Playing With Sticks

Well Jess loves fetching home a stick with her when she has her walks with me.

We get to a certain spot and when there she always selects a perfect stick (which sometimes means me waiting 5mins while she in spects several... ) and proudly parades her new aqqusition home.

I am very nervous about her playing with sticks though, ever since I met a guy in the park who told me his 10yo bitch had top have a minor op to removes splinters from her mouth and throat!

Jess does take the sticks home and chews them into little bits, making several piles on the carpet and then dosent bother anymore, so I clean up.

I dont know if im over reacting being nervous because after all im sure this will be normal practice for a dog and I feel like im 'molly-coddling' her abit.

I have been thinking of just letting her carry the stick home and then taking it off her...

Am I right in being over protective like this?

Should I let her play with sticks?

Hi Kyektulu

I guess if Jess is just carrying the sticks that she finds and not eating them they won't do her any harm. I think at the end of the day dogs will be dogs and sticks are something that most dogs play with.

I do take sticks off Max as otherwise he will chew them to pieces and I worry about him getting bits stuck in his throat.

I don't throw sticks for him either as there have been cases where the dog has rushed onto the stick and stabbed themselves with it. Max was jumping up and down in the undergrowth once and landed on a bit of broken off tree, it just grazed his skin thankfully but it was only about an inch away from his willy so that would have been really bad for the poor guy

Another reason I take sticks off him is because his are not sticks -what he picks up are parts of trees about 4 foot long and then he races around with them in his mouth and bashes into you. Fun for him maybe - not fun for me!

I never allow my two sticks. I feel it's not worth the risk.

I dont play fetch with sticks with mine not worth the risk, but if they just pick up the stick and carry it i dont mind as long as they dont chew

Jake loves a stick. He carries it around throughout his walk. Charlie and him have great fun trying to fight over one stick (in the middle of a forest ) I have no problem with that. I'd prob stop him from chewing them up, apart from the obvious risk of splinters there's the mess too. But I'm fine with them playing with it on walks. I know there are some who would advise against because of the dangers etc but I think we can be a bit OTT these days with safety concerns. As long as you there to keep an eye she'll be fine.

personally i dnt allow sticks as my other dog gt one stuck in his throat and it was a very scary situation , and made him quite poorly and unable to eat solid food for a few weeks

There are dangers with allowing them to play with sticks like splinters and more important-if the stick went down their throat,but its impossible to erradicate them from our countryside!

I just play cautious and keep an eye on what ones mine picks up,but he tends to chew them into little bits like a beaver anyway.

Missy picks up sticks and runs about with them. I always keep a close eye on her and never throw sticks for her . .

Ossie will hunt heaven and hell to find a stick when he is out.He acts the same as Steve's Vegas by the sounds of things,he will find one then gnaw on it like a beaver usually stripping the bark first.I do keep an eye on him though because of the obvious dangers.He would never forgive me if i begrudged him a stick while out.

I don't mind my two carrying sticks around, but I don't generally throw them - have heard too many horror stories about sticks getting stuck in the throat or stabbing the throat.

Why not have a dedicated toy that you take out on walks for Jess. Don't let her have it anywhere else but on a walk, and she will soon treasure it as much as she treasures her sticks