Why do dogs eat dirty things? How to stop your dog from eating dirt

Dog behavior can be confusing, why do they feel the need to chew on your shoes and furniture, why do they make stockings after a bath, roll around in the dirt, steal socks from baskets, Then hide them in the house and the problems are endless.

But there's one dog behavior that's especially confusing - that's when they decide to start eating dirt.

Why do dogs eat dirty food?

Why do dogs eat dirty things? It turns out that this behavior can have multiple reasons

medical problem

One of the reasons why your dog may be eating dirty food may be related to medical problems, especially related to the gut and digestion.

This is often seen in pets with gastrointestinal problems such as irritable bowel syndrome, SIBO, parasites, and liver and gallbladder dysfunction. Animals can look to eating soil as a way to relieve intestinal disease.

A pica condition may be another cause.

undernutrition

Another reason your dog might be eating dirt could be their eating habits, or more precisely, what they are not getting from their diet.

Most dogs eat soil because they may be deficient in micronutrients. All diets are nutritious, but not every dog ​​gets all of them. They may not be able to absorb the right amount of nutrients from their diet, as the dog's gut may lack this ability.

Dirt is attractive to dogs

Dogs are carrion animals, which means they love pungent, foul-smelling things.

Essentially, what are the main reasons dogs eat dirty things? To them, it smells and tastes good.

How to tell if your dog has been eating

Apparently, why do dogs eat dirty things? There are many answers to this question.

"If they have dust on their mouth, face, head, tongue or nose, that would be a telltale sign.

Dog poop can also give you an idea of ​​what they're eating. Dog poop can tell you a lot about your dog's health.

How to stop your dog from eating dirt

If your dog is occasionally savoring backyard dirt, it's probably nothing to worry about.

If your dog is just tasting rather than consuming a lot of dirt in a row, that's not a problem.

However, if you find that your dog is consuming a lot of dirt, if the dirt they eat seems to be a compulsive bad habit - do some traction training and avoid letting them roam the yard unattended, to correct this behavior.

Keeping dogs on a leash is the easiest way to manage their dirty eating. Once your dog is on a leash, practice letting the dog look at you as he walks and distract your dog if he sags to eat.

While your dog may be eating dirt for a variety of reasons, there is hope that the problem can be diagnosed and stopped before it gets bigger.