Fetch the Stick

Zoe LOVES sticks; big ones, little ones, ones with leaves, and some she can hardly pickup.  Now that it’s fall, there is an abundance of sticks to choose from laying on the ground where we travel.  When we go walking Zoe tries to grab every stick she sees along the way.  She'll drop the a stick only to find a better one to pick up.  Zoe must have some kind of stick evaluation criteria in her little brain, or maybe it could just be the puppy chewing instinct.  But, it's not good if your dog is chewing on sticks and swallowing the wood slivers.  I met a lady once who had a bulldog that required surgery to have pieces of wood removed from her dog's stomach.  Playing or chewing sticks should only be done under supervision.   I am actually trying to teach her to retrieve it, bring it back and let go of it willingly.  We've played fetch with the ball or frisbee, but Zoe lost interest quickly - only a good stick will do the trick.