Why does a dog eat stones? Why does a dog eat soil and what should the owner do in such a situation? What does it mean if a puppy chews a stone?

I recently met a young shepherd dog who preferred stones to sticks and other objects on walks. The owner threw a stone at her instead of a stick, she rushed after the toy, buried it and guarded it. I asked why the dog eats stones, to which the owner stated that she only supported her pet’s game.

This situation is not unique. However, playing with or eating pebbles is extremely dangerous. It is necessary for crocodiles and some species of birds to help digest the contents in the stomach. Stones grind food for crocodiles to fully digest and help them dive deeper. It has been observed that wild wolves sometimes eat these inedible items. For dogs, playing with pebbles can cause irreparable harm. And sometimes cause death.

Why are stones dangerous for dogs?

• Damage to teeth and soft tissues of the pharynx. It's not a rabbit or guinea pig whose teeth are constantly growing and need to be ground down. The dog’s teeth wear down and then there will be nothing left to chew normal food with.
• Intestinal obstruction. There are many cases in veterinary medicine deaths tailed because a swallowed stone (or many stones) clogs the intestines and only timely surgery will save the animal.
• Diarrhea, constipation, vomiting - these troubles are also caused by solid inedible objects.
• Trauma to the esophagus or other organs digestive tract. Sharp angles cause bleeding, which will be difficult to find.
• Your pet may choke and suffocate.

This information is enough to try to protect your pet from such games or food. What are the reasons for eating stones?

Why does a dog eat stones?

What to do if your dog eats stones

Visit your veterinarian, who will run a series of tests to rule out certain diseases. If necessary, he will prescribe medications or vitamins. If the veterinarian does not prescribe any treatment, then solve the behavior problem. The simplest thing is to pay attention to your pet, exercise it physically and mentally.

If there is a scavenger dog living in the house, then the distraction method will help. You can offer your pet a treat to replace the spit out pebble. Keep reinforcing correct behavior animal.

Here are tips from Sofia Baskina, an animal behaviorist.

Most often the command “Fu!” is introduced to prevent the dog from picking up food on the street. Here, too, we need to make a retreat. It is much more important that the dog is not afraid of you and comes when you call than that it does not take food on the street. Therefore, never punish a dog that has eaten some kind of rubbish and now runs up to you.

1) take 2 pieces - in your left and right hand. Show me a piece from right hand, say briefly, in a low voice: “Ugh!” and close your palm, preventing it from grabbing the piece. And immediately - “Well done, ugh!” and give a piece from the left. Repeat until the dog, after the command “fu!” will not start to turn away from the piece and you will not need to cover your palm. Now you can put the forbidden piece on the floor and continue training in the same way. Then throw a piece in front of the dog. If the dog couldn’t stand it and ate it, say: “Bad!” and take her out of the room for a minute. Then continue your training.
2) Go outside and briefly repeat step 1. After that, scatter the pieces along the road. Walk along it with your dog. If she doesn’t pay attention to them, praise them and treat them from your hands. If he tries to grab him, “Ugh!” If the dog grabs a piece and you are sure that it will not bite you, try to put your palm in its mouth and press on the root of its tongue, forcing it to burp and saying “Spit!” They almost never regurgitate pieces, but they learn to spit out. The method is quite unpleasant, but sometimes it saves the dog’s life if it grabs a poisoned piece and you manage to shout “Spit!” If you cannot do this, scold her and continue training again.
The command "fu!" – negative and you shouldn’t do it for a long time, as you can ruin the contact with the dog. 5-7 minutes a day is more than enough.
3) If a dog picks up something on the street and runs up to you, tell it ew and try to pull this “something” out of its mouth, showing your piece of treat, try to exchange what you found on the street with your piece. Many owners, having taken a bone from a dog, throw it away and the dog again flies into the bushes and picks it up again. It’s better to throw a bone at your feet and walk around it with the dog, repeating the command “Ugh!”

