eatiing dirt

[kschmi1721]

My 4.5 month rott is eating dirt and mud. Is this a common trait in rotts or could he be lacking something in his diet?

If any one could help me with this problem it would be greatly appreciated.

Pantera's mom

[mishmash]

my pup willow also ate dirt and liked to lick pebbles,pavements etc, he is now 7.5 months and still occasionally does it. i also put on a similar post to yours when he first started doing it as i was worried something was missing in his diet but i was told its just something pups do and not to worry about it. what are you feeding your pup??

mine gets :- mince,steak,liver,kidneys,chicken,tuna,salmon,mack eral,sardines,fruit,vegetables, rice, pasta and occasionally dry food.

[bliss7373]

This sounds like a bored puppy! It is not uncommon of puppies of any breed to do things like dig, chew, etc. when left outside to their own devices.

While it's probably unrelated to his diet- what are you feeding Pantera? It is very important to feed a premium-quality food. Go to the Nutrition and Grooming Forum for lots of information on that. I feed my dogs Innova Evo. Others on the forum often recommend Canidae, California Natural, and Wellness to name a few premium kibble brands.

As for how to stop this behavior - where is it occuring? I'm assuming that it happens in your yard? If that's the case, I would try the following:

- Make sure Panzera is never outside alone. You can't stop the behavior if you aren't there.
- Make sure Panzera understands the alternative behaviors you prefer and has alternative entertainment. When Panzera starts to munch on dirt, say "Ah-ah!" or "Ack!" and redirect him to something appropriate to chew on, like an outdoor toy. When he does chew on the toy, praise him. When he voluntarily seeks toys out, praise him!
- Above all, make sure Panzera is getting appropriate mental and physical exercise. This means lots of interactions with you- puppy-appropriate exercise, playing ball, socialization, and several small bouts of training per day. With all this, he should not need to seek out trouble! A busy puppy is a good puppy.

Good luck

[mellie13]

i have never had this problem with Jiezel (13 months) but i have already heard about this...

I think that your dog is bored... does he have toys to play with.
you can also probably have him another food, more rich in all what a dog needs... i dont think increasing his food supply will be good ( u have anyway to respect his weight depending his age)

But i think that the more intelligent thing to do right now is to clean immediately, avoid dirt where he is!!!!

[Nishasmom]

My dog used to do this, and she WAS NOT bored. We would be in the middle of play or a walk and she would just try to gobble up dirt and pebbles. Sometimes on our "potty" break she would suck up pebbles on her way inside. I was so paranoid about her eating the pebbles I made my bf sweep the ENTIRE driveway to remove all loose "rocks". It took him like 4 hrs!!

I think Nisha just like the texture; she grew out of it .

[FilosFolks]

I had a puppy that did this and it was NOT boredom.

What ARE you currently feeding?

Does it happen as Nishasmom described? When walking or playing?

Ailee

[TrinaJ]

Jett also does this and she doesn't have time to be bored. She will pull out chunks of grass and dirt and toss them into the air, roots and all. I sometimes think that perhaps she is copying the horses, only she doesn't eat the dirt or grass, she just pulls it out. She will however eat horse poop if I am no quick enough at picking it up. I'd prefer she ate the dirt!! She also likes pinecones, she LOVES to chew on them when they fall from the trees. She also rolls her bones in dirt PROIR to eating them....

[bliss7373]

Lots of dogs eat grass occasionally and I have yet to meet the dog who can resist a pile of horse poop! I took a class in a horse arena once - talk about heeling under distraction!

To the OP: It is absolutely true that many puppies try to eat dirt or other stuff as they grow. Puppies explore their worlds with their mouths- that can mean picking up nasty stuff on walks, eating dirt, chewing on everything in sight, etc. Just because it's normal does not mean that all of these behaviors are a good thing. Dogs like to do all sorts of things that aren't necessarily a great idea.

The occasional overdose of horse poop is gross but unlikely to do serious harm. Likewise with the mouthful or two of grass (now, if your dog is frantically eating grass or eating grass that has been sprayed with chemicals, that is different altogether). In your case, you describe Pantera as actually eating dirt and mud. This is one behavior I would try hard to stop, because rocks, dirt and mud could form an obstruction in your pup's digestive tract if Pantera is gobbling enough of it.

I do believe it's likely that Pantera is eating dirt because there is nothing else more interesting to explore/play with at the moment and because he does not understand that this behavior is not allowed. I don't think it really matters where the behavior is occuring, I would try to stop it. I would work on redirecting him to an activity that is acceptable to you and is just as entertaining as eating dirt seems to be!

[luyC]

our pup is now 8mths and when we went for walks he picked up everything...i bought a sqeaky (sp?) toy football and he liked it alot and so i thought to save it for walks ONLY...when we went on our walks i would use that to distract him by squeezing it and simply putting it in his mouth and he would carry it. THAT STOPPED HIM from eating things cause he would never leave the football behind and also walks were much easier; less stops to smell every tree! lols hope this helps