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This is a bit long. My young sheltie puppy who is on Taste of the Wild as recommended by the breeder (a 6 star kibble) eats dirt, I passed it off to just being a puppy.
But then my elder JRT (16ish years) who had been on Natural Balance and who I converted over to TOW so I wouldn't have to get two dog foods is now also eating dirt.
Has anyone else had this problem with TOW? I know it's a high quality dog kibble but it seems that something is missing from their diet. I do add in green beans or peas as a treat.
It's called Pica. Even humans get the disorder. Take your dog to a vetrenarian to rule out/treat iron deficiency or identify the underlying illness causing Pica.
Location: Montreal -> CT -> MA -> Montreal -> Ottawa
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Artie is on TOTW and even though his two Lab puppy friends eat dirt ALL THE TIME, Artie doesn't.
I don't have an answer to why yours are eating dirt; I just wanted to tell you that my dog eats TOTW and doesn't partake in dirt desserts.
I wonder if it's puppy behavior (like the Labs) for your Sheltie, and maybe your JRT is just getting into the fun along with the pup? Just a thought... But your vet would be the best resource.
Dogs will learn from each other! I had a dog who loved "kitty crunchies" from the litter box and one who ignored it. After a while, both loved kitty crunchies. One who ate the other's poop and one who didn't. Then both did it. You can't stop them from learning new things.
Poop, grass, dirt, dead things and semi-dead things - they eat it, they roll in it and bring us "gifts". Per the Vet, they have been doing this for hundreds of years (yeah, I think the Vet is about that old), and there isn't much you can do. Dog vitamins helped but never eliminated their natural instincts and curiosity. The vitamins are expensive so we started them on frozen veggies as a treat and their new chew toy - thanks to this forum I found that giving them ice cubes was a no-no, so frozen veggies it is and they love it! Still, I think they'd rather have frozen poop-sicles... they're dogs.
One of mine was eating m,y hardwood floor and the wood mulch outside. My trainer suggested I give him one raw carrot/.day. I did and he stopped. Raw carrots can't hurt (unless you're a raw diet believer) and all 3 of mine looove their carrots.
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Will get a whole mouth full too! Is your dog digging this could be it maybe.