Some breeds are famous for their litter-giving tendencies. Most often these are dogs with a good sense of smell - Labradors, poodles, spaniels, pointers, huskies - or dogs with a homeless past. Such dogs will never walk past an abandoned chicken bone indifferent. The maximum that can be done with them is to teach them not to take a piece on the command “Ugh!” or spit out on command “Spit!” That is, you will have to carefully monitor the dog while walking and notice that it is trying to pick up something. Not a single such case should be left unattended, like today let him take it, I don’t have time, but tomorrow let him not take it, otherwise I’ll be ashamed in front of my neighbors. Always scold your dog, you can throw a leash at him while he is trying to pick up something, and always stop scolding if he comes within 1.5 m of you or spits out a bone. Praise her immediately and move on. Keep your emotions under control. It is better to insincerely praise a dog than to sincerely beat it.

Why are tennis balls dangerous for dogs?

By the way, not only boulders, large and small, are dangerous for teeth, but also ordinary tennis balls, which we often give to our pets to play with. The fiber that covers the tennis ball has an abrasive property and wears down teeth. A stubborn dog can chew it and swallow the remains of the ball, which causes intestinal obstruction.

In this article, you learned about why dogs eat rocks and what you can do about it. Do not ignore this behavior of your pet. If your tailed friend lives in the yard, then remove all the stones so as not to provoke the animal. But instead of pebbles, offer something else to play with or chew on.

It's very difficult to fight. If you simply scold the dog for this, it usually does not produce results. Dogs eat a lot of things that are questionable from our point of view, for example, excrement, their own or other animals. Although it's unpleasant to look at, it's relative normal behavior, especially for young dogs.

But sometimes dogs try to eat an inorganic substance that they know will not be digested. Rocks are one example of inedible objects that dogs eat. This behavior is sometimes called perverse appetite, a term used to describe the need for not food products.

Chewing stones can be dangerous to both a young dog's teeth and soft tissues. oral cavity. This can lead to intestinal obstruction, vomiting and diarrhea. A dog may even choke if the stone is so large that it will not fit down its throat.

What causes this strange behavior? There could be a lot of reasons for this, from health problems to behavioral problems. Perhaps, in this way, a dog with little exercise is trying to remind himself of himself.

There may also be medical reasons such behavior: disorder gastrointestinal tract, shortage of some nutrients, such as iron, as well as diabetes or other diseases. Your veterinarian can help you determine if your dog's appetite is due to any health problems in your dog.. If this is a consequence of behavioral problems, then you and your veterinarian can develop a strategy to overcome the perverted appetite.

Perverted appetite, by the way, is not limited only to stones. This includes many other inedible things, such as rubber bands, carpeting, ropes, pieces of wood, etc. It is difficult to stop such behavior; a reprimand alone is usually not enough. Your “reprimand” to the dog may even be a reward for it if it behaved in this way specifically to attract your attention. In addition, it is useless to scold a dog after it has done something. She does not see the connection between her behavior and the owner's dissatisfaction.

How to identify the cause?

A perverted appetite can be nothing more than a desire to simply chew something. Always keep a few chew toys on hand and change them every few days. For example, give three toys to the dog to chew, and hide three. After a few days, give your dog the hidden toys and put the rest away. This way she will always have something new.

If you catch your dog eating pebbles, you can scare him with a loud noise or a water gun. Just don’t show her that it is you who are making this noise or pouring water, otherwise the dog will understand that only during your presence these unpleasant things happen. Praise your dog when he stops chewing on anything.

Look at your schedule - is your dog often left alone? In this case, it will help if you pay more attention to it. Better yet, play with her more fresh air. A tired dog will have no time to eat all sorts of nasty things. Lastly, change her diet. Unlimited food for weight loss with high content fiber gives the dog a constant choice - stones or food. Many people choose food!

Before switching your dog to a different diet, you should consult your veterinarian. Your veterinarian may also prescribe medication to help curb your appetite cravings and refer you to a canine behaviorist if necessary. Always keep your dog on a leash while walking to prevent him from swallowing anything dangerous. If your dog is walking in the yard, remove all rocks and other dangerous objects or keep it out of your sight. If you and your dog want to run free in dog walking areas, then you will have to limit yourself to this until the problem with your perverted appetite is resolved.

