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Eat Dirt
Why do dogs like to eat red dirt
Found [12] Posts :: Page 1 of 1
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Posted: 11:36:45 PM 5/7/2008
I am trying to get grass to grow in my back yard because the dogs have played so much, it died last year. I pulled up a tree root and there is a pile of red dirt now. For some reason my dogs keep eating the dirt. Does anyone know why?
flipgirl24
Posted: 11:51:55 AM 5/8/2008
Sometimes dogs eat dirt because they are lacking some nutrients. Or maybe there's something in the dirt that they are attracted to.
In order to really enjoy a dog, one doesn't merely try to train him to be semi human. The point of it is to open oneself to the possibility of becoming partly a dog. ~Edward Hoagland
Posted: 12:30:09 PM 5/8/2008
Sometimes a good quality probiotic can stop dirt eating. Are you feeding a good quality food?
normap
Posted: 2:19:02 PM 5/8/2008
If you can get your problem solved, it sure would help me. No matter what we try, Rocky eats dirt. He has little holes all over the lawn, will stop when we tell him to but start if we are not there. He is about 18 mths. old, eats an organic dog food with no corn mostly vegies and either chicken or lamb, chicken more than anything else. We add canned no salt green beans a dollop to help fill him up not out. He gets fed 1/2 cup dry food 2x day with green beans added. We keep his weight at 28 - 29 lbs, because of his 1/2 pug 1/2 beagle mix. This makes the vet happy.

He also gets when I am fixing them, pieces of raw apple, tomato, carrots!, asparagus, mango, you name it. he dislikes, most berries.

Back to dirt, he will if given a chance eat the House plant dirt,I have no idea why. If there is something in that soil he needs someone clue me in. He gets the occasional raw "soup bone" outside.

Hopefully someone can help both of us
Be kinder than necessary because Everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle!
"http://www.dogster.com/dogs/506476"
Posted: 5:47:18 PM 5/8/2008
my dog eats dirt to its gross
Posted: 5:49:53 PM 5/8/2008
he eats good but sometimes ill catch him digging wholes and eating dirt.. he likes grass to/ i herd a little grass was ok but the dirt is grosss
Pen2
Posted: 10:14:39 PM 5/8/2008
[Eating dirt is known as Pica, and actually isn't just dirt eating, it can be anything that is not necessarily good for the dog.
There are a few reasons for Pica, nutrional deficiencies being one,but the rest are all behavioural.
Some dogs develop it from puppyhood, as we all know puppies mouth everything. It's a little confusing because of course we are told to redirect a puppy biting with an object.
I really believe it comes from 2 different sources, habit, and boredom.
I'll probably get yelled at for this, but a long time ago, my grandfather told me that most behavioural oddities with dogs are from pure boredom, not being able to run as far and as much as they want to, and after that they resort to weird behaviour, like eating dirt, or toilet rolls, etc. So, if anyone who has a dog doing this examines their dog's daily activity, can anyone say that the dogs movements are restricted for a good part of the day?

/b]
pitpat2az
Posted: 10:25:41 PM 5/8/2008
I haven't seen my dogs eat dirt, but they do like to have a taste now and then when there's some garden mulch spread out on the ground.
Posted: 11:57:05 PM 5/8/2008
MY NEW POMERANIAN PUPPY I GOT A COUPLE OF MONTHS AGO WAS ALSO EATING DIRT WHEN I FIRST GOT HER, HUGE AMOUNTS, SHE WAS POOPING DIRT BALLS OUT ON HER PUPPY PADS & STAYING CONSTIPATED.I WAS HAVING TO GIVE HER PUMPKIN FILLING SO SHE WOULD PASS THE DIRT ! THE VET THOUGHT SHE WAS CRAVING A NUTRIENT SHE NEEDED, I SWITCHED HER FOOD FROM NATURAL BALANCE TO SOLID GOLD DOG FOOD & PUT HER ON A MULTI VITAMIN & SHE TOTALLY STOPPED EATING DIRT, I KNOW THAT WHEN FEEDING A REALLY GOOD FOOD YOU SHOULD NOT HAVE TO USE VITAMINS BUT I DID FOR 1 MONTH WITH THE FOOD THAN I STOPPED THE VITAMINS & NOW MY POMS JUST EAT THE DRY SOLID GOLD FOOD & SHE NO LONGER EATS DIRT AT ALL ! THATS WHAT WORKED FOR ME I HOPE THIS HELPS
Posted: 11:37:26 AM 5/13/2008
I agree with Pen2. It's probably boredom. Best cure for boredom in my view is LONG WALKS. It's good for you and for the dog.
Posted: 11:56:07 AM 6/1/2008
My puppies eat sand. I put kids play sand in their outside pen because we live in the desert and their is no grass. Now I don't want to put them in the pen because they eat the sand. They don't eat a lot, but it worries me. They are 5 mo old Maltese and have sensitive stomachs. Of course they don't eat much, but they eat paper, wood, anything they can if I don't watch them close enough. No problems with the bowels so far. I feed them Eukanuba canned and dry food.
Posted: 6:42:36 PM 6/1/2008
I wish my dog just ate dirt-what about um...poop?
my dog will sniff it out on our walks and try to eat it.
sometimes he is successful-i can't see in the dark.
anyone know why or if this is normal?
thanks (i know its gross)

also he has tried to get into the kitty litter!-ugh!
I LOVE KITTY KATS!
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