hunting earthworms???

[Eva Horn]

:shrug: Hi I have a 9 month old Jack Russel named Dusty..
Cutest thing ever...
But I have a problem, now that spring is here so are the earthworms....
As soon as I let him out into the yard he starts hunting!
I'm still having a little problem with having accidents in the yard and this is not helping, as soon as hes outside he forgets that he had to go bathroom and starts to hunt!??

Plus I don't know if it's healthy for him to eat so many worms!(He's really good at it) I don't know how to stop him? :(

Has anyone else ever had this problem???If so can anyone help??

:confused: :confused:


Thanks for listening! Eva

[Jill Ramsey]

I know we had a similar thread on doggie door. I always heard that earthworms were pure protein. Maybe you need to put Dusty on a lead for potty until they worms are gone again.?

[Luciann]

you might ask your vet about it. your puppy might just be missing something in his diet and is eating earthworms to satisfy a craving

[Eva Horn]

I'm pretty sure he's not missing anything in his diet.
I think he's doing it purely for fun. He loves to hunt, he's a Jack Russel!

And I can't take him potty on a lead, he hates going on a leash! Even on walks he will hold it until we get back home and then he will go out in the back yard!

I don't know why he started to do this when we first got him we lived in a different house and didn't have a back yard, he would always go on walks.
But since we moved he dosen't like to go anywhere but at home.

And he gets side tracked easily, it's not just the worms, he will ask to go outside but if he hears a noise or sees something that will catch his eye he forgets that he had to go bathrom.....

But thats a little aside from the point, the reason I'm writing is just to find out if it will hurt him, I'm sure it's not that bad for him but my fiancee is really worried that it might be bad for him.


Can anyone tell me? :banghead:

[Karen Jones]

I would make a quick call to your vet and ask him/her for advice. I have seen a couple of things on the Internet which say that you should prevent your dogs from eating worms, as they can transmit disease--but we all know that Internet information is not always accurate!
In the meantime, maybe you could put some really yummy treats in your pocket when you go out, distract your dog with some games or training, and then reward with the treats?
Karen
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y45/Karen24/Maggie_on_the_grass_ .jpg

[Mario Niepel]

Can't help you with the earthworms. But about the distraction from going potty-problem, I would second the leash suggestions. Put him on a leash until he goes. Then you have two choices: either reward with treats and go back inside. This way your pup will learn that these trips are only for going potty. Or, you could try and reward your pup by taking him off the leash. This way he learns that the faster he goes potty, the sooner he will be let off the leash to run and play (and hunt earthworms). Both should work.

[Peggy Lee]

My Sadie hunted earthworms last year, but hasn't picked up on it yet this year. Just a short lived thing to do. I am wondering about the holes that are being dug under the dripping eaves. Could it be she's digging again?

[Peggy Lee]

My Sadie hunted earthworms last year, but hasn't picked up on it yet this year. Just a short lived thing to do. I am wondering about the holes that are being dug under the dripping eaves. Could it be she's digging again?
Mario - Your Jake looks an awful lot like my Sammy (upside down that is). What breed is Jake?

[Alberta Hanko]

Hi Eva - My Linus is also an enthusiastic digger--high prey drive. He goes for moles. I had read some place that you can try and provide them with a special area to dig in, and bait it with stuff--biscuits whatever. Sort of a sandbox. But if Dusty is into live moving things, this might not work. Jack Russells have an extrememly high prey drive, and also are superb diggers. Of course as suggested in the other posts, that could become a reward for his going potty when he should. Actually this sounds really cute!

Alberta & Linus