Puppies tend to chew everything and in most cases, this is explained by childhood curiosity. Many dogs take great pleasure in chewing sticks or tearing soft toys, sometimes swallowing part of the prey... this is not very good, but it does not cause concern. If a dog eats stones, dirt or sand, any responsible owner has a number of questions: how dangerous is it, why is it happening and how to stop it.

Any cub explores the outside world by everyone accessible ways. If the family has not yet had animals, too much attention is paid to caring for the puppy. In fact, it’s normal for a puppy to play around a little, chew a slipper or tear up a newspaper... he won’t choke on thread or get poisoned by printing ink.

If you notice that your puppy is eating stones on the street, don’t panic! Perhaps the baby simply did not know that the stone was inedible and tried to purchase new experience. Perhaps he will even risk repeating his attempt, that is, swallowing a pebble on the next walk, and again and again... if this behavior is explained by exploring the world, there is no reason to worry. First, small pebbles will come out digestive system puppy naturally, secondly, you will have a reason to teach your ward the command.

The puppy may chew and even swallow stones simply because they have a subtle taste. For example, while walking near a pond, a dog may find a stone with a salty or sweetish touch - this is a new taste and a new experience. In this case you need make sure that the taster does not break his teeth, for the rest, believe me, the baby will figure it out on his own.

Note! If eating stones can be called isolated case– don’t worry, puppies, young and adult dogs are very curious and may try from time to time the world"by the tooth."

Simple reasons are not always safe! Statistically, most incidents related to eating inedible things are related to one degree or another. When a dog’s body lacks vitamins or microelements, it deliberately chews the ground, licks whitewash, chews cement, etc.

In this case, there are reasons for concern, since constantly eating hard objects (stones) can lead to vitamin deficiency, and vitamin deficiency itself is scary not because of its presence, but because of its consequences. A puppy eating whitewash and cement seeks to replenish the resources of its growing body, but if these signals are ignored, the dog’s teeth change, ears fall off, paws open and this is just the beginning. Without receiving an enhanced and balanced diet, a young dog cannot fully grow and develop, neither physically nor mentally.

Read also: Where are a dog's lymph nodes located?

Absolutely all animals (like people) are prone to defeat worms and the point is not in the poor health of the former, but in the versatility of the latter. Regardless of age, the dog should be treated for worms strictly on schedule or more often (if we are talking about gentle medications), but at least once every 4 months. Those helminths that are the easiest to become infected with cause the most serious damage to the metabolic processes and health of the animal as a whole.

The smaller and more harmless the worms, the faster they multiply and literally clog the animal's intestines. The food that a dog eats is not digested, which means the body does not receive the intended benefits. On the background helminthic infestation Severe vitamin deficiency may develop. Puppies experience severe growth retardation, problems gaining weight, and reduced activity. Against the background of apathy, the dog socializes worse, which leads to subsequent psychological problems.

You should be wary if your pet declared war on flower pots. Eating the plants themselves can also be dangerous, but this behavior is more obvious. An overturned pot and soil scattered everywhere may indicate that the dog reached the drainage (small pebbles), which partially relieve the discomfort of severe helminthic infestation.

Important! Almost all plant soils sold in stores are already fertilized (fed). The bacteria that help flowers grow give the soil a slightly sweet smell and taste. Sweet smell may attract a dog that does not suffer from vitamin deficiency and does not have other health problems.

Puppy and adult dog may swallow small stones accidentally, for example, while outdoors. In the spring, when young vegetation is just emerging from the ground, you can observe how greedily dogs eat grass. During a meal, the four-legged animal can tear out tufts of grass and swallow them whole, along with earth and pebbles. There is nothing good about this, but there is no need to panic. To prevent your ward from acting like a barbarian and plucking out the barely sprouted lawn, his food should contain vegetables and herbs. For young dogs and puppies, it is recommended to plant lawn grass (in winter).

Important! Dogs eat grass not for vitamins, as is commonly believed, but to cleanse the digestive system. A healthy four-legged animal eats a large number of grass and then tears it up so that the bunch of vegetation acts like a brush.

