Why Dog Eat Dirt

Improved Essays
First and foremost, this unusual thing is referred to as pica. Pica means eating things that are considered as non-food items such as poop, pee, and in this case, dirt. Our dogs have always been weird when it comes to their personal choices of food since they take pleasure in eating feces, dirt, and a lot more things that are not edible for us.
Why does my dog eat dirt?
As I understand it, there are many reasons why do dogs eat dirt. It is important for us, dog owners, to know which among these reasons affect our dogs so that we may be ale to respond to it properly and if we are lucky enough, we can put an end to this bad habit of theirs.
1. Stage of exploration. Each one of our dogs go through a stage of exploration. Just like human babies,
…show more content…
Also, you need to reinforce your dog’s behavior in a positive way because studies has it that positive reinforcements stick better to your puppies rather than punishments.
2. Cure of an upset stomach. Eating dirt may be a sign that your dog is experiencing an upset stomach. It was found out that clay can help with parasite problems as well as detoxification processes. It can also soothe your dog’s digestive problems too. If this is the case as to why your dog is eating dirt, will you still stop it?
3. Dirt are delicious. Okay, this reason may rather be absurd for humans, but dogs may really find eating dirt tasty. If you think that eating a hamburger clad with greasy meat and cheese is heaven, your dog’s definition of heaven can simply mean eating dirt wherever they can find it.
If you notice that your dog keeps on coming back at one particular area to eat dirt, their might be something in there that makes them go back to it more often than on other parts. If this is the case, you can check the area and see what’s in
…show more content…
Behavioral problem. Behavioral problems occur on dogs too. Humans exhibit awkward mechanisms when coping up with stress and anxiety such as hair twirling or nail biting. Dogs also have their own ways to cope up with such conditions, and one of these is eating dirt. If your dog is experiencing stress or anxiety over some issues, it is important to know what these issues are. Solving the underlying problem will also solve your dog’s dirt-eating behavior.
One culprit is also obsessive-compulsive disorder. Just like humans, dogs can also suffer from OCD. A dog suffering from OCD may start eating dirt compulsively. In suspected OCD cases, it is best if you consult your veterinarian for this and ask help for the different treatments that you can do to correct the disorder.
6. Chronic health problems. As we said earlier, there are minerals and vitamins found on dirt that your dog needs. If you are feeding the right amount of food to your dog with its perfect nutrition, dirt-eating may be a result of a chronic health problem that makes your dog search for more vitamins and minerals. Any deficiency like hypothyroidism or inflammatory bowel disease will make your dog look for cure

Related Documents

  • Improved Essays

    Large decreases in the algae population will most likely impact the bay ecosystem by killing off organisms and plants. Algae is a crucial plant in the Chesapeake Bay that needs to steadily grow to keep the animal population consistent. Bay grass, also known as underwater grass, grows in the superficial areas of the Chesapeake Bay. It is crucial to the environment because it absorbs extra nutrients, shelters small fish, and keeps the water looking less murky. Like Algae, Bay grass provides oxygen, food, and nutrients and is an important plant in this ecosystem.…

    • 767 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Food Kills Case Studies

    • 616 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Though food allergies are rare, they still happen. Once this happens, varied symptoms ranging from gastrointestinal issues to skin problems can occur to your canine. Another dog that recovered from its symptoms once his allergies were pin-pointed was Socrates, a 2-year old Australian shepherd. Socrates had to suffer engorged, pink skin when he was just a mere puppy. He was soon found out to react to chicken, beef, corn, milk, and wheat.…

    • 616 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Dog Waste Research Paper

    • 305 Words
    • 2 Pages

    A resident pet using the same area on a daily basis, however, is another story. Dog waste contains nitrogen. Urine has a higher percentage of nitrogen than feces. Feces sitting around will block the sunlight that would otherwise feed the grass. Consider the fertilizer people add to their yards to ‘feed’ the lawn.…

    • 305 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Decent Essays

    Switching to another brand or feeding the dog softer food may solve this problem. You should take the dog to the vet anyway so that they can make sure the dog is healthy. Extreme diarrhea will lead to dehydration, so make sure you have plenty of water for your dog to drink. If your dogs mood changes suddenly or you notice that they are not as playful as they once were, then you should take the dog to the vet.…

    • 495 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Canines Research Paper

