hi cjh the metal rods worked for us we also like the long walks while camping and our dog loves them more .she grew out of the chewing at around 1-1 1/2 years old tho we do have the odd mishap just this week she destroyed the sky remote my own fault for leaving it out she sticks to the toys and chews we give her
and yes im surprised the pooper scooping did not come up
but for the record i always pick it up