A similar situation, when a dog swallows stones not on purpose, concerns chewing sticks. The fact is that a stick is both a toy and a hygiene item. Usually, the dog carries the toy with him for some time, drops it on the ground, and then lays down and begins to destroy his find. At the moment of gnawing, the stick is completely covered with saliva, dust, earth and small pebbles (on the coast, sand). However, the “seasonings” do not bother the four-legged dog; he disintegrates his toy into splinters. Typically, a dog has two goals: scratch your gums and remove fresh plaque from your teeth. Will preventative teeth cleaning help? It's unlikely that chewing sticks is an instinct, so make sure that your pet doesn't injure his gums, but you should put up with the rest.

Advice: If your older dog grabs a dirty stick, immediately throws it and coughs, don’t intervene; most likely, the pet is simply cleaning his mouth from sand or small stones.

Read also: How to measure a dog's height at the withers - a skill that every owner needs

Mental disorders

A few decades ago, veterinary medicine didn’t even consider mental illness animals. Four-legged animals cannot complain, which means there is no reason for statistics. However, the experience of thousands of owners suggests the opposite; dogs, like people, suffer from emotional distress and mental disorders. Recent studies conducted on small control groups of animals have shown that four-legged animals are more sensitive to emotional pain, although this may not be obvious from the outside.

The desire to eat inedible things is real mental illness, no less severe than bulimia nervosa in humans. This kind of disorder is divided into two types:

• pica– the animal is almost always hungry and is ready to eat absolutely everything, including inedible things. It is believed that pica can manifest itself in different degrees, that is, some of the “patients” still have certain boundaries. It is worth understanding that when mental disorder, even in the background increased appetite, the dog hardly gains weight, but gets sick more often.

• Coprophagia– the dog eats its own or other people’s feces; it can manifest itself as an independent disease or in combination with pica. If coprophagia is suspected, you should consult a doctor to rule out vitamin deficiency and, of which it is a symptom.

A dog with an unhealthy psyche- This is not uncommon, especially in Lately. Heredity plays an important role, that is, when buying a puppy from an elite nursery, you do not have any guarantees. However, all records are broken by dogs rescued from the streets, shelters and from careless owners. Psyche, this separate system organism, which has its own strength limit. When a dog periodically experiences and has the opportunity to catch his breath, he has a much better chance of remaining healthy. Four-legged animals that end up in shelters, traps, or the hands of cruel owners are constantly under stress and their psyche is forced to adjust... and each time this happens differently.

The dog is a two-month-old shepherd. Constantly chews on concrete, crushed stone, and dry grass. Help me please.

Answer

More often, owners of dogs with extremely sharp teeth. In search of an object to sharpen, a dog (puppies often do this) attacks:

• Crushed stone;
• Cement;
• Coal;
• Ash;
• Concrete;
• Sand.

Home furniture is included in the list of damaged items. However, sand, stones and concrete will certainly harm a dog’s stomach, injuring the walls of its organs. Pebbles help birds grind solid food in the stomach; stones are contraindicated for dogs.

Often the dog not only sharpens his teeth, but takes stones into his mouth, sometimes swallowing. For the owner, the phenomenon becomes an alarm bell; from swallowing such things, the dog’s stomach is not in better condition. If the puppy doesn't have enough mineral elements, the dog begins to chew on solids.

If you do not notice the situation in time, the dog’s development will move in the wrong direction.

Why does a dog chew crushed stone, grass and concrete?

Cats sharpen their claws, dogs chew everything - this is normal. If the puppy is just teething, you should buy the dog a toy (or give him an old one).

The phenomenon is associated with a lack of vitamins and natural minerals. Then the situation requires a review of nutrition. If the owner tries to feed the animal correctly by applying wet food, cooked foods, keep balance minerals the method does not allow. If the problem really is a deficiency of selected substances, you will need to go to the clinic. At the hospital, they will take blood for a calcium and phosphorus test and prescribe proper nutrition.

Frequent appointment - vitamin complexes, with an essential content of calcium or metal glycerophosphate. You cannot decide on your own how many vitamins to give your puppy for fear of having a negative impact on the puppy’s development. For example, with excess calcium, joint disorders begin.

There is nothing wrong with a puppy eating grass. As a result of licking, fur gets into the puppy's mouth. Good grass serves as a kind of toothpaste for the puppy.

