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Tue 1 Apr, 2008 09:07 am
My dog eats Mo's sock, whole, then barfs them back up. Seriously he swallows the whole sock and then barfs back up the whole sock.
I have tried everything to keep the socks out of the dog's reach but he still finds them, searchs for them, wants them bad. If there is one to be found he will find it. He waits at the base of the laundry chute hoping one might not quite land in the big sink thing. He has learned to break into the cabinet where the socks are kept resulting in me having to move them so high up that Mo can't access his socks.
I give him plenty of chew things, I've tried spraying bitter apple in Mo's shoes, I've essentially locked up the socks but on occassion a rogue sock falls through the cracks.
Is this really dangerous? I'm really worried that the dog is going to choke or damage his health. How can I stop him?
Clean socks? dirty socks? are they similar to any of his toys? does he have any soft toys? what does he have for self-comforting?
Try a deer salt lick.
Maybe he is attracted to the salt in the sweat...
( radical.. yes.. but.. ? )
I'd say it's dangerous only because it could get stuck in his throat.
Who knows why dogs sometimes do what they do.
Clean or dirty doesn't matter. Only Mo's socks though. I can leave mine on the floor without a problem.
He doesn't really have a soft toy -- but Mo does and when Diamond finds a way to sneak off with them he will. However he does not swallow them whole and latter barf them back up.
I don't think he's doing it for attention because I typically don't even know he has done it until he barfs it back up. He has lots of companionship and gets lots of exercise. He does have lots of acceptable objects to chew on. He doesn't gobble his food so he usually has some in his bowl to snack on when he's hungry. I've done my best to remove and booby trap the socks but he still manages to ingest them once in a while.
When I do catch him with things he's not supposed to have he's pretty good about giving them up without a fight so there isn't a big scene over it.
It is just the strangest damn thing.
Are Mo's soft toys small enough for Diamond to swallow?
Is Diamond of an age to be teething?
Diamond is almost 8 months old so most of the teething things are behind us. Plus, these socks aren't chewed -- they are swalled whole.
Hm, I have no answer either, only guesses...
Perhaps he's trying to challenge the pecking order, since he's only
chewing on Mo's socks.
Do you wash Mo's socks differently? Different detergent, fabric softner?
I wondered if he was swallowing them sort-of-inadvertently.
Bailey's adult teeth didn't come in fully til he was about a year old - wondered if it was a similar thing with other breeds. He gnawed/chewed/slobbered

from about 10 - 14 months. Mebbe he was just a late bloomer.
How about a big soft toy for Diamond?
If its a teething problem. Try getting a wash cloth, wetting it down. Folding lengthwise until you get about a 2 inch wide strip. Put in the freezer. Let freeze. Give to pooch. The cold helps reduce pain in the gums and he may stop with the socks.
Mo's socks get washed the same as everything else. It's only his socks too - not his shoes or other clothing items. It must have something to do with it being Mo's item and something to do with the size of the sock. Maybe it is because Mo is the go-to guy for fun and games while I'm the exerciser and disciplinarian.
Maybe he is having teeth problems. I really don't want to encourage chewing on fabric objects though. Hmmmm....
He's such a strange and lovely little dog. When he was teething he would always find my left shoe, always the left one, and chew the back up. Luckily I wear cheap shoes and don't mind slip ons!