Archie eats everything too, but when we go out, I try to say NO, and stamp my foot and he runs. People throw the weirdest things out in the streets of NY, by the way!
Also, when he goes out, I've started walking him on a short leash so his head is always up and he just sort of walks alongside me. At first, I had to use a regular around the neck leash, like a training one (sorry guys, I know it's evil!), and now he's back on the harness, but I keep a short leash and walk straight, like a big march. If he tries to run over, I just tug the leash a little and he comes back. The trick, I find is in holding the leash properly, and making sure that he is never walking in front of me, but next to me or behind me. I'm trying to train him to stay alongside at all times so he doesn't have an opportunity to pick up stuff. In the house, I've just had to essentially child-proof everything. Keep cabinets closed, put harmful stuff away, pick up coins, etc.
My opinion---it's just a matter of training your dog to keep looking straight ahead and walk and listen to you and concentrate on the business at hand, namely walking. They have an instinct to dig for stuff, bring it back to you, etc. All I have to do is allow my dog to do that, but only when I tell him it's OK (we have a game where I hide his ball under the blanket and he's busy for half an hour trying to dig it out). That's just my opinion, and I'm working on getting Archie to just concentrate on walking next to me. |