Dobe eats everything

[Marie17]

My 1 year old Doberman is eating every bed I buy. He eats terry cloth, Kleenex, paper towels, rocks, plastic sticks. Anything we drop on the floor if we can't grab it first. I broke a cup the other day and he was trying to get at that. Canvas bed, Kong bed. Holes in blankets and throws. I'm feeding Focus puppy food for large breeds. Thank God he doesn't chew on furniture. He weighs 85 pounds. he has loads of chew toys

 

[Firestar Dobe]

Is he in any training class? The words "leave it" are 2 of the most important words you can teach your dog. I always tell my classes that if they only learn 1 thing it needs to be "leave it". I always explain this way...if you or a family member has to take medication, maybe an antibiotic, and you accidentally spill it, you want to be able to stop the dog from scarfing it up. I also tell them if, for example, they are on a walk, the last thing you want is your dog picking up a dead animal that may have fleas or maggots, or eating something that someone has dropped in the grass. As for the food, I would recommend an "All Life Stages" food instead of puppy food. Puppy food has a high protein content and because large breeds like Dobes grow so quickly, too much protein in the diet can cause "knuckling" where the wrist joint deforms and the paw twists so normal walking is not possible. I realize your dog is a year old, but he still has some growing to do and his joints do not need any extra stress. You can check out the website "dog food advisor" to see which brands may best suit your dog. Below is a picture of knuckling. The only advice on behavior I can give you is that it is a training issue, so the best solution is find a class and train, train, train! I know it can be tough, but hang in there you can fix it and it will be well worth it down the road!

 

[Ravenbird]

Training, as stated above, or muzzle all the time. Training is for life & much less hassle in the long run.

 

[Kswoodssue]

My adult stepson had a German Shepard male. Stepson is a police officer and takes training seriously, although he is not a canine handler). Baron ate things too. His last surgery was at about age 12, after eating a big chunk of his own toy. $8000 later, he happily lived until the respectible age of 14. As he aged, he did it less often, but he still did it. They learned to sweep daily to make sure everything was picked up in the house. The grandsons knew that Baron would eat their toys if they left them out. He was saved many times with “leave it”, but it still happened. In retrospect, I think Baron needed more exercise and had separation anxiety when my stepson wasn’t there. He was a much loved dog, but that was his thing.

 

[Viemarangelrock]

Has he been checked over by a vet? There could be an underlying Medical issue, like gastrointestinal or something else. By ruling out medical then it’s down to behaviour and/or diet.
It’s best if you get him off the Large Breed puppy food too, he needs ‘All Life Stages.’

How much daily exercise does he receive? What about mental stimulation? Low Mental stimulation and exercise can cause anxiety which can lead to this kind of behaviour.

I would seriously think about introducing a muzzle. This will make you more confident moving forward. You need to be super relaxed. Acclimatise him to a muzzle slowly. There is no rush, you want him to be happy and relaxed wearing it.