How to Stop My Dog From Eating Tissues

How to Stop My Dog From Eating Tissues. There is a wide range of reasons why a dog will eat tissues. The cause for this behavior (the medical term for eating non-food items is pica), might be medical, such as malnutrition or diabetes. Your dog might also be eating tissues for psychological reasons such as stress or boredom. Whatever the reason for the behavior, there are a few ways to stop it.

Things Needed

• Chew toys
• Muzzle

Step 1

Take the dog to the vet. You dog may have a medical condition such as gastrointestinal problems or diabetes that is causing him to eat tissue. If this is the case, a checkup will lead to a diagnosis and treatment, which should take care of the tissue-eating problem. If the vet is not able to diagnose any medical problems with your dog, you are free to move on to other methods of getting the dog to stop eating tissues.

Step 2

Keep tissue out of reach of the dog. Cover all garbage cans that may contain tissues. Close the bathroom door if the dog likes to chew on bathroom tissue.

Step 3

Reprimand the dog when it starts to eat paper. Say "no" in a strong voice to let the dog know this behavior is not acceptable.

Step 4

Replace the tissue with a chew toy. When you see your dog starting to eat tissues, replace it with one of the dog's favorite toys. This lets the dog chew on something large that it is unable to swallow.

Step 5

Distract your dog when it goes for the tissue. Give your dog some attention. Play with it, pet it and keep it busy to keep its mind off the tissue. These methods could alleviate some of the stress a dog may be experiencing. Also, giving your dog more attention can reduce any boredom he may be feeling.

Step 6

Take the dog for a long walk at least two times a day. Exercising the dog and playing games with it outdoors will naturally tire out your dog. It also gives the dog less time to be bored so it doesn't reach for tissue paper.

Step 7

Muzzle your dog. A muzzle should be used as a last resort and only if the eating of tissue leads to vomiting and diarrhea which impairs the dog's health. With a muzzle you can physically stop a dog from eating paper. But this is not a long-term solution.

References

• Health Pet: Why Does My Dog Eat Paper?
• Pet MD: Injestion of Feces and Foreign Objects in Dogs
• Martha Steward: Ask AKC- Dog Eating Paper