Lab eating stones

Question
I have an 8 week old yellow lab and he seems to enjoy eating small stones. Should this worry me. He will chew on larger stones and i"m not sure if he has swallowed any yet but the small ones I know he has swallowed.
Thank You for your help.

Answer
Dear Bernie,

Yes, stone eating is serious.  If he ingests any and does not regurgitate them they may have to be surgically removed.  Put Tabasco sauce in a spray bottle or get a petstore taste deterrent and spray the rocks thoroughly EVERY SINGLE DAY FOR 2 WEEKS plus after every rain before he gets a chance at them.  Each time he licks them he will learn that they are yucky and will likely stay away from them forever if he learns this lesson this early in life.  If for some reason you can't do this, just remove his access to the pebbles so he can't get to them.

The other stuff to watch out for are anything long and stringy, or anything sharp.  Don't worry about paper products/cardboard.  Make sure you are providing plenty of interesting stuffed kongs or Buster Cubes (see Chew Training at http://www.dogdaysusa.com/mouthtraining.cfm ) throughout the day, and exercising this pup enough.

Thanks for writing and good luck!
Suzanne Harris, BSc, CPDT
http://www.dogdaysUSA.com