sjones Posted September 23, 2011 Report Share Posted September 23, 2011 I have all my dogs on good dog food, but they are constantly eating dirt. I'm getting tired of filling in the holes where they've been eating. I assume they must be lacking something, but the food they have should be enough I would think. Anyone else have a similar problem or ideas on what to do? Samantha Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rossi Posted September 23, 2011 Report Share Posted September 23, 2011 i have the same problem my 18 week old pup eats grass soil horse poo and basically anything she can . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sue R Posted September 23, 2011 Report Share Posted September 23, 2011 Rossi - Pups will eat a lot of "undesirable" things - manure of all sorts being a favorite. Teach your pup a "leave it" command - sit in the kitchen (or a similar place with a hard floor) and drop a bit of kibble or other morsel on the floor. When the pup moves towards it, cover it with your foot (wear shoes or slippers) and say, "Leave it" in a matter-of-fact tone. When she stops trying to look under or get under your foot, and looks up at your face, tell her she's a good girl and give her a more desirable morsel. Repeat this exercise for several minutes and stop. Find the time to do this daily (or several times a day) and you should train a very reliable "leave it", which is extremely useful for a number of situations. As for eating poop and so on - keep your yard scooped so she can't eat her own or other dogs' poop. Keep her on leash in situations where there are other temptations, like livestock manure or wildlife feces. A young dog like this does not need to be off lead when out of doors and not in a smaller, confined area like a yard. She doesn't need to learn that she can get away from you and help herself to whatever strikes her fancy. Most dogs grow out of eating their own feces with any consistent training. Livestock manure can be a temptation at any age but generally diminishes with age. Training and management are your two best friends in overcoming these behaviors. Samantha - As for eating dirt, pica (or eating abnormal materials) can be a sign of something lacking in the diet - or it can be a learned habit. Some people sprinkle pepper (buy cheap black pepper) in areas that have become favorite eating spots. I wonder if they are truly "eating dirt" or digging and snuffling around for some other reason (like moles, perhaps?). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Journey Posted September 24, 2011 Report Share Posted September 24, 2011 Buy more dirt at the store. Read the bag *carefully*. It's Gourmet Dirt! It's one of things things that they fail to mention in "mind reading for the dog owner 101" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
juliepoudrier Posted September 24, 2011 Report Share Posted September 24, 2011 Mine sometimes appear to be eating dirt, but when JellyBean was still alive (and an indoor/outdoor cat), I finally figured out that they were eating dirt where he had peed.... Do you have a cat in residence? Or other animal that is leaving tasty deposits that are absorbed into the dirt? J. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bn_here_b4 Posted September 24, 2011 Report Share Posted September 24, 2011 What Julie said. Both of my dogs love to go mining for cat poo. Bella will actually eat it if she gets the chance. Jody will just dig a little then press his nose into the ground and inhale really deeply. He slits his eyes and looks like he is in smell heaven. Absolutely gross. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrSnappy Posted September 24, 2011 Report Share Posted September 24, 2011 Mr. Woo sucks on dirt. He digs a teeny little hole, lays down and sucks on the dirt with his nose in the hole. He's the only dog who does this, and I've decided it's endearing ... that way I don't have to worry about it RDM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MyTDogs Posted September 24, 2011 Report Share Posted September 24, 2011 My oldster Gilly started this a year or so ago. She started digging up the mostly buried roots of a tree long ago cut down. The roots appear rotted or eaten by termites (tho i haven't seen any bugs in them- seems like they were eaten & then abandoned by the critters). At first I thought it must be due to her health issues- renal failure, IBD, and more. But then I saw that all 4 of the dogs were eating the dirt/wood. Even my mom's anti-social yorkie who has lived most of his life in an apartment with 3 leash walks a day. All the dogs are on different foods, some commercial dry and the others on different homemade- some cooked, some raw. So I guess I don't really know why they eat the dirt/wood. I did start adding some Red Lake Earth DE to see if might help curb the activity. I haven't noticed any difference but I still give it...I have a 40# bag Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sjones Posted September 24, 2011 Author Report Share Posted September 24, 2011 No cat poo around, its just good old Wisconsin dirt. The food they get is Nutri Life all gold. The first few ingredients are: duck, turkey, chicken meal, brown rice, pearled barley, lamb, fish meal, and the list goes on along with all the vitamins, minerals... I will try the black pepper and see if that helps deter them. Samantha Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geonni banner Posted September 25, 2011 Report Share Posted September 25, 2011 My oldster Gilly started this a year or so ago. She started digging up the mostly buried roots of a tree long ago cut down. The roots appear rotted or eaten by termites (tho i haven't seen any bugs in them- seems like they were eaten & then abandoned by the critters). At first I thought it must be due to her health issues- renal failure, IBD, and more. But then I saw that all 4 of the dogs were eating the dirt/wood. Even my mom's anti-social yorkie who has lived most of his life in an apartment with 3 leash walks a day. All the dogs are on different foods, some commercial dry and the others on different homemade- some cooked, some raw. So I guess I don't really know why they eat the dirt/wood. I did start adding some Red Lake Earth DE to see if might help curb the activity. I haven't noticed any difference but I still give it...I have a 40# bag Well heck, the Europeans have truffle dogs (and pigs). If they can sell fungi that's rooted up by hogs, maybe you should sell these roots to gourmet restaurants. It could be the next lucrative fad in Haute Cusine. You and your root pack could get rich, rich, rich! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geonni banner Posted September 25, 2011 Report Share Posted September 25, 2011 What Julie said. Both of my dogs love to go mining for cat poo. Bella will actually eat it if she gets the chance. Jody will just dig a little then press his nose into the ground and inhale really deeply. He slits his eyes and looks like he is in smell heaven. Absolutely gross. That's why my cat's litter box in in a very inaccessible location, and I scoop it every day. Cat poop is Almond Roca for dogs. All those nice little white granules of clay all over it. Dogs are so disgusting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
katanddd9 Posted September 25, 2011 Report Share Posted September 25, 2011 I have all my dogs on good dog food, but they are constantly eating dirt. I'm getting tired of filling in the holes where they've been eating. I assume they must be lacking something, but the food they have should be enough I would think. Anyone else have a similar problem or ideas on what to do? Samantha my puppy does it to.not to worry all my herding dogs have never been sick off dirt.i would worry so much i would not even be able to enjoy them.bc are sooooooooo cute.whats a little hole.love them and injoy the great puppy hood.dana Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeri Jessee Posted September 29, 2011 Report Share Posted September 29, 2011 Dirt might be the only thing my puppy does not eat...she puts everything in her mouth...grass, leaves, flowers, mulch, bugs, and all of a sudden just recently, poop...I'm constantly after her about something...hoping that she grows out of it. Yuck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.