Who is susceptible to pathology

This happens more often with puppies, not only German Shepherd, aged 2 to 3 months. Males and females are susceptible. Raising a puppy - difficult process. Whims and illnesses are quite normal, the main thing is to pay attention to the violations in time.

By the way, if the dog is no longer a puppy, a perverted appetite can be a symptom of rabies.

The described violation is less relevant to people who regularly feed their dogs animal food. Eg, minced meat, bought at the farm. In this case, the meat is ground directly with the bones of the killed animal, and the dog receives double benefit.

Try to feed your animal food designed to improve bone structure, and provide the diet with vitamins.

What to do to prevent the situation

It’s difficult to keep track of a dog like the most playful child, and you’re always shouting “Ugh, stop it!” impossible. IN in some cases shouting will help, but the reason is not the dog’s stupidity, but instincts.

Dog handlers offer options for dealing with the scourge:

• Feed the dog vitamins Canina, Canvit, Helavit, Pappy 8 in 1, liquid vitamins Trivit, Gelakan Baby;
• Add tripe to your regular diet;
• Giving small piece chalk if there is not enough calcium. Buy natural chalk – from chemical benefits will not be. Requires chalk white, colored ones contain additives. Chalk does not so much help restore calcium balance as wean one from strange taste preferences;
• If measures do not help, it is recommended to undergo a vitamin test - try different vitamins until the dog stops eating stones.

You should not tolerate such behavior from a dog for fear of developing a situation with damage to the animal’s gastrointestinal tract.

While walking with your pet (more about), you discovered that he happily eats... stones and dirt? And, despite all your prohibitions and even punishment, your dog does it with great pleasure? Before we develop a strategy and tactics for dealing with this situation, let’s find out why this happens. What motivates dogs to eat completely inedible objects?

Perverted appetite of dogs

Do you buy the most expensive food for your pet (find out), try to pamper him with dog treats, but he still eats stones, soil and even the excrement of other animals while walking? Experts call this phenomenon perverted appetite. And such behavior, when a dog eats completely inedible things and objects, is not normal. And, although there are experts who say that since a dog eats it, it means it needs it, we would not recommend that you indulge such unnatural desires. All these items that are not intended for consumption - stones, earth, excrement, ropes, pieces of wood, pieces of carpet - all this is not able to be digested by the animal’s body, accordingly, such a “menu” can cause serious illnesses, disturbances in the digestive processes and even lead to the death of the animal.

The danger of perverted appetite in dogs

So, the next time your dog is about to “have breakfast” with stones or sand, try to prevent him. The fact is that firstly, chewing such objects, in particular inorganic substances, can damage its teeth and oral tissues, cause vomiting and diarrhea, lead to intestinal obstruction (all these stones are not digested in the dog’s stomach) and lead to to the break internal organs. As you can see, the consequences of such a perverted appetite in dogs are quite sad...

Causes of perverted appetite in dogs

In fact, there are a lot of reasons that could explain such perverted tastes of your pet. These could be health problems - your dog really lacks some vitamins, but this does not mean that he can find them in the yard cobblestones (read about), this may be due to age-related changes in the behavior of an animal and its old age - dogs, like people, age and lose clarity of mind (o), and perhaps this behavior of a pet is connected with its desire to attract your attention to itself, albeit in such a sophisticated way, to the detriment of its health.

How to stop a dog from eating inedible objects

In turn, on your part, you can also take the initiative and, following our tips and recommendations, try to wean your pet from eating inedible items.

Your behavior in this situation

So, in particular, you should understand that Shouting and punishment in such a situation are useless. If your dog is unfamiliar with commands, and you shout “fu” or “no” to him, he does not understand what you require from him (find out how to teach your dog these commands). Moreover, if the purpose of such behavior was to attract your attention, then now the dog is rejoicing and thinking about what it should eat that is so inedible next time so that you will pay attention to it. So, pretend you're ignoring the problem, but instead... offer your dog something else to chew on, like a harmless dog chew toy. Get yourself a couple of these and alternate them, periodically offering your pet something new. Perhaps in this way you will be able to control his desire to simply chew something, and if such a need arises, he will run to you rather than eat stones.