor for things 2-3" long, rather than a spot a stick and bound off and sit and eat it.  I've tried giving him things to carry and toys to play with and exchanging sticks for treats, I've even tried "claiming" the sticks.  If he knows I've spotted him he'll leave it on command and despite hiding them in his mouth he will let me fish them out.  Must look very odd to passers by with my hand disappearing into his mouth   

I can put his food on the floor, his toys even his treats and he will leave until told he can have them and drop them instantly if I tell him to, but for the life of me I can't stop the stick snuffling. 

[snowdrops]

Sounds like you need something that will keep his head up?

[New shoot]

Is he the sort of dog that would walk round carrying a toy happily.  Just thinking that if his mouth was full with a toy, he wouldn't have chance to snuffle so many sticks  Or at least he would have to drop his toy to get one and you would see him do it straight away.

Staffies are determined dogs once they get an idea about something    Next door used to dog sit a staffie and OH would walk him for them.  He was obsessed with sticks, but he always went for huge branches.  OH used to keep him away from them as you couldn't get them off him and he would take out pedestrians on the way home given half a chance.  In his frustration, the poor dog once leapt up to grab a dangling branch from a tree and was locked on, hanging there in mid air, until OH gave in and broke it off for him 

[joyfull]

try him with one of these   

[Lardman]

He wont carry any of his current toys, a news paper or bigger stick but I'll try a safestik. In all other areas he's been very easy to train and correct unwanted behaviour so I really don't know what gives with the sticks.   

Sounds like you need something that will keep his head up?

I did wonder if one of those cone things would work just to see if I could break him of the habit  it doesn't feel right just walking him on a 3ft collar lead he can't run at all (although I did try that for a fortnight too) and the retractable really needs to be attached to his harness which allows him to snuffle.

[joyfull]

3 of mine chew sticks, they dont swallow them but like to break them and spit the bits out. I just make sure I keep an eye on them. I have the largest safestix but think it's a little too heavy for little Rosie.

[Snoop]

Perhaps he just wants to exercise his jaw. Give him a cauliflower stump or even leaves to see if that will satisfy his urge, if only temporarily.

[Lardman]

Well he flatly refuses to carry the safestik although if I give in and play tug-of-war I can drag him around the park without him eating anything 

I did see a golden retriever with a head harness ( turns out to be the halti headcollar) which looked ideal to keep control of his nose and stop him snuffling. I think I'll have to go right back to basics and train him to walk with his nose up rather than down but at least it's not a muzzle - yet.

[Snoop]

Maybe he just wants extra roughage in his diet!

[joyfull]

some dogs dont take to a halti very easily and will put their head down to the floor and try to either rub it off on the ground or paw it off so just put it on for a few minutes at a time and give plenty of treats when he has it on

[spottymint]

some dogs dont take to a halti very easily and will put their head down to the floor and try to either rub it off on the ground or paw it off so just put it on for a few minutes at a time and give plenty of treats when he has it on

It's when they try and rub it off on your leg, and you go "A over T " 

[Elvira]

I have had exactly the same problem with my dog - she is getting better and when I tell her "no" she does spit the stick out but will try to sneak one on the sly when I'm not looking.  She is starting to eat the sticks less and I think part of it is for the "taste" now rather than eat them.

I have tried a halti and it is very good to control where their noses/mouths go but each time she sulked for the first 10 mins and tried to pull it off at any opportunity.   She is also drawn to horse/cow/sheep poo like a magnet and I used a muzzle for the first time the other day to try and stop her (mikki type rather than a cage).   Again we had a huge sulk and I had to virtually drag her along for the first part of the walk - she tried to pull it off as well and was in a right huff afterwards.  So all in all it spoils a good walk when you are dragging a sulking dog behind you!  I now tend to keep her on a very short lead so she can't snuffle looking for sticks or there is a lot of poo around.  She also quite likes carrying a ball at times (a recent development) so that is a good diversion.

I wouldn't avoid trying a muzzle if that provides a solution - the majority of dog owners are aware that there are other reasons for muzzling dogs or keeping them on a lead than aggression.  If anything it shows you are a responsible dog owner but it is clearly better if your dog is happy wearing the muzzle (you really wouldn't believe the scale of the huffs! or the sore arm after pulling her along!)

[Lardman]

He wasn't keen on the halti and spent much of the time trying to wipe it off on my trouser leg  But accepted it in the end. He was much better behaved and ignored the sticks. I've had him out of it now for 2-3 weeks and he's back to being just as bad as he was  He's already back on his short lead but if it continues we'll be back to using the halti.