My 8 kg terrier keeps stealing blackberries from the garden bush. How can I train him to leave

Short answer

Blackberries themselves are safe, but training 'leave it' is wise to prevent him from grabbing unsafe berries or plants later. Start indoors with a high-value treat in your closed fist. Say 'leave it' and wait until he stops nosing and looks away, then reward him from your other hand with a different treat. Practice until he reliably ignores the fist. Then move to berries on the ground outside on a leash. The concrete detail: always reward with something better than what he's leaving—use chicken, not kibble. If he's too obsessed outside, temporarily fence off the bush while you train.

Blackberries — Food safety facts

Safe to share · Dogs · full breakdown on the linked food page

Safe and full of antioxidants. Wash first and offer whole.

Dogs and cats carry the same rating (Safe to share), so the notes below hold for either pet.

Blackberries is not toxic to dogs. The real limit is calories, fat and salt, so treat it as a small extra alongside the normal ration rather than a meal in itself.

There is no poisoning risk here, and the usual problem is simply eating too much at once: a heavy fat or salt load can bring on loose stools or a single vomit. Offer water, keep an eye on the pet for 24 hours, and do not induce vomiting.

Blackberries can stay on the rotation, but only as an extra mouthful: keep the rest of the day's food unchanged and watch the next walk and the stool that comes with it.

The full verdict, portion guidance and serving notes are collected on the Blackberries food facts page.

Open the full food page: Blackberries food facts →

My 8 kg terrier keeps stealing blackberries from the garden bush. How can I train him to leave them alone?

Blackberries — Food safety facts

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