Dog Nibbles Fabric?

[TheDivineMissE]

Do any of you know of some sort of vitamin deficiancy or perhaps a mental illness which might make a dog nibble any fabric he can find? LOL

Seriously, my dog is getting wierdly compulsive about this. He nibbles the carpet, washclothes, quilting fabric, costumes, anything! He's always liked rope toys and he's shredded all of his current ones, so perhaps it's just a matter of getting him another to work on.

He's 1 year old and is prone to food allergies with wheat and corn seeming to be the predominant ones. Any ideas? Other then him being an oddball? LOL

[thekimballs]

What breed is he? And what is he currently eating?

[TheDivineMissE]

He's a mixed breed and he's eating Nutro Ultra.

Here's a picture of him - just cause I like to show my pets off a little. :P

Mojo

[thekimballs]

Wow, a pariah dog! And I don't mean that insultingly--he's either a fortuitous mix of purebreds or a really, really mixed breed. They start to get that coloring and face and ears after a lot of generations of mixing; he looks like a "primitive" dog. Cool.

OK, is the behavior constant or sporadic? Does he do it in a worried, stressed way? Is it prompted by anything and/or do you see any weird behavior like head-jerking or gulping before he does it? Does he rip it and would he continue ripping it if you let him or is he literally just mouth-feeling it? Does he swallow it?

Pica does occur in dogs, and is not always due to nutritional deficiencies. Some dogs are also very oral, and will lick and mouth-feel objects. Others (and some breeds are incredibly prone to this) get what we call the "gulps," which looks like obsessive empty swallowing and distresses the dog and makes him or her lick or eat things to make it go away. And some dogs, of course, are just weird. Smart dogs also invent games, and their games can be things like "lick as many pieces of fabric as I can"--those behaviors generally disappear when the dog gets more exercise or more directed games.

Mental illness in dogs is usually what we would call delusional or obsessive. Dogs attack nothing, or unpredictably attack humans or dogs with no warning or provocation (this has to be diagnosed by a behaviorist, because there are plenty of warnings that some people just don't pick up on). Delusional dogs snap at nonexistant flies or bark at things that don't exist. Obsessive dogs lick themselves raw, or lick one spot on the wall, things like that. In other words, mentally ill dogs are generally obviously ill. If your dog is just odd about fabrics, he's probably not sick.

If you want to switch his diet and see if it makes a difference, I'd support that. I'd put him on a beef/venison or chicken/duck diet, no lamb and rice. Nutro is not all that great a food; where are you buying it? I may be able to steer you toward something a little better at the same store.

[TheDivineMissE]

I think he's a really, really mixed breed. It's funny you say that though, because I'm always telling my husband he looks like a "village dog" - almost like a wild one or something.

Mojo is extraordinarily intellegent and very athletic and active. He's not nibbling in a stressed way - it's almost a reverant way like how cats kneed when they're happy or very small puppies will suck on your fingers. He's always been a soft toy destroyer - his rip and shred needs are very high. LOL And yes, he's been VERY mouthy since day one. I've never had such an oral dog in my life. None of us really like licks, so he's resorted to doing drive-by's on us. He still (despite my best efforts) mouths us too. He really, really tries to control himself but just can not do it. He also likes to have his very wet, cold nose in contact with us at almost all times. Basically, if this dog could crawl inside us and live he'd be much happier. LOL

He's a great dog - great with the kiddo, very very easy to train, etc. He's just ....... special.

I would have to agree with you that he's probably doing it out of boredom. Keeping Mojo mentally and physically stimulated is a challenge to say the least. Once I have the baby I'm starting him in agility (he can jump a four foot fence from a stand - it's truely amazing to watch). Probably what I'll do is break out the clicker again and teach him some usefull tricks or something. He LOVES LOVES LOVES that clicker - he's been clicker trained since he was 12 weeks old.

As far as diet I'm getting rather grumpy about dog kibble. Nutro Ultra seems to be working very well for both my dogs - no itchiness for Mojo, nice shiny coats, no noxious farts. And Ultra is the best of their line I believe. However, I've been seriously debating putting my dogs on raw food because it just never seems that I can find the right kibble for the right price. We're on one income, so the $36 40 lb bag is about as far up in price as I can go. I'm thinking raw would be similar in price and much healthier. Kibble is just making me mad - plus I'm never really sure just what is in it. Any raw diet links would be great!

Edited to add more pictures:

Mojo and Nysa Training - Mojo was about 10 weeks in this one

A couple/few months ago - I've taken some weight off him since then

This morning - Full body shot

Nibbling his rope toy this morning.

[thekimballs]

Good for you for considering raw! There is nothing better for an orally obsessed dog; eating takes ten times as long and really exercises the jaws.

Cost-wise, raw is exactly what you make it. If you really search, you can often find it free or close to it. I don't know what area you're in, but if you're urban or close to an urban center I'd look for restaurant supply places; that's where we get our chicken backs at $.17/lb, and for under a dollar a pound we can get duck, lamb necks, beef, etc. Rurally, you should look for slaughterhouses or deer processors; they're often throwing away the pieces you want (shoulders, ribs, heads, stomachs) and are happy for pennies. Or you can make it very expensive and foolproof at $2/lb by using one of the pre-made raw suppliers like Oma's Pride or Bravo.

Let me know if I can help--I have a sample diet on my Web site in my signature.