My puppy keeps eating dirt. Is this normal, and how can I stop it?

This is not normal for a puppy. He may be doing it out of boredom, curiosity or in an attempt to correct a nutritional imbalance. Restrict access to areas where there is dirt if possible. Monitor him for inappropriate licking and correct the behavior immediately. Provide a toy or task as a distraction. If he complies, praise and reward him. If possible, transition him slowly to a better quality puppy food. If the behavior persists, he will need to be examined by your veterinarian.

It sounds like this may be a learned behavior for him since he is on a good quality diet and nutritional deficiencies are unlikely. I would recommend distracting him with some play time with his favorite toy in the morning when he tends to do this so you are not giving him attention (even though it is negative attention) for eating the dirt. In order to completely stop this behavior you may need to prevent his access to the dirt by putting something like a basket muzzle on him.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This can sometimes point out the possibility of a gastrointestinal condition and just like you pointed out it can be some lack of a nutrient or something in the diet. I think a good place to start would be changing his diet to something else to see if that makes a difference. If no difference is noted, I recommend that you have him evaluated by a veterinarian for further assessment and treatment. Otherwise, start by changing his diet to something like a Purina Pro Plan or Hill's Science Diet product that tend to be very complete diets. Also, try to avoid him eating the sand as that could result in gastrointestinal upset or obstruction. Good luck!

I would recommend taking Zeus to the veterinarian to make sure he is not obstructed from eating all the rocks. I then would put him on a leash when outside so he cannot access the rocks, wherever they are in the yard. Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Puppies absolutely do like to get into things they shouldn't, as frustrating as this can be. Exploring their environment, including rocks, is in most cases a normal developmental stage. To keep Atlas safe from the possible harmful effects of eating or chewing on rocks, such as broken teeth or intestinal concerns after ingestion, such as blockage, try to remove rocks from her environment as much as possible. One reason why puppies are known for their destructive or explorative tendencies is they are in need of more stimulation, or experience anxiety when separated from you. There currently are several toys on the market which will interact with Atlas and release treats, that can be used while you are out. Atlas also possibly benefit from plenty of exercise, as well as puppy socialisation classes. Though less likely, there is also a possibility that Atlas could have something else wrong that causes him to seek out strange foods. For instance, metabolic disorders, parasites, and vitamin deficiencies can all be underlying causes. In order to rule out these causes a trip to the veterinarian would be needed. The vet would check on the parameters of Atlas's blood, and check a fecal sample for parasites. Hope that was a helpful answer! Warmest regards and best of luck to you both

A small amount of dirt and leaves probably won't hurt him much although he can pick up parasites, so I would recommend deworming him on a regular basis. It may also cause him to vomit or have diarrhea. I would worry if he eats rocks or sticks as these can cause a blockage in his stomach or intestines that will require surgery. You can monitor him closely when outside and try to deter him from eating these things by giving him an appropriate chew toy.

Hello. Eating strange & unusual items is called pica. This might be an attempt for your puppy to address a nutritional problem, deal with parasites or might even be a psychological problem. It might be a good idea to have Tuffy examined & a fecal analysis done to see if you are missing something in his diet, or if your wormer was effective & he is eating odd things for another reason. A fecal analysis would also show if you need to use a different wormer altogether. But I would recommend having Tuffy looked at before he potentially eats the wrong thing & causes an intestinal blockage. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.