Stick help needed!

[MipMipMip]

My pooch loves sticks. I know the danger of them so I never encouraged it, wouldn't throw them etc. Only now he's got a problem and the vet says it may have been sticks caused it. So they are on the banned list! The trouble is I can't get him to stop grabbing them. With everything else he's fine with the leave command -food, toys, rotting animal corpses etc. But sticks are an addiction and as soon as he's off lead he grabs them. Has anyone got any suggestions to make him have a stick free life?

Many thanks.

[ProfessionalPirate]

I'm afraid I don't have any suggestions OP as my dog is bad for this too. But can I ask what the problem is that he has? Does he chew the sticks or just carry them around?

[Floralnomad]

Can you get him interested in a rubber stick instead , if necessary take 3/4 on a walk so you've always got one to distract him with .

[MipMipMip]

He's got a swollen saliva gland (can't remember the technical name). Basically he bashed it and and it got infected and needs removal. And because sticks stick out he could have bashed it and the shock travelled through to the gland. Or a splinter. Plus they're not ideal to chew while he's healing.

Thanks heavens for insurance - costing a fortune!

[MipMipMip]

I do carry balls but he's very good at losing them! I suspect rubber sticks would vanish too.

He carries and chews them. at least it's not the furniture

[Floralnomad]

Don't let him have the rubber sticks or balls indoors , keep them just for walks or playtime with a person that way they hold more value when you are out , always have at least one more item than the dog can fit in his mouth .

[MipMipMip]

Thanks Floral

[AverysillyoldHector]

Our dog has a kong on a rope that she carries when we are on walks. It's bright orange with a stripey rope so is really visible in fields etc. Plus its great for wanging a bloody long way without any effort, oh and it floats. She doesn't look at sticks now.

On the subject of sticks, I nearly killed our last dog by throwing a stick for her (I genuinely had no idea of the danger). It stuck in soft ground and as she went to pick it up, it speared up through the roof of her mouth and backwards towards her brain

[LilCamper]

I'd work on teaching a really solid leave cue starting with low value objects and building up to higher value stuff.

[MipMipMip]

Got Hector that s awful! Hope she is ok now.

Thanks for all the tips, fingers crossed.