Any Products to Stop Sod/Grass/Dirt Eating? - Page 1

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by Dexter55 on 29 March 2021 - 16:03


Anybody aware of a product I can spray or sprinkle on grass to dissuade dogs from grazing?

I've had GSD's for over 25 years and never expect to have a perfect lawn but my dogs will "graze" all the way down to the dirt...especially if the grass is wet.

They get plenty of exercise/stimulation/have toys and do not appear to have any stomach issues...they just seem to have developed a taste for dirt/grass/sod. Any suggestions much appreciated! Thx

by ValK on 29 March 2021 - 21:03

if your dogs do not show any signs of illness but grass consuming become extensive then take a look at their diet.
most likely they have issue to digest provided to them food.
in wilderness carnivores do compensating lack of necessary for digesting vegetable based ingredients by consuming stomach and its already digested contents of their prey. domesticated carnivores for most part don't have such option and instinctively try to compensate this by grass.

by Klossbruhe on 30 March 2021 - 11:03

You do not want to sprinkle anything on your grass. Dogs usually eat grass when they have a stomach problem. If this is not the case, then it is most likely behavioral. Possibly boredom. Some owners think if you put toys out in a kennel or the lawn, the dog will automatically play with it. Some might for a few minutes, but usually, they want you to play with them.

Like poop eating, while there may be products out there claiming to remedy the problem, few work and some have side effects.

In my opinion, dogs should not be left out alone in a yard for any length of time unattended for many reasons. I have found that running over to my dog when it is about to eat poop and shouting no and forcing it to move away and then immediately picking up the poop has been the best solution.

My guess, as to your sod eating problem, is that if you watch your dogs and shout no that after a while the behavior will stop, especially if you distract them by throwning a ball or otherwise engaging them in play.


Rik

by Rik on 30 March 2021 - 13:03

Don't know any solutions to grass eating other than maybe changing diet or Vet blood analysis exam. Something is not right with the dog's system.

I did have a couple of poop eaters over the years and I did use the sprinkle on products that supposed to make it distasteful to dogs. (although I couldn't imagine anything that should be more distasteful). Worked for me, but a pain in the azz.

Rik

Q Man

by Q Man on 30 March 2021 - 17:03

From what has been said...I would start by re-evaluating the food you give your dogs...
Are they getting Kibble or RAW or what?
But it does seem all of your dogs are dealing with the same thing...
If you want help in what to feed them let us know how many dogs you have and what you're feeding...There are many suggestions to a good diet...

~Bob~

by Auslese on 31 March 2021 - 01:03

Much as I respect the previous posters, in my opinion it is highly unlikely, although not impossible that a poor diet is the cause. I say this even without knowing what your dog is being fed. Again, poor diet could be a possible cause but not a likely one.

What little research that has been done on the subject suggests that the two most likely causes are behavioral, generally boredom, possibly anxiety or stress. Boredom is generally the main culprit and when a dog does it continually, it becomes a learned behavior. If this is the case, you can use the approach that Klossbruhe suggested in his or her email above or you can spend some money to have your dog(s) looked at by an animal behavior consultant.

The other likely cause of dirt and grass eating is something called PICA a psychological disorder characterized by an appetite for substances that are largely non-nutritive such as hair (trichophagia) or feces (coprophagia), or dirt (geophagia).

I think you can fade this behavior if you are persistent and vigilent. Bit of a drag though...


Hundmutter

by Hundmutter on 31 March 2021 - 02:03

FWIW I'm in the Klossbruhe / Auslese camp on grass eating. My own observations down the years have been that while an individual dog MAY sometimes select grass to 'deal with' a (temporary) digestive disorder - usually spotted by how picky s/he is about the TYPE of grass selected - this 'communal grazing' described by the OP is far more likely to be a learned/aquired habit his dogs have collectively developed simply because they've had opportunity and its 'something to do'. I believe in the research which has shown that some overarching nutritional deficiency has no basis; it was a convenient catch-all old wives' tale when we had no other way to tell.

I suppose one way to stop it would be artificial grass over the area they have most access to / have nibbled most ! Would certainly suppport the comments about not expecting dogs to play with toys by themselves, human interaction is usually much more highly valued. Don't agree with Klossbruhe about the shouting, though. A firm and consistent No quickly spoken whenever you see them even look like grazing (and yes timing is important) should be enough - dogs' hearing is so much better than ours that shouting is rarely a necessity and is sometimes actually counter-productive in teaching anything.

by Dexter55 on 31 March 2021 - 13:03


I REALLY appreciate everyone's expertise and insight.
The responses suggesting behavioral/habitual reasons tend to resonate with me.

For what is it worth, their diet seems to be balanced...we feed Victor kibble along with Olewo carrots....stool, coats, overall health appears good.
They will not "graze" if we are all in the backyard. In fact they are rarely unattended. But I have watched them inside from a window and as soon as I see the behavior about to start, all I need to do is knock once on the window and the grazing stops.
I realize this is a tough behavior to eliminate and at this point, I may fence off that area of the yard and see if they happen to move to another part of the lawn.
Thanks all!

by jillmissal on 14 April 2021 - 10:04

They eat grass because they like it. Especially in spring.

A dog that DOESN'T usually eat grass that starts chowing it down probably feels a little sick and should be kept away from eating grass because it can cause an obstruction.

I'd guess that they are bored and have learned the behaviour from each other.

by Juno11 on 07 May 2021 - 14:05

Maybe something is missing in your dogs diet. If you switched them to a raw or homemade cooked diet, the grass eating might stop. I have always fed raw or home made but there are certain things my dogs like to eat such as leaves off a hops vine and there's a patch of long grass where we run them that they like to eat in the spring. My dogs love veggies but I don't feed mushrooms and onions. Vegetables are easier for dogs to digest when cooked.

Juno





 


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