    • 929 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Most of our animal friends including dogs originally were all wild animals which over the years have been domesticated to suit a behaviour that in the past aided their carer undertaking a particular responsibility or task. A number of types of canines have been purposely bred with specific skills and disciplines in mind, and their temperament is a unmistakeable reflection of the countless years of shaping the type of dog for it's intended function. However, over the years as we have moved on through the times, most dogs are have moved on from what they were bred for and are living a life far from their intended purpose. When an animal is denied doing what comes naturally to it without adequate stimulation to replace what it would be normally…

    • 929 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Decent Essays

    Dog Waste Research Paper

    • 314 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Professional dog waste removal is a dirty but growing industry in many communities. There is enormous potential for a successful business, particularly in areas with a lot of dogs. The problems associated with dog waste can pile up quickly, and many pet parents are ready to pay a professional to clean their dog's waste. Dog waste produces a strong odor, breeds flies, is easily tracked inside the house, and is an annoyance to neighbors. Moreover, many city trash removal companies discourage mixing household trash with dog waste and require bagged and separated material and containers.…

    • 314 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Keep trash covered or out of reach. Kennels are a good choice for puppies and chewers when you are not at home and can't watch them. Vomiting can also be a symptom of many of disease. If there is blood in the vomit, or looks like partially digested coffee grounds, it could be an ulcer. Certain infections and parasites can make a dog vomit.…

    • 2200 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Can You Explain Low Residue Dog Food? Sometimes dogs have trouble digesting their food and even have the occasional bout of diarrhea or vomiting. Low residue dog food is intended for these times. The term low residue simply means that the dog’s system can digest all of the food.…

    • 491 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Dog Mouth Disease

    • 464 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Whenever people think about dog mouth disorders, they most likely think of gingivitis or just a bad case of doggy breath. However, there are several problems that can occur in your dog's mouth that you should be aware of. 1) Periodontal disease. This is a painful infection that occurs between the tooth and the gum.…

    • 464 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Decent Essays

    A training collar for your dog? The training collar for dogs is a very useful tool to control our pet and get your behavior is the right tool. With a principle based on the concept of punishment-reward , these collars allow through sounds , vibrations and in cases where necessary, electric shock make the animal understand that what you are doing is not right. Training collars, also called educational, serve to modify the behavior of animals .…

    • 161 Words
    • 1 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Decent Essays

    Dog Park Essay

    • 328 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Dog's could suffer from stress, anxiety, as well as depression. Owner's could even become intollerable, stressed and anxious if they tend to keep their dog's indoor's. Dog's do tend to get restless and with these other accurance's that can come about with the anxiety,stress, ect..., their behavior would not be a tollarable one,with the owner's liking.…

    • 328 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Essay On Dog Urinating

    • 1140 Words
    • 5 Pages

    To initiate the topic that will be discussed in this experiment, I would like to let the reader know that this research was for a scientific purpose, and all altered behaviors did not impose any harm or risk to the dog’s life. This experiment will give a broad overview of the problems with dog’s urinating on the carpet. Recently, I came home from an outing, and found a nasty yellow stain on the carpet by the window in the living room. Needless to say on this specific day, the dog was outside at the time playing with his tennis ball in the dog run. After observing the stain on the carpet, I called the dog inside to greet me.…

    • 1140 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Decent Essays

    Luckily, Amazon has the solution, a dog placemat. These inexpensive items can help keep your floors clean. A dog food mat is put down on the floor, a dog's food and water dish is placed on top of them. If a dog spills food or water, it lands on the mat instead of on your floor.…

    • 305 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Sythetic Fragrances

    • 426 Words
    • 2 Pages

    There are a number of behaviors that our pets do that embarrass us such as drinking out of the toilet bowl, squirming to get to a hard to reach itch, sniffing or worse eating poop and the list goes on and on. But for most pet owners this is just a part of being a pet owner and makes great storytelling. After all pets are our children too! Did you know that some chemical cleaners that are toxic or products with sythetic fragrances can be a major health issue to your pets?…

    • 426 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    A dog to dog relationship will usually revolve around possessions (“valuables”) and resources. For example, attention, territory, sleeping arrangements, toilet areas, feeding and toys. They all react in their own way when something interferes, interrupts, or takes any of these resources or valuables,dependent on who it is, how they’ve been trained and how desperate they are for what ever it is. These reactions will usually either be “submissive” or…

    • 1742 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Improved Essays