How to Get a Dog to Stop Eating Dirt

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If your dog is eating dirt, there might be a nutritional deficiency, a poor diet, a behavioral issue, or even parasites. You will need to talk to your vet and do some home detective work to try and work out the cause. This article sets out some suggested avenues to pursue.

Steps

Target the problem. Eating inappropriate substances is called pica. A dog may eat dirt because his/her diet is poor so they eat dirt to get the nutrients they need. Most chain grocery and department stores, where many people purchase pet food, often stock low-quality products. Try a specialty pet store, your vet, or a local co-op when shopping for your dog's food. Read labels, look for natural ingredients with minimal additives, and talk to your vet about your pet's dietary needs.
Visit your vet. Pica can sometimes be caused by diseases of the nervous system such as rabies or neurotoxin exposure. Anemia, hypothyroidism, certain diseases of the liver, pancreas and gastrointestinal systems, nutritional problems, and foreign bodies may cause it as well.
Treat the parasites. Pica can create a vicious cycle of infecting your dog with intestinal parasites or worms such as hookworms, roundworms, and whipworms found in contaminated soil. Soil is contaminated by the urine or feces of another animal with parasites. The parasites consume nutrients causing the dog to seek more sources of food, including inappropriate items such as soil that introduces additional parasites. If your dog has lost weight, coat sheen , is shedding out of season, constantly hungry - these can be signs of parasite infestation.
Treat the behavior. If no disease is found, pica is considered a behavioral problem. It may be associated with obsessive-compulsive disorder. Pica may also be caused by boredom. The veterinarian may prescribe anti-depressive drugs. The veterinarian may refer some affected dogs to a veterinary behaviorist for consultation.
Supervise at all times. Walk your dog on a leash. Move house plants out of access. Cover the exposed soil of outdoor potted plants or use a commercial "dog away" substance. If you can't supervise your dog, crate train it and keep it indoors. It's a lot safer than being outdoors anyway. Changing the taste of the soil by spraying with a compound such as red pepper sauce or bitter-tasting substances, which are available in pet stores, may discourage dogs from eating inappropriate things.
Put behavioral change actions in place. Use a spray bottle (filled with water) and squirt your dog every time it eats dirt, if the dog is unaffected, use super cold water. Never use scalding hot water as this may not only melt the bottle, but will hurt the dog. Cold water is annoying, scalding water is cruel. Clickers and mild shock collars may also work. Don't reward the dog for not eating dirt - they don't understand.
Seek expert help. Go to your local vet or dog trainer and make an appointment. I suggest going to a vet first because if it is in fact a nutrition problem, parasites, or disease, they'll be more sure of it. Take a fresh fecal sample with you for parasite testing.

Video

Shows how a dog eats dirt; it isn't a really overt action and you might mistake it for just playing around in the dirt, or eating something atop the dirt; be alert when watching for the habit.

Tips

Don't reward your dog for not eating dirt. It won't relate the treat to something it didn't do.
Try feeding it more.
Worm your dog. http://www.drsfostersmith.com/pic/article.cfm?aid=1086 Note: Fenbendazole found in Safe Guard granules is a non RX medication that treats all common parasites. Most over the counter wormers don't treat whip worm.
Get it a vitamin supplement.
Talk to your vet. Even if you aren't scheduled for an appointment, or can't afford one at the moment, most good vets are willing to give advice over the phone.

Warnings

Scolding your dog will not work. They are not doing this to annoy you, but due to an underlying cause.
Eating dirt is a symptom. You need to find out the reason and treat it.
Eating dirt may make your dog sick, as soil may contain parasites, high levels of pesticides or herbicides, or rocks that can become lodged in their intestines. It's best to get this problem taken care of as soon as possible.

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