Why Does My Dog Eat Everything on Walks?

You know the scenario: your puppy is walking confidently next to you, head held high. You're so proud of how far he's come in his training in just a few short weeks. Your head is held high, too. After all, you have the perfect pooch.

Of course, that's when the leash goes taut, jerking you off balance. As you stumble back, you realize your perfect puppy has found some piece of unidentifiable food on the ground (at least you hope that's food!) that he's trying to lick up as fast as he can.

You wonder why he has to try and eat everything, but not before he's wolfed down a few bites of the sludgy mess.

So how can you prevent your dog from eating (usually gross) stuff off the ground on your walks? Read on for some ideas.

Why Does My Dog Try to Eat Everything?

Journey Dog Training owner Kayla Fratt says it's natural for dogs to want to taste or eat whatever they find — no matter how gross it might be. Dogs munch on poop and soggy garbage because it's in their DNA.

"Your puppy is acting on her most basic impulses to explore the world with her mouth, then eat everything she finds," she writes on her blog. "This isn't uncommon."

Fratt also notes that many puppies simply grow out of the stage where they want to try everything. But because eating weird things can be dangerous to your dog, causing an upset stomach or even requiring a trip to the veterinarian (and don't even mention that breath!), it's worth the effort to train your dog to steer away from things that shouldn't be in his mouth.

Teaching Your Pup to Focus on You

The first important step toward helping your pup stop eating everything in sight is to get him to master the command to "drop it" or "leave it." Sandy Otto, the owner of Puppy Preschool dog training, advises clients to practice this skill every day with a new puppy.

This training technique is easy to practice at home:

• Hold an object (like a toy) in one hand.
• Hold a treat behind your back with the other hand (you want to make sure the dog doesn't smell it).
• Let the dog chew on the toy you're holding, but don't release it.
• Put the treat up to his nose so he can smell it.
• When he lets go of his toy to get to the treat, give your command of choice and then give him the treat.

Practicing this consistently will teach your dog to let go of an object when you give your command.

Another way to help your puppy "drop it" is to distract him. Carrying treats on walks is important so that you can get your dog to pay attention to you immediately when you ask.