My puppy loves to eat anything he can get when he's outside. I keep the ground brushed but there's always a bit of something that gets there again. He has eaten tiny bits of twigs, leaves, moss off a wall, and he even tried to eat a stone but luckily I got it out of his mouth. He's not doing it because he's hungry, and he's been wormed. What should I do? My other dog never did this.

Just my opinion but I would say it is your other dog that is unusual, a puppy's job is to explore the world around him and he only has his mouth to do so

My pup, now just turned 6 months does this...he is a total nightmare! :P Leaves, twigs, grass, paper, mud, moss...you name it he tries to eat it! He has been wormed, fed a good food and has plenty of other things to grab while in the garden but he still eats anything that stays still long enough :D Im convinced he is actually BC cross hoover lol :D In the garden I supervise and make sure nothing dangerous gets swallowed and on walks I have taught him to carry his toy (and taught him 'leave' and 'out') hopefully he will grow out of it as I have had to remove some pretty vile things fom his mouth!! :D Strangely I don't remember our other two ( lab and goldie) being like this as puppies...they mouthed things but not to the extent this one does! :)

How old is your pup? Is he teething? Does he have plenty of interesting chew items that are suitable for his age? What breed is he, is he the same breed as your last dog? Did you have your last dog from puppyhood?

Some pups will be very much more curious than others and their major means of exploration is by chewing and tasting things. However, trying to swallow pebbles is not good- that said many pups can be obsessed by chewing and ingesting wooden things. Some breeds are a lot more 'orally' fixated than others and obviously there can be great variation between individuals.

I would have him to the vet, just to ensure there is no medical reason for his behaviour and chat things through. It could simply be a puppy phase which you will have to monitor until, with luck, he grows out of it. Remember teething can make some pup's want to put things in their mouths all the time so make sure you have lots of appropriate chew items on hand if he is in this phase.

I would ask his breeder if other pups are behaving in the same way and if either of his parents did this sort of thing. He/she may be able to give you feedback that will put your mind at rest as well as management tips.

If he persists in trying to eat everything in sight in a very driven way and as an experienced dog person you feel this is not normal then you might need to consult a behaviourist. It is difficult without seeing exactly what your pup does and how frequently, to know if this is totally normal or something a bit different.

He's 4 and a half months old and is a Japanese Spitz. My other dog is a Shih Tzu who I also had from a puppy.
Yes he has plenty of interesting toys to chew. The last time he was at the vets, they said he has some of his adult teeth.

Its the leaves/small twigs I worry about most in case they might come from poisonous plants. Should I take them out of his mouth or is that the wrong thing to do? I don't want to make him afraid of people touching his mouth.

My last terrier was a nightmare for this.  While all pups do it to a certain extent, she was over the top.  At 15 months she still does it, and I am sure that she has now eaten a whole tree. But I don't have eyes in the back of my head. 

:-)

Rather than make a big thing about removing things from his mouth I' d monitor and use distraction, ideally you want to get in there before he picks up things. Keep high value treats, fave toys (squeakers) handy. You don't want to make him think you want the things he's exploring, but need to find ways to refocus his interest on you or something else you are happy for him to have in his mouth.

I would also be teaching him a really solid leave command- this takes time but is what you need if you are worried about him approaching or picking up potentially poisonous things. There are certain plants and shrubs that are poisonous so I would make sure you know what these are- obviously if you see him pick up something poisonous then you need to stop him eating it. Here's a linkhttp://www.dog-first-aid-101.com/toxic-garden-plants.html

Certain terriers, for instance, can become committed and avid bee catchers. Some are good at it and others end up getting stung in the mouth, which is not great. So these are the sort of things to watch out for and try to nip in the bud, if you can.

Obviously he is going to explore so it's a case of you not giving him free rein in every environment, only the ones where you are confident there is nothing he can ingest that is dangerous.

Did he actually try to swallow the pebble or did he just pick it up?

He will be teething and this may play a big part in his behaviour, he may also be naturally very curious. I would try to play exciting games with him when you are out, to try to see you as his main source of entertainment rather than him entertaining himself.

They are just like human babies always having to taste everything lol Mine did this to- gladly she out grew it lol

My 17 months old munster does this. But I expect him to. Not only is he still young (got another 3 years or so before he thinks about maturing ;-) ) but he is a retriever, so everything has to be investigated. I teach all my dogs to give to hand (yukky, smelly, disgusting, rotting things too :-) ) before they start eating everything in sight. Doesn't always work though. i could be concentrating on one as annther goes in to see what the nice smelly thing is and ends up eating it

>this takes time but is what you need if you are worried about him approaching or picking up potentially poisonous things.

I cannot emphasise enough that this is very, very important.  And, after recall, it is a command that, for me must be obeyed.  I teach it very early on.  I was once spraying stuff on the roses for black spot.  I accidentally kicked the can over.  (Yes I know, big mistake on my part.)  My Toy Poodle boy ran over to take a sniff.  I was frightened in case he licked.  He obeyed the leave command instantly.  I was very lucky, and I realise that.  Once I get perfect recall and perfect leave, they can get away with a lot for me!  :-)

Jean I agree, the leave is one of my four core commands. If your dog can walk on a loose lead without pulling, has a solid recall, solid stay and leave, then I always say you can deal with pretty much anything life throws at you.