he as a very bad habit of eating dirt just wondering if anyone else as this problem he is 6 months old will he grew out of this would apprecieate some advice on this thanks

                                             dave

Pups love to dig an probably eat a fair bit of it, probably boredom, but I would look at what your feeding him in case there are trace minerals he is low on.

From what I have heard Arctic breeds have a higher requirement for Zinc, and some breeds absorb it badly in the form found in some complete foods.

both of mine are loving eating dirt at the moment and have a special bit in the garden they dig up and eat the freshly turned dirt.  They do it in one of the parks we go to but none of the other places.  I thought it may be to get at the roots of the new grass coming up or if a fertiliser (bone meal) has been used they would want to eat that.  It has only been recently they have started to do this and I am fairly sure it will wear off in the next few weeks.  TBH I am not concerned about it but if I was I would correct them every time I saw them doing it to try to break the habit.

Has your dog always done it or is it just a spring thing?

Has your dog always done it or is it just a spring thing?

As the pup is only 6 months old I'd guess this is its first Spring?  lol

>As the pup is only 6 months old I'd guess this is its first Spring?  lol

hmmm, fair point and as the country has been under snow since November the pup probably didn't even see dirt that wasn't solid until a few weeks ago lol

My six month old pup was happily eating the soil and compost today as I was tidying up the devastation after the strong winds she was having great fun helping :)

hi thanks for your message yes he as always done it hope he grews out of it

Hi Dave, just would like to add that you need to also make sure that it is not due to a medical cause, such a lack of minerals, or worms both of which can cause a dog/pup to chew dirt.  A vet check up will rule this out.

Most likely boredom - so provide him with tons of natural (non-synthetic) stuff to chew and of course he will be teething as well so can provide a duel edged sword - chew to keep busy and chew to help prevent chewing the furniture etc.

Good luck

hi lou thaks for the message much apreciated

                                                                 dave

Thanks Dave,
In many cases health can have a huge impact on behaviour. A fact that sadly many people dont consider. It is always wise to rule out this first before attributing the cause to simply behaviour. 

Hope you come right.

Cheers for now
Lou

Also be very careful he is not digesting stones as well as this could cause serious problems with